In a recall that one federal safety regulator has characterized as “doomed to fail,” Fisher-Price is offering its customers $25 to remove components from its Snuga Swings — which have been linked to five infant deaths — instead of offering a meaningful remedy that would get this unsafe product out of people’s homes.
On October 10, 2024, Fisher-Price announced the recall of more than two million Snuga Swings, stating that five infants died between 2012 and 2022 while sleeping in the swings. According to the recall notice, if the Snuga Swings are used for sleep or if bedding is added, the headrest and body support insert on the seat pad can “increase the risk of suffocation.” The infants who died were ages 1 to 3 months. In most of the incidents, the infants were unrestrained and bedding had been added to the swing.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants be put to sleep on their backs, on a separate, flat and firm sleep surface without any bumpers, loose bedding or stuffed toys.
How Do I Know If I Have a Snuga Swing?
The Snuga Swings were sold at Amazon, Toys R Us, Walmart/Sam’s Club and Target nationwide from October 2010 through January 2024 for about $160. They have a front-to-back and side-to-side motion, two seatback positions, and can rotate up to 90 degrees. The swings fold up for storage. They were sold in 21 different models with names like My Little Snugakitty Cradle ‘n Swing, My Little Snugabunny Swing and My Little Snugabear Cradle ‘n Swing. A full list of the models is available on the recall notice.
What Should I Do If I Have a Snuga Swing?
The recall notice instructs consumers to immediately remove both the headrest (by cutting the tether) and the body support insert from the seat pad before continuing to use the swing for awake-time activities. Fisher-Price will provide a $25 refund to consumers who remove and destroy the headrest and body support insert.
But in a scathing statement released on the day of the recall, Richard L. Trumka, Jr., a commissioner at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), said the Snuga Swings are still unsafe even with the so-called “repair” and that consumers should get their refund and throw away the swings. He said the recall is “doomed to fail and will keep many babies in harm’s way.”
Trumka pointed out that the recall announcement recognizes that Snuga Swings are unsafe for sleep even after the modification. “I have no doubt that if these products remain in homes, many consumers will still use these products for sleep because they have received conflicting instructions over time. Merely warning parents to stop using these products for sleep now will not be as effective as removing them from homes and daycares. Fisher-Price cannot un-ring the bell,” said Trumka. He cited to a Fisher-Price YouTube video from 2015 that represented Snuga Swings as being safe for “short naps.”
Trumka further called out Fisher-Price for a history of putting profits over safety. He cited to the Rock ‘n Play Sleeper, which for years Fisher-Price claimed was safe despite a lack of safety testing, concerns by pediatricians, and its knowledge of related deaths. Millions of Rock ‘n Plays entered the marketplace before it was finally revealed that more than 100 babies had died in this product. All the while, the CPSC was barred by federal law from revealing what it knew about the safety (or lack thereof) of the Rock ‘n Play.
While the Rock ‘n Play was eventually recalled in 2019, it will be many years before infants are truly safe from this dangerous product. An untold number of Rock ‘n Plays remain in use in people’s homes and in childcare centers and are available for purchase online from resale marketplaces.
Similarly, in 2022, Fisher-Price acknowledged 13 infant deaths in its Infant-to-Toddler Rockers and Newborn-to-Toddler Rockers, but rather than recalling them, Fisher-Price warned parents not to use the rockers for infant sleep. In 2021, after four infants died in its Rock ‘n Glide Soother, Fisher-Price recalled the product, but did not offer a full refund to all consumers and offered different amounts to those who kept the receipt and those who did not.
“These actions do not show the commitment to ending product-related infant sleep deaths that I would expect to see from a company that claims to place safety as its highest priority,” said Trumka. “Instead of learning from the failures of the past, Fisher-Price appears indifferent to repeating them. Fisher-Price should know better than to skimp on another recall.”
What Should I Do If My Baby Has Been Seriously Injured or Killed in a Snuga Swing?
Daniel J. Mann, a shareholder 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 Snuga Swing or any other infant product.
Mann said that product liability law requires that all products be safe for their intended as well as expected use. “Fisher-Price knows that these products are used for sleep, and yet they continue to market and sell these dangerous products to families, even after they regularly and repeatedly kill infants. It is unconscionable that Fisher-Price puts profits over the safety of infants.”
The product liability team at Feldman Shepherd, which includes co-founding shareholder Alan M. Feldman, Mann and partner Edward S. Goldis, has 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. They presently represent many families whose babies died in separate incidents in infant loungers, rockers and sleepers, which do not comply with the safe sleep recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics.