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Fisher price bouncer5/20/2023 ![]() John McDonnell / The Washington Post via Getty ImagesĪ Fisher-Price safety commission employee told the House Committee that it was "not part of the standard product development process" for the company to consult a medical doctor about products. She had used the Fisher-Price Rock 'n Play sleeper, bottom, for Mason until the recall. The report said that the doctor was later accused by the Texas Medical Board of practicing without a license and "using unsafe practices." Miana Marie holds her 4-month-old son Mason on April 16, 2019. The company consulted with only one doctor, who did not specialize in pediatrics, before it began selling the sleeper, according to the committee. Instead of conducting research, Fisher-Price allegedly relied on knowledge about other inclined products, such as car seats. The AAP said this is, in part, to prevent SIDS or sudden infant death syndrome. "On the contrary, research showed that sleeping on an angle was unsafe," the report stated, noting that the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has recommended for years that it is safer for babies to sleep on a hard, flat surface. "But documents obtained by the Committee show that Fisher-Price became aware of serious concerns about the Rock ‘n Play soon after its launch, including from regulatory bodies in Australia and Canada, pediatricians in the United States, and from consumers who were concerned the product was not safe for overnight sleep."Ī Fisher-Price spokesperson disputed the report's claim, saying in an emailed statement Tuesday that the Rock 'n Play was designed and developed "following extensive research, medical advice, safety analysis, and more than a year of testing and review."Īccording to the 38-page report, Fisher-Price did not conduct "independent research, or even internal company research, showing that it was safe for babies to sleep at an angle." "The Rock ‘n Play became a wildly successful product for Fisher-Price, bringing in millions of dollars in sales every year," the report stated. The committee said that it was the only infant-inclined sleep product on the market at the time and Fisher-Price saw almost immediate success. The product allowed infants to lie on their backs at a thirty-degree angle with their feet at a downward slope. I am committed to doing just that.”įisher-Price began selling the Rock 'n Play in October 2009 and marketed it for overnight sleep. The findings of the Committee’s investigation make clear that we must strengthen the Consumer Product Safety Act to put American consumers over corporate profits. "It is shameful that Fisher-Price endangered lives simply to help its bottom line. The committee’s investigation shows how corporate greed and weak federal oversight led to the deaths of dozens of babies in an unsafe product," said Chairwoman committee Rep.
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