The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recently announced that Fisher-Price is recalling more than 2 million Snuga Infant Swings due to a suffocation hazard. At the time of the recall, the company was aware of five deaths involving infants one to three months of age who died while sleeping in the swings.
These cases are similar to the deaths that occurred in the Fisher-Price Rock ’n Play Sleepers. The company recalled about 4.7 million of those back in April 2019. They were aware of over 30 fatalities at the time. They re-announced the recall on January 9, 2023, because after the recall, at least 8 additional fatalities were reported to have occurred. In total, these Fisher-Price sleepers have been connected to 100 infant deaths.
Companies like Fisher-Price are responsible for ensuring that their products are safe for their intended use. Families purchase these products believing them to be properly tested and manufactured. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case with the Rock ‘n Play Sleepers or the Snuga Infant Swings.
If your child was seriously injured or died while in a product like this, contact our Virginia Beach defective drug and product injury attorneys. We have the resources necessary to fully investigate your case and help you recover compensation for your losses. Though you can never replace your lost loved one, you deserve justice for having trusted a product made by a company that ultimately, let you down.
Fisher-Price Urging Parents and Caregivers to Continue Using the Dangerous Swing
The recalled Snuga Swing is an infant swing with a front-to-back and side-to-side motion. It has 90 degrees of rotation, two seatback positions, and comes in multiple colors with a variety of toy accessories. The products were sold at Amazon, Toys R Us, Walmart/Sam’s Club, and Target nationwide from October 2010 through January 2024 for about $160. Distributed by Fisher-Price of East Aurora, New York, they were manufactured in China and Mexico.
Fisher-Price is offering a refund or voucher for the recalled sleepers. CPSC Commissioner Richard L. Trumka Jr. stated that the remedy was not enough:
“I absolutely agree that Fisher-Price Snuga Swings need to be recalled—they are tied to multiple infant sleep deaths,” he said. “However, I believe that the flawed recall that Fisher-Price is announcing today is doomed to fail and will keep many babies in harm’s way.”
For example, Fisher-Price is recalling only a portion of the product, instructing consumers to remove both the headrest and the body support insert from the seat pad “before continuing to use the swing.” Trumka states that even after this, the product will remain unsafe for infant sleep.
Second, Fisher-Price is offering only a small portion of the product’s cost—$25—as a refund. “I fear that this dangerous approach will keep babies at risk just to save Fisher-Price money—a horrible example of putting profit over people,” Trumka stated.
Should the company offer a full refund and advise consumers to destroy the product, that would more effectively end the hazard. Trumka advises consumers to get the refund and then throw the product away.
The company acknowledges that the product remains unsafe for sleep even after the recall, stating, “The Swing should never be used for sleep and bedding materials should never be added to it.”
Nevertheless, it’s likely some consumers will still use the products for sleep because of the conflicting messages they have heard from Fisher-Price and others.
How Can a Defective Product Injury Attorney Help?
The actions of this company open up many possible avenues of recovery for injured victims and their families. If you or a loved one suffered because of a defective Fisher-Price Rock ’n Play or Snuga Swing, contact our firm today for a free initial consultation.
We will thoroughly investigate your case, calculate how much compensation you are owed, then determine the best way to approach your product liability claim, as we did for this client who suffered multiple fractures from a defective product. We helped negotiate a $375,000 settlement for him.
With over 100 years of combined legal experience, we have offices in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Hampton, and Norfolk.