The March 14 letter, co-signed by Sens. Peter Welch, D-Vt., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., cited Consumer Reports’ ongoing coverage of this issue. It described what they see as the hazards inherent in the design of these products. “While rockers are not designed for sleep, their soothing features, such as vibrations or calming sounds, can encourage babies to fall asleep,” the letter said. “This can pose serious risks for infants, including suffocation, positional asphyxia, and an increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).”
The senators applauded the CPSC for the steps it has taken to inform parents about safer ways to use the rockers, but they said those aren’t enough. They argued that the rockers should be recalled. “We cannot continue to stand by as unsuspecting parents and innocent babies are put in preventable danger,” they wrote.
CR’s safety experts have also been publicly calling for a recall of the Fisher-Price rockers in particular, and wrote to the CPSC in January following news of the 14th infant death that occurred in one. They also advise parents to stop using it and the Kids2 rocker, given the reported deaths and risk of suffocation.
Neither Kids2 nor Mattel, Fisher-Price’s parent company, responded to CR’s requests for comment.
Fisher-Price was also the manufacturer of the Rock ’n Play inclined sleeper, which, unlike these chairs, had been specifically marketed for sleep. A Consumer Reports investigation in 2019 revealed that dozens of infant deaths had occurred in these sleepers as they stayed on the market for a decade.
The senators’ letter also discussed the Rock ’n Play, and the fact that the House Oversight Committee had found in 2021 that “Mattel had failed to research whether its . . . sleeper was safe for overnight sleep before bringing the product to market in 2009. Even after being made aware that the product was not safe for overnight sleep, Mattel continued to market the Rock ’n Play for sleep until CPSC recalled the product in 2019.”
The letter asked the CPSC for more information about incidents that have occurred in these rockers, and in any similarly designed ones from other manufacturers. It also asked whether the agency would consider adding a minimum age requirement to these rockers—since infants under 4 months may lack the ability to move their heads on their own and so are particularly vulnerable to the risks that these rockers pose.
The CPSC has not responded to the letter publicly, but a spokesperson told CR that they have received it and are working on getting the senators the information they’ve asked for.
