An 8-month-old __New Jersey baby girl is the latest child to die while using a Nap Nanny infant recline__r, a product that was recalled last year and that safety experts have been urging parents to stop using ever since.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the baby suffocated while secured by a belt, trapped between the side of the edge of the seat and a crib bumper. Officials say she is the sixth baby to die from use of the product and are now once again pleading with parents to take the recall more seriously.
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Though the Nap Nanny, which were originally sold between 2009 and 2012, are no longer sold in stores (they're actually illegal in the U.S.) and have since been recalled, they are reportedly easy to find in online auctions or at yard sales. Still, officials from the CPSC say parents should avoid buying one all costs. "Our message to parents is clear: Stop using it. It's dangerous," CPSC Communications Director Scott Wolfson told ABC News. "There's been six deaths already and we don't want another child to die unnecessarily."
Meanwhile, the company behind the portable recliner, which has been out of business for two years, still maintains that the product is safe when used properly. In a statement regarding this latest death, a spokesperson said the company was heartbroken for the families who have lost a child, but that the Nap Nanny was never intended to use a crib.
That may be true … I don't know why a parent would use this product in a crib. But the bigger, even more important question is why would a parent use this product PERIOD? Not only has it been recalled and made against the law to sell in the country, it's known to have caused multiple deaths. It's unclear if the parents of the baby in New Jersey knew that when they bought it, but some quick research would've made it clear this product isn't safe.
Whatever the case, the tragedy serves as a reminder to all moms and dads of how important it is to pay attention to these recalls (which can be found at Recall.gov or on the CPSC site) and to always look into a product before buying it for their kids, whether new, used, or bought in-store or online. It could end up saving your child's life!
Image via CPSC
