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On December 5th, the Consumer Product Safety Commission filed a lawsuit against Baby Matters, LLC, of Berwyn, Pennsylvania, - the manufacturer of Nap Nanny infant recliners. It is very rare for the Commission to file lawsuits. In fact the Commission has only prompted 4 lawsuits in the last 11 years, which I think shows how concerned they are about this product being dangerous for tiny infants. The product in question is a portable infant recliner marketed towards sleep deprived parents to help their infants sleep. The recliner includes a shaped foam base with an inclined indentation for the baby to sit in and a fitted fabric cover with a three point harness. Parents are placing the Nap Nannies inside cribs and there have been tragic situations when the baby has tipped over with the product becoming wedged between the sides of the crib and the mattress. In some cases, the harness failed to keep babies from falling out if the product tipped over.
The Commission is convinced that the Nap Nanny models contain defects in its design, warnings and instructions, and pose a serious risk of injury and death to infants. And unfortunately they are correct, as there have been five infant deaths from use of this product and the Commission has received over 70 reports of infants nearly falling out of the product. They were finally compelled to file this lawsuit after discussions with the company failed to result in a safe and effective voluntary recall plan. "We had to take action, because of the number of incidences, and that is why we have filed this complaint against the company. They would not agree to a voluntary recall," Alex Flip from the Commission has said. The Commission has also requested retailers not sell this product.
Any product that is designed for tired and sleep deprived parents should be 100 percent safe and with over 70 reported injuries in small babies, and five infant deaths clearly this product is not safe.
However the manufacturer remains in complete denial about how dangerous their product is. On their website statement they show no real remorse for the families that have lost small infants, but talk about, “another small business is gone.” Thankfully, due to the lawsuit, this company was forced to close down last month.
If you know anyone who has this product, please make sure they stop using it and dispose of it safely. This is not a product that any parent should be buying or using this holiday season or any holiday season for that matter.
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Comments
I am sorry for the loss of even one child, but it seems absolutely clear that is is not the fault of the manufacturer. The warning that indicating use only at floors level is positive. There are significantly more children killed in car seats so should we ban them? This reminds me of the CPSC ban on three-wheelers in the 1980s because of a few deaths. Improper use of an item is not the problem of the manufacturer. It is a problem of the user. I am sure you will not have the courage to post this because it might indicate that parents have some responsibility in their child's health and safety. CPSC is absolutely wrong in this event.
I agree completely. The warnings are clearly stated on the product and are simple enough to understand.
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