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CPSC Announces Baby Sling Recall

It’s become increasingly fashionable for parents to “wear” babies in slings, but the safety of these slings has come under fire in recent months. A few months back, the Consumer Product Safety Commission warned about the suffocation risks from newborn babies placed in these slings. Those risks were made even more obvious, after the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a recall of baby slings manufactured by a Texas company this week. The recall was linked to the death of a 10-day-old baby in Texas in 2007.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the slings are manufactured by a company called Sprout Stuff in Austin, Texas. The recall includes about 40 units of the Sprout Stuff infant ring slings. The agency has warned parents to stop using these slings immediately. The agency says it has at least one confirmed report of a death involving a 10-day-old boy in Round Rock in Texas in 2007.

In fact, the first serious sign that there was a problem with baby slings came in March of this year, when the Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a warning about the safety risks of using baby slings. The agency then warned that there were two separate kinds of risks involved in using these slings. The first risk was that the fabric of the slings would be pressed against the baby’s nostrils, preventing it from breathing. The second risk involved the baby settling into a C position in the sling, and having its head drop forward onto the chest, restricting breathing. Both of these risks can cause suffocation to an infant, in just a matter of seconds.

The risk of suffocation is especially strong in newborn babies below the age of four months. Babies of this age have no control over the neck and head muscles, and may not be able to lift their heads to allow breathing when they are smothered by the fabric or flopped against their chest. Babies who suffer from respiratory problems, like a cough or cold, are also more likely to suffocate in a sling. Preemies have been found to be at an especially high risk of such suffocation in baby slings.

The death of this boy and the delay in announcing the recall has once again brought home to California injury lawyers, the severe problems plaguing the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The death of the boy was reported in 2007, but the Consumer Product Safety Commission only posted the recall notice on its website in May 2010. This kind of delay in announcing important recalls has been a big part of the criticism leveled against the agency. The agency continues to face far too many hurdles, when it comes to informing the public about dangerous products.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission  is now working on establishing sling safety guidelines to make slings safer for babies. Our Orange County dangerous products lawyers have found that there are no current established guidelines for sling standards, and the agency is now working on setting such standards.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of recalled products. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

The Reeves Law Group is not representing any party in the matters discussed in this posting.

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