Fisher-Price's Rock 'n Play sleeper: 4.7 million recalled after 30+ infant deaths

On April 12, 2019, Fisher-Price and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a recall of all models of the Rock 'n Play Sleeper — about 4.7 million units — after more than 30 infant deaths since the product launched in 2009. The deaths occurred when infants rolled from their back to their stomach or side while unrestrained and suffocated in the inclined sleeper.

The recall followed a decade of warning signs. Consumer Reports had documented 32 infant deaths linked to the sleeper between 2011 and 2018 and had pushed for a recall; a week before the action, CPSC and Fisher-Price issued a joint warning citing 10 deaths of babies three months or older, drawing calls from the American Academy of Pediatrics and grieving parents for a full recall.

Fisher-Price offered a refund or voucher: a full refund for owners of less than six months, a voucher for a new Fisher-Price product for longer-term owners. General manager Chuck Scothon called the recall 'the best course of action' while insisting the company would 'continue to stand by the safety of all its products'. The recall ended the run of a product that had been a fixture of nursery registries for a decade, and it remains a cautionary tale about inclined infant sleepers.