Kim Kardashian West's Post Adds to Parents' Confusion About Infant Inclined Sleepers

But a few posters said the product was unsafe for sleep, noting that the sleeper was one of several the Consumer Product Safety Commission has proposed banning because of safety risks. “The baby bed is dangerous and shouldn’t be used for sleep at all,” wrote one person, who included a link to a June 2019 Consumer Reports article about several risky infant inclined sleep products, including the one from Baby Delight (which at the time was called the Baby Delight Nestle Nook Comfort Plush Infant Napper).

To date, the CPSC is aware of at least 73 infant deaths and more than 1,000 incidents linked to infant inclined sleepers, which position babies at an incline between 10 and 30 degrees.

CR tried unsuccessfully through multiple channels and representatives to reach Kim Kardashian West about her post.

The Kardashian West photo and accompanying pro and con comments highlight the mixed messaging surrounding infant inclined sleepers. More than 5 million similar products have already been recalled, including the Fisher-Price Rock ’n Play Sleeper. And the CPSC, which has warned consumers not to use inclined infant sleepers, is considering banning the products completely. But some products—including the Nestle Nook Portable Infant Lounger—are still being sold.

“Parents need to recognize that just because a baby product is available for sale doesn’t mean it’s safe,” says Ben Hoffman, M.D., chairman of the Council on Injury, Violence and Poison Prevention at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). “In the case of infant inclined sleepers, biomechanical research has shown that at a very basic physiologic level, sleeping at an angle puts babies at risk.”

He says that these products can be dangerous, even if they’re called “loungers,” as the Baby Delight product is. “Just taking the word ‘napper’ or ‘sleeper’ out of the name doesn’t change the risk,” he says.

Nancy Cowles, executive director of Kids In Danger, a consumer safety organization, agrees. “Calling a product a lounger—the same name used for the Nap Nanny, which has been tied to six infant deaths—doesn’t mean parents won’t use it for sleep.”

No matter what it’s called, any inclined baby product—including bouncy seats, swings, or chairs—should clearly warn caregivers not to let their babies sleep in them, Hoffman says. If a baby does fall asleep in one, the caregiver should move the infant to a flat, firm surface that is free from soft bedding and restraints, as the AAP’s safe sleep guidelines recommend.

A Baby Delight spokesperson told CR that the company “stand[s] by the safety of the Nestle Nook,” and “there have been no injuries or fatalities with this product.” She also said that the company will “continue to market and promote the Nestle Nook as a lounger and not to be used for overnight sleeping.”

When CR asked Baby Delight why the company had recently relabeled the product from a “napper” to a “lounger,” the spokesperson said it “updated the name to better reflect the use of the product. Most times the product is used for just lounging around the house and not necessarily for napping. On the majority of our packaging and marketing materials we show awake babies.”

The spokesperson added that Baby Delight does not recommend the Nestle Nook for overnight sleeping . . . and the photo that Kim posted include show Psalm awake, and not napping.”