Safety commission warns consumers to stop using certain infant loungers, investigating 2 deaths
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is warning customers to stop using certain infant loungers after learning of two deaths from suffocation.
The agency said it was aware of two infants who were placed on a Podster lounger and died when "due to a change in position, their noses and mouths were obstructed by the Podster or another object."
The infants, 17 days old and 4 months old, died in January 2018 and December 2015 in the U.S, the CPSC said.
The warning includes the Podster, Podster Plush, Bummzie and Podster Playtime (the "Podsters") infant loungers manufactured by Leachco, Inc.
Leachco said its product is not intended for sleep and said the CPSC is "wrongly telling consumers to stop using the Podster altogether instead of explaining that no lounger should be used in a crib or bed and no lounger is safe for unsupervised sleep."
"Leachco has always had clear warnings on the product and its packaging not to place it in a bed or crib or use it for unsupervised sleep," the company said in a statement. "Leachco supports the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) safe sleep guidelines and urges families to use the Podster as intended for supervised daytime activity only—not for sleep.
"Leachco stands by the Podster's quality, safety and value," the company said.
While the product is not being recalled at this time, the safety commission said it continues to investigate the Podsters.
"Infant loungers like Podsters are not safe for sleep. Babies should always be placed to sleep on their back. Babies who fall asleep in an inclined or upright position should be moved to a safe sleep environment," the CPSC said.
The agency said it intends to "promptly consider other actions," including the potential filing of an administrative complaint.
"The loss of an infant is truly tragic and families who suffered that loss have our deepest sympathies," Leachco said in a statement.
