Fisher-Price issued a recall for more than 2 million children’s swings after five babies died in them in a decade.
The Snuga Swing was officially recalled Thursday for posing a choking hazard, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
In most of the reported deaths, the baby was unrestrained and bedding materials were added, the CPSC said. All deaths were of babies one to three months old between 2012 and 2022.
More than 2 million Snuga swings have been sold in the United States since 2010. About 99,000 have been sold in Canada and about 500 in Mexico.
The product swings forward, backward and side to side. Rotate 90 degrees. There are 21 models of this product included in the recall.
The Snuga Swing was officially recalled Thursday for presenting a choking hazard.
The recall says: “Consumers are reminded to never use these products for sleep and to never add blankets or other materials to the swing, even after removing the headrest and body support.”
“Parents and caregivers should never use any tilt-seat products, such as swings, gliders, pacifiers, and rocking chairs, for infant sleep and should not leave infants in these products unsupervised, unrestrained, or with bedding due to the risk of asphyxiation”.
To “remediate” the product, the CPSC said to remove the headrest and body support from the swing. Anyone who removes these parts and throws them away will receive a $25 refund from Fisher-Price.
Specific instructions on how to do this can be found on Mattel’s website.
The swings have been sold at Amazon, Toys R Us, Walmart, Sams Club and Target for the past 14 years for about $160.
To ensure babies’ safety, the CPSC recommends placing babies on their backs to sleep.
To “remediate” the product, the CPSC said to remove the headrest and body support from the swing.
‘The best place for a baby to sleep is on a firm, flat surface in a crib, bassinet, or play yard, with nothing more than a fitted sheet. “Infants who fall asleep in a tilted or upright position should be moved to a safe sleep environment with a firm, flat surface, such as a crib, bassinet, or playard,” the CPSC wrote in the recall.
Congress enacted the Safe Sleep for Babies Act in 2022, which banned inclined beds for babies.
“Fisher-Price’s greatest concern and primary goal has always been the safety of children who use our products,” the company said in a statement.
Fisher-Price issued the recall Thursday and said its “big concern” is child safety.
CPSC Commissioner Richard Trumka said Fisher-Price’s efforts regarding this recall are not enough.
He wrote in a statement: “First, Fisher-Price is not recalling the entire product, but rather is recalling only a portion of it. Even after a consumer follows through with the recall “remedy,” the product remains unsafe for infant sleep, but Fisher-Price encourages “continuing to use the swing.”
“I fear this dangerous approach will keep babies at risk of death just to save Fisher-Price money, a horrible example of putting profits before people.”
Trumka also noted that the company only reimburses a portion of the total cost of the product.
Fisher-Price is a Mattel brand that specializes in nursery essentials and baby toys.
He advised people to discard the product completely.
In 2019, Fisher-Price recalled its Rock n’ Play, a baby crib, and did not offer refunds to all customers, Trumka said.
After the recall was issued, eight more babies died, bringing the death toll to more than 100.
“Fisher-Price can do more to save babies’ lives; I think it’s necessary.” And I firmly believe that consumers should demand more from this company,” he said.