As NBC News reports, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has voted 3-0 to file an administrative complaint against Baby Matters LLC of Berwyn, Pa., makers of Nap Nanny infant recliner seats, because they pose “a substantial risk of injury and death to infants.”
The CPSC claims that the makers of the Nap Nanny didn’t do enough about the possible danger the infant seats pose, and is seeking an order that would require Baby Matters to inform the public about product defects, and to offer a full refund to consumers.
Baby Matters owner, Leslie Gudel, said in a statement, “…I am truly heartbroken for the families who have lost a child. But the fact that infants have died ‘while using’ the Nap Nanny improperly, such as when used in a crib where the child could suffocate…does not mean our product caused the child’s death or is hazardous.” She went on to say that “No infant using the Nap Nanny properly has ever suffered an injury requiring medical attention.”
In July 2010, Baby Matters LLC and the CPSC announced a joint recall of 30,000 Generation One baby recliners after a 4-month-old girl became caught in the seat’s harness. Since then, four more infants have died in Nap Nanny Generation Two or Chill seats, and the CSPC has received over 70 reports of babies who have almost fallen out or who have fallen out of the seats and become trapped by the harnesses.
CSPC officials warn that Nap Nanny seats are dangerous when used in cribs or when the harness straps aren’t fastened securely. The NBC report says about 50,000 Nap Nanny Generation Two models were sold between 2009 and early 2012, and about 100,000 Chill models have been sold since January 2011. The Generation Two models have been discontinued.
Leslie Gudel assured consumers that, “The CSPC advised us that it had conducted a technical analysis on the Nap Nanny Chill, and deemed it a suitable upgrade to our older models.”
