In light of recent lawsuits against Fisher-Price and its parent company, Mattel, doctors and safety groups are now saying more should have been done to fix the risks associated with the Rock ’n Play sleeper.
While the Fisher-Price recalled 4.7 million Rock ’n Play sleepers from shelves, the company maintains that it was not at fault for the more than 30 infant deaths linked to the product. According to Fisher-Price, the reported deaths were the result of consumers using the sleeper “contrary to safety warnings and instructions” that state to buckle babies in with the harness and avoid putting other items in the sleeper.
However, marketing materials for the sleeper claim a “baby can sleep at a comfy incline all night long.” This claim is at odds with pediatricians’ recommendation that babies sleep on flat surfaces without restraints. Now, claims from the company’s marketing campaign are the subject of a lawsuit.
The parents of a 12-week-old girl who died last years after using the Rock ’n Play sleeper is suing Fisher-Price, Mattel, and Amazon. The lawsuit specifically cites that the company promoted “dangerous features as selling points” and also “determined that the most effective form of advertising for its baby-related products was through word-of-mouth and through ‘mommy bloggers.’”
Fisher price is also being accused of lobbying government officials to skirt regulations that would have prevented the product from being sold to the public. This same issue was taken up when Consumer Reports recently investigated the company, eventually prompting the recall.
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