Boppy Newborn Loungers Recalled Due to Suffocation Risk
Over 3 million Boppy Newborn Loungers are being recalled due to a high risk of suffocation. Eight infants have died after suffocating while in the loungers.
Sept. 23 2021, Published 4:09 p.m. ET
Over 3 million Boppy Newborn Loungers are being recalled due to a high risk of suffocation. Here's what consumers need to know about the product, recall, and refunds.
According to the CPSC (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission), eight infants have died after suffocating while in the loungers. The deaths occurred between December 2015 and June 2020.
The CPSC and The Boppy Company issued the recall on Sept. 23. The recall warns that infants can suffocate if they roll, move, or are placed on the lounger in a position that obstructs breathing. There's also a risk of suffocation if an infant rolls off the lounger onto an external surface, like an adult pillow or soft bedding that obstructs breathing.
The deaths associated with the Boppy Newborn Lounger happened after the infants were placed on their back, side, or stomach on the lounger and were found on their side or on their stomach.
The recall applies to the Boppy Original Newborn Lounger, the Boppy Preferred Newborn Lounger, and the Pottery Barn Kids Boppy Newborn Lounger. About 3.3 million loungers were sold between January 2004 and September 2021 through national retailers including Pottery Barn, Target, Walmart, and Amazon.com. Over 35,000 loungers were sold in Canada.
Consumers who have one of these infant loungers will be refunded for the cost of the product.
Infants shouldn’t sleep with loungers or pillows.
Loungers and pillow-like products aren't safe for infants to sleep with, said CPSC Acting Chairman Robert Adler.
“Since we know that infants sleep so much of the time – even in products not intended for sleep – and since suffocation can happen so quickly, these Boppy lounger products are simply too risky to remain on the market,” Adler said in a statement.
Boppy loungers aren’t marketed as sleep products.
A spokesperson for The Boppy Company said that the company is devastated to hear about the infant deaths. The loungers aren’t marketed as infant sleep products and they include warnings about unsupervised use, the spokesperson said.
“Boppy is committed to doing everything possible to safeguard babies, including communicating the safe use of our products to parents and caregivers, and educating the public about the importance of following all warnings and instructions and the risks associated with unsafe sleep practices for infants,” the company said in a statement.
The Boppy Company has recalled other products in the past.
Based in Golden, Colo., The Boppy Company sells several newborn and pregnancy products, including nursing pillows, pregnancy pillows, and baby carriers. After the recall was issued, the loungers were removed from the company’s website.
In 2019, the company recalled its Boppy Head and Neck Support products, which it deemed a suffocation hazard. No injuries were reported in that recall.
How can you get a refund for a Boppy Newborn Lounger?
The CPSC urges consumers to stop using the loungers immediately and contact The Boppy Company for a refund. To get a refund, you need to send The Boppy Company the UPC or item number and date code of the lounger, which can be found on the labels attached to the product.
A copy of your receipt for the lounger can help determine how much you’ll be refunded. The company also requires consumers to show proof that they destroyed the lounger by providing a picture of the lounger cut in half.