Two Additional Infant Deaths Prompt Re-announcement of Simplicity “Close-Sleeper/Bedside Sleeper” Bassinets

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Office of Information and Public Affairs Washington, DC 20207

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 20, 2009
Release #09-319 CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

Two Additional Infant Deaths Prompt Re-announcement of Simplicity “Close-Sleeper/Bedside Sleeper” Bassinets
Consumers urged to immediately stop using the 3-in-1 and 4-in-1 bassinets, including those with Graco logo and “Winnie the Pooh” motifs
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is once again urging all parents and caregivers to immediately stop using convertible "close-sleeper/bedside sleeper" bassinets manufactured by Simplicity Inc., of Reading, Pa. CPSC has learned of two additional infant deaths since the August 2008 safety alert and recall announcements that notified consumers of two infants who had strangled in their Simplicity bassinets. To date, CPSC is aware of four infants who have died in the close-sleeper bassinets.

CPSC learned that in September 2008, a two-month old female in Demorest, Georgia suffocated when she rolled into the adjustable fabric siding of the bassinet, pressing her face into a "pocket" which formed near the Velcro© fasteners. In another incident in January 2009, a six-month old female in Fort Worth, Texas appears to have been fatally entrapped in the bassinet’s bar opening created when the Velcro© fasteners were not secured. An investigation into this infant’s death is ongoing.

In addition, CPSC has received two separate reports involving a 10-week old and a 3-month old whose heads became entrapped between the lower bassinet bar and the mattress support. The infants were freed by their caregivers without injury.

The Simplicity 3-in-1 and 4-in-1 convertible bassinets, including bassinets with the Graco logo and “Winnie the Pooh” motif licensed by Disney Consumer Products, contain metal bars that are covered by an adjustable fabric flap. This fabric flap is secured by Velcro© fasteners, which are intended to be partially removed when the bassinet is converted into the bedside/close-sleeper mode. If the Velcro© fasteners are not properly re-secured when the fabric flap is adjusted, or if the consumer entirely removes the fabric flap exposing the metal bars, an infant can slip through the opening between the lower metal bar and the mattress support and become entrapped and suffocate or strangle. Consumers are urged to check their bassinets to ensure they are not using one of the recalled Simplicity bassinets.

Parents and caregivers are advised to return these bassinets to the retail store where they were purchased. All of the recalled bassinets can pose a danger to infants.

To determine whether your bassinet has been recalled, please check for the model number and the manufacture date code pictured below. Bassinets manufactured prior to 21st week of 2008, “2108” (before May 18) are recalled. The model numbers for recalled bassinets manufactured prior to “2108” are:

3000 3010 3011 3012 3013 3014
3015 3016 3017 3020 3025 3026
3027 3030 3040 3045 3046 3047
3050 3060 3070 3111 3112
343-8363 343-8399
5730 5750 8383 9250 TD2500

The following retailers have voluntarily agreed to recall the product and provide a refund or store credit to consumers who return the product to the store where purchased.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Bentonville, Ark.
Toys “R” Us Inc., Wayne, N.J.
Kmart Corp., Hoffman Estates, Ill.
Big Lots!, Columbus, Ohio
Target, Minneapolis, Minnesota
J.C. Penney, Plano, Texas
AAFES, Dallas, Texas
Amazon.com, LLC Seattle, WA
Bed Bath & Beyond, Union, NJ
Burlington Coat Factory, Burlington, NC
Buy Buy Baby Garden City, NY
Chelsea&Scott LTD (One Step Ahead),
Lake Bluff, IL
CSN Stores of Boston, MA
Fingerhut Direct Marketing, Eden Prairie, MN
Frogs and Lily Pads, St. Johnsbury, VT
Kohl’s Department Stores, Menomonee Falls, WI
ShopKo Stores, Inc., Green Bay, WI
Sweet Pea Décor, North Beach, MD
USA Baby #47, Overland Park, KS
USA Baby #58, Brookfield, WI
USA Baby #136, Berlin, CT
USA Baby #141, Waipahu, HI
USA Baby #142, Virginia Beach, VA
USA Baby #147, Clovis, CA
Value City Department Stores, Columbus, OH

Due to the life-threatening hazard these bassinets pose to infants, CPSC urges all consumers to share this safety warning with friends, family, day care centers, and consignment stores to ensure that no child is placed to sleep in a Simplicity convertible bassinet covered by this warning.

SFCA Inc., the Reading, Pa.-based company that purchased the assets of juvenile product manufacturer Simplicity Inc. after foreclosure, no longer appears to be conducting day to day operations. SFCA Inc. is no longer answering phone calls or responding to e-mails from consumers.

CPSC is still interested in receiving incident or injury reports that are either directly related to this product recall or involve a different hazard with the same product. Please tell us about it by visiting https://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/incident.aspx

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Send the link for this page to a friend! The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from thousands of types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard. The CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals - contributed significantly to the decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.

To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC's Hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270. To join a CPSC e-mail subscription list, please go to https://www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx. Consumers can obtain recall and general safety information by logging on to CPSC's Web site at www.cpsc.gov.

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For additional information contact:

Alan L. Morton
MORTON LAW OFFICES, CHARTERED
1005 North Eighth Street
Post Office Box 420
Boise, ID 83701-0420
Telephone: 208.344.5555
Toll Free: 866.946.1669 (866.WIN.1.NOW)
Facsimile: 208.342.2509
Email: amorton@mortonlawyers.com
Website: www.mortonlawyers.com