The maker of a popular line of baby products is recalling more than 2 million swings and rockers, warning that they pose a safety hazard when not in use because crawling infants can become entangled in their straps, federal safety regulators announced Monday.
Pittsburgh-based 4moms was notified that a 10-month-old died of asphyxiation after getting tangled up in a MamaRoo swing and another infant sustained bruising to his neck before being rescued by a caregiver, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said in the recall notice. In both incidents, the babies crawled under the unoccupied swing and got caught in straps that dangle under the seat.
The voluntary recall involves 2 million MamaRoo baby swings, versions 1.0 through 4.0, and 220,000 RockaRoo baby rockers sold in the United States, as well as 60,000 swings and 10,000 rockers sold in Canada.
The devices don’t present a hazard to infants placed in the seat, regulators said.
The swings and rockers were sold at Buy Buy Baby and Target stores across the country, and online at 4moms.com and Amazon from January 2010 through August 2022. They were priced from $160 to $250.
The MamaRoo is a baby swing that offers multiple motions and speeds, with buttons on the base that control the motion, speed and sound. The recall affects all swing models that use a three-point harness; the model with a five-point harness is not included.
The RockaRoo is a rocker with a gliding motion that moves front to back. The base has an analog knob and power button to control the range of motion. No safety incidents have been reported in connection with the device.
Consumers with infants who can crawl are advised to stop using the devices immediately and to place them out of reach of young children. The recall also directs parents to contact 4moms to register for a free strap fastener that will prevent the straps from extending under the swing when not in use.
The company can be reached toll free at 877-870-7390 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern time Monday through Friday; by email at safetyandrecall@4moms.com; or online at www.4moms.com (click on SAFETY & RECALL at the top of the page for more information). 4moms is contacting all known purchasers directly.
Earlier this summer, Fisher-Price and the CPSC warned parents not to let babies fall asleep in certain rockers after at least 13 reported deaths over a dozen years. The rockers in question – Infant-to-Toddler Rocker or Newborn-to-Toddler Rocker – come with reclining seats, which are designed to swing back and forth to relax the child.
However, the reclining position can put a baby at suffocation risk and goes against guidelines set forth by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The agency issued a safety alert, not a recall, because the incidents were still under investigation, a CPSC official said at the time.
Last year, federal safety regulators banned a range of infant sleep products that fell between gaps in regulations, in an attempt to fix a loophole blamed for at least 90 accidental deaths.
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