The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is recalling all models of Fisher-Price Rock N' Play sleepers after it was linked to over 30 infant deaths.
The move comes just a few days after the American Academy of Pediatrics, a professional organization of pediatricians known by the acronym AAP, called on the CPSC to recall the products, citing an analysis from Consumer Reports magazine connecting it to 32 sleep-related infant deaths.
"This product is deadly and should be recalled immediately," Dr. Kyle Yasuda, president of the AAP, said in a press release. "When parents purchase a product for their baby or child, many assume that if it's being sold in a store, it must be safe to use. Tragically, that is not the case. There is convincing evidence that the Rock n' Play inclined sleeper puts infants' lives at risk, and CPSC must step up and take immediate action to remove it from stores and prevent further tragedies."
The Consumer Reports analysis was published on April 8, just days after the CPSC issued a warning on the product imploring parents to stop using it once their children turned 3 months old or began exhibiting the ability to roll over - whichever came first. The analysis found that many of the children who had died were younger than 3 months old. The cause of death for some of the babies was asphyxia, or the inability to breathe due to the child's position.
In it's statement, the AAP said it does not recommend "inclined sleep products like the Rock n' Play, or any other products for sleep that require restraining a baby."
"The AAP advises against using car seats, strollers or other devices for sleep," the AAP said, "because of the risk that a baby could roll or turn into an unsafe position and be incapable of moving, leading to suffocation or strangulation."