3.3M baby cushions are recalled after 8 reported infant deaths

A prominent baby-product manufacturer is recalling 3.3 million lounger pads for newborns after at least eight infant deaths were associated with the pillows in less than five years, federal safety regulators said Thursday.

The pillowlike pads, made by the Boppy Company, are not safe for babies to sleep in because they can cause suffocation, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said.

Federal regulators say the deaths, which were reported from December 2015 to June 2020, occurred after the babies were placed on their backs, sides or stomachs in the loungers.

The recall came nearly a year after the commission said it was investigating the entire product class of lounging pads and nursing pillows, which it warned should not be used by sleeping babies.

“These types of incidents are heartbreaking,” Robert Adler, acting chair of the safety commission, said in a statement Thursday. “Since we know that infants sleep so much of the time — even in products not intended for sleep — and since suffocation can happen so quickly, these Boppy lounger products are simply too risky to remain on the market.”

The recall covers all models of the newborn lounger, including the original and “preferred” versions, as well as a line sold through Pottery Barn Kids.

The loungers were sold from January 2004 through September 2021, according to Boppy, which is based in Golden, Colorado. The retailers that carried them included Target, Walmart and Amazon, Boppy said.

A product page on the Pottery Barn Kids website said the Boppy newborn lounger was no longer available.

Boppy did not immediately respond to additional questions about the recall Thursday.

People who bought the lounger pads should stop using them immediately and contact Boppy for a refund, federal safety regulators said.