As federal regulators continue to warn consumers about the risk of suffocation associated with using inclined infant products — such as rockers, nappers and loungers — for infant sleep, a new safety hazard has emerged for crawling babies: strangulation in dangling restraint straps.
On August 15, 2022, baby product manufacturer 4moms issued a joint recall with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) of about two million MamaRoo Baby Swings and 220,000 RockaRoo Baby Rockers after the strangulation death of a 10-month-old and a close call involving another 10-month-old. In separate incidents, the babies, while crawling under the MamaRoo swing, became entangled in restraint straps that can dangle below the seat. A report made in the SaferProducts.gov public database describes a nonfatal incident in August 2018 involving a 10-month-old whose neck became so entangled in the strap that his parent had to cut it to loosen him. The parent reported: “He suffered marks and popped blood vessels all the way around his neck (as anyone would get if they hung themselves). He also had popped blood vessels around his eyes, also a cause from being strangled.”
The report states that the parent notified 4moms of the incident “right after it happened,” and that the company’s response was to offer a “credit.” The fatal incident occurred more than two years later in December 2020, according to news reports.
According to the recall notice, the MamaRoo swing offers multiple motions and speeds. Buttons on the base control the motion, speed and sound. The model number is located on the bottom of the product. The recall includes MamaRoo models that use a 3-point harness: versions 1.0 and 2.0 (model number 4M-005), version 3.0 (model number 1026) and version 4.0 (model number 1037).
The RockaRoo rocker is described as having a front to back gliding motion. The base has an analog knob and power button to control the range of motion of the rocker. The model number 4M-012 is located on the bottom of the recalled rocker.
Both products were sold at BuyBuy Baby and Target stores nationwide and online at 4moms.com and Amazon from January 2010 through August 2022 for between $160 and $250.
The recall notice instructs consumers with infants who can crawl to immediately stop using the recalled swings and rockers and place them in an area that crawling infants cannot access. Consumers should contact 4moms immediately to register for a free strap fastener that will prevent the straps from extending under the swing when not in use.
The recall comes just three months after President Biden signed the Safe Sleep for Babies Act into law. The new law, which will go into effect in November 2022, prohibits the manufacture or sale of inclined sleepers that place babies at angles of greater than 10 degrees, and also bans padded crib bumpers. Both products pose an asphyxiation hazard to infants and have been linked to more than 200 infant deaths. The design of the products violates the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics that infants should be put to sleep on their backs, on a separate, flat and firm sleep surface, without any bumpers, loose bedding or stuffed toys. For more information about the Safe Sleep for Babies Act CLICK HERE.
As recently as June 2022, the CPSC warned parents that baby rockers should never be used for infant sleep, citing at least 14 deaths in rockers made by Fisher-Price and Kids2. For more information about the CPSC warning on baby rockers CLICK HERE.
What Should I Do If My Child Has Been Injured by a MamaRoo Baby Swing or RockaRoo Baby Rocker?
Alan M. Feldman, a co-founding partner and product liability attorney at Feldman Shepherd, recommends contacting a product liability attorney as soon as possible if your child has been injured by a MamaRoo Baby Swing, RockaRoo Baby Rocker or any other infant product.
According to Feldman, “[P]roduct liability law has always required that products be safe for their intended as well as expected use. With respect to MamaRoo Baby Swings and RockaRoo Baby Rockers, it should be completely foreseeable to baby products manufacturers that baby products are kept and used in areas of the home that are accessible to crawling babies, requiring the adoption of designs that protect babies from loose straps.”
Feldman’s team at Feldman Shepherd, which includes partners Daniel J. Mann and Edward S. Goldis, have secured substantial recoveries on behalf of infants and young children who have been seriously injured or killed by children’s products, including baby slings, unstable furniture and magnetic toys.