More than two million infant swings and rockers have been recalled for posing a danger of strangulation after a baby died and another was rescued from entanglement.
The restraint straps on the MamaRoo swings and RockaRoo rockers hang below the seat while not in use, creating the possibility that crawling infants could get stuck in them, the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission said.
Tragic death
Tragically, a 10-month-old got entangled and died while another 10-month-old suffered bruising to his neck before being rescued by a caregiver.
The company behind both models, 4moms, “has received two reports of entanglement incidents involving infants who became caught in the strap under the unoccupied MamaRoo infant swing after they crawled under the seat, including a 10-month-old infant who died from asphyxiation, and a 10-month-old infant who suffered bruising to his neck before being rescued by a caregiver,” a release by the safety commission said.
Product recall
Consumers with crawling infants are advised to stop using the recalled products and to place them where children could not access them.
The company is offering consumers a free strap fastener that holds the straps when they aren’t in use to eliminate the safety concern, the company and the product safety commission said.
The facts
The MamaRoo is a baby swing that offers multiple motions and speeds. Buttons on the base control the motion, speed and sound.
The model number is located on the bottom of the unit.
This recall includes only MamaRoo models that use a 3-point harness: versions 1.0 and 2.0 (model number 4M-005), version 3.0 (model number 1026), and version 4.0 (model number 1037).
The MamaRoo model that uses a 5-point harness is not included in this recall.
The RockaRoo is a baby rocker with front to back gliding motion. The base has an analog knob and power button to control the range of motion of the rocker.
The model number 4M-012 is located on the bottom of the unit.
The swings and rockers were sold at BuyBuy Baby and Target stores nationwide and online at 4moms.com and Amazon from January 2010 through August 2022 for between US$160 and US$250.