After reports that a sixth child has died, the Consumer Product Safety Commission is urging parents and caregivers to stop using the recalled infant recliner "Nap Nanny."
On May 27, the U.S regulatory agency reported that its Safe to Sleep experts asked parents to stop using Nap Nanny or Nap Nanny Chill recliner immediately as it could be dangerous to their infants. The recliner was recalled by U.S. regulators in 2010, but the product may still be available for sale.
"Nap Nanny recliners should no longer be sold in stores, but stay away from them at yard sales, as hand-me-down gifts or on an online auction site. CPSC is aware of parents posting online about how much they like these products, but the products are hazardous and it is illegal to sell or resell them," per the CPSC.
Since 2010, according to the CPSC, Nap Nanny 's safety problems have resulted in the loss of or serious injuries to children. CPSC explains two reasons that may have caused children to die while on the recliner. Firstly, the baby hangs or partly hangs from the side of the recliner and is trapped between the crib bumpers and the product. The second cause of death was that the baby suffocates if it falls on the inside of the Nap Nanny.
The latest death of a baby was reported in Hopatcong, N.J. The CPSC says that an eight-month-old baby girl who was secured in the Nap Nanny with a belt was later found partly hanging from the side of the recliner.
The manufacturer of Nap Nanny, Baby Matters LLC, is out of business and is not taking back returns. However, in December 2012, four retailers, which included Amazon.com, Diapers.com, Buy Buy Baby and Toys R Us/Babies R Us, announced that they were recalling Nap Nanny and Nap Nanny Chill sold from their stores. Customers who bought the product from these retailers should contact them and get instructions on how to get a refund.
"There's been six deaths already, and we don't want another child to die unnecessarily," says Scott Wolfson, CPSC communications director, in an interview with ABC News.
U.S. regulators believe that Baby Matters LLC sold around 165,000 Nap Nanny recliners in the United States between 2009 and 2012. It is now illegal to sell or resell Nap Nanny and Nap Nanny Chill in the country.
