At least two baby deaths have been linked to the Amby Baby Motion Beds
and Hammocks, which is why Amby Baby USA and the Consumer Product Safety
Commission are recalling about 24,000 of these child sleepers. One of
the victims was a 4-month old Georgia baby who died in an Amby baby hammock
in June. Another infant, a 5-month-old Oregon boy, died from suffocation
last August.
If the baby gets wedged against or rolled into the fabric or stuck in
the gap next to the mattress pad as the hammock tilts or shifts side-to-side,
the child might suffocate to death. Consumers are asked to stop using
this product immediately until they receive their free repair kit.
This latest child sleeper recall is the second one announced in December.
Last week, the CPSC and LaJobi Inc. recalled about 400 “Betsy”
and “Molly” cribs because of concerns that a child’s
head might get caught in the crib’s end panel cut-outs, which are
a potential strangulation hazard. One 1-year-old girl died this way in 2003.
Of course, there was the CPSC’s largest recall in US history last
month when it singled out 2.1 million drop-side cribs by Stork Craft following
reports of infant suffocation, entrapment, and fall accidents. Our furniture
product liability law firm reported on this recall in an earlier blog post.
Crib Injuries and Deaths
One of the few times that babies and toddlers are left unsupervised is
when they are sleeping. This means that in the event of strangulation,
suffocation, or entrapment, a parent, guardian, caregiver, or another
adult may not be immediately available to rescue the child or call for help.
Crib makers and infant sleeper manufacturers are aware of this. Yet, every
year there are toddlers and babies who sustain crib injuries and are hospitalized
because of crib defects. Some of these children are not lucky enough to survive.
Infant Suffocation Deaths Prompt Recall of Amby Baby Motion Beds/Hammocks, CPSC, December 8, 2009
CPSC, LaJobi Reannounce 2001 Recall of Cribs Due to Entrapment and Strangulation Hazards, CPSC, December 2, 2009
Related Web Resources:
KidsHealth.org
KidsinDanger.org
Please contact our Child Injury Lawyers to discuss your case.