Boppy lounger recall: Parents urged to stop using this baby pillow after 8 infants die from suffocation

The Boppy Co., makers of nursing pillows and baby carriers, is recalling three types of baby pillows after eight infants died from suffocation.

The infants' deaths, which occurred between December 2015 and June 2020, happened after the babies were placed on their back, side, or stomach on a newborn baby lounger and were found on their side or their stomach, the company and the Consumer Product Safety Commission said Thursday.

The Golden, Colorado-based company is recalling all of the about 3.3 million baby loungers sold. The products covered are the Boppy Original Newborn Loungers, Boppy Preferred Newborn Loungers and Pottery Barn Kids Boppy Newborn Loungers.

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The products, which measure about 23 inches by 22 inches and 7 inches high, were sold from January 2004 to September 2021.

Priced at $30 to $44, the loungers were sold at retailers across the U.S. including Pottery Barn Kids, Target, and Walmart and online at Amazon.com. Boppy also distributed about 35,000 loungers in Canada.

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The CPSC directed consumers to immediately stop using the recalled loungers and contact The Boppy Co. for a refund at 800-416-1355 (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT Monday through Friday) or online at www.boppy.com (Click “Recall & Safety Alert”).

“Loungers and pillow-like products are not safe for infant sleep, due to the risk of suffocation," said acting CPSC chairman Robert S. Adler in a statement. "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.”

Babies should always be placed to sleep on their backs on a firm, flat surface in a crib, bassinet, or play yard, the CPSC says. Parents and caregivers should never add blankets, pillows, padded crib bumpers, or other items to an infant’s sleeping environment, the agency says.

In a statement, The Boppy Co. noted that the loungers were not “not marketed as an infant sleep product and includes warnings against unsupervised use."

The company "is committed to doing everything possible to safeguard babies," the statement said, "including communicating the safe use of our products to parents and caregivers, and educating the public about the importance of following all warnings and instructions and the risks associated with unsafe sleep practices for infants."