Around 3,500 babies die in the U.S. each year in sleep-related incidents. An overwhelming 72% of these sudden infant deaths have been linked to soft bedding. Safe sleeping guidelines are clear: babies should sleep on a flat surface such as a crib without pillows, blankets, or other soft bedding. However, an entire class of commercial infant products known as inclined sleepers violates these rules.
Inclined sleepers–including Boppy pillow loungers–are not flat, have soft padding, and come with a very real risk of suffocation. In fact, they are so dangerous that the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) passed a new regulation effectively banning these products in 2022. But the decision comes too late for the families of the over 100 babies who died while using inclined loungers.
What is the Boppy Pillow Lounger Recall?
The Boppy Company sold millions of pillow-like baby loungers between 2004 and 2021. As early as 2015, there were reports of babies suffocating in the soft padding of these inclined sleepers. By 2020, eight infants had died while using Boppy pillow loungers. In 2021, the company issued a recall on the following Boppy products:
- Boppy Original Newborn Loungers
- Boppy Preferred Newborn Loungers
- Pottery Barn Kids Boppy Newborn Loungers
The Boppy pillow recall included over 3 million inclined sleepers sold in stores nationwide and online, including Pottery Barn Kids, Target, Walmart, and Amazon.
An earlier Boppy product recall in 2019 affected two styles of the company’s infant head and neck support accessories. Reports surfaced of babies’ heads being pushed down by overstuffed pillow support areas, creating a suffocation hazard.
What are Boppy Pillow Lawsuits About?
Parents assume that commercial products made for babies are safe, but that’s not always true. Although pillows are comfortable and harmless for most people, infants can easily end up in dangerous positions where they cannot breathe. Boppy pillow lawsuits argue that the company knew about the risks several years before issuing the baby lounger recall.
Inclined sleepers were previously exempt from infant sleep device regulations because they were not classified as cribs or bassinets. In fact, when responding to safety complaints, Boppy noted that they didn’t market their loungers as infant sleeping devices. But since newborns can fall asleep anywhere, Boppy pillow recall lawsuits allege that the company was negligent in ignoring this obvious danger.
Do I Have a Boppy Pillow Recall Case?
At Altman & Altman LLP, we believe no family should lose a child to a defective baby product. If your infant died or suffered an injury while using a recalled Boppy lounger or other Boppy baby product, you may be entitled to financial compensation. Our experienced Boston personal injury and product liability attorneys can help you and your family get justice.
Altman & Altman LLP handles defective baby product lawsuits on a contingency basis: we do not get paid unless you do. So contact us today for your free Boppy recall consultation. Our experienced Massachusetts attorneys are eager to help. We can be reached online or by phone at 617.492.3000 anytime day or night.