Simplicity cribs recalled..again

This is the second of two crib recalls today. Info on the LaJobi recall is here.

It is surprising there are any Simplicity products left 'unrecalled,' but apparently there are. CPSC today announced that retailers who sold Simplicity cribs with tubular metal mattress supports are recalling those cribs -- no one really knows how many since Simplicity itself is out of business. Some of these cribs have been previously recalled for other issues.

On these cribs, the metal mattress support can bend, deform, break or come unattached, creating an entrapment hazard. A one year old baby died in April 2008 after becoming entrapped. CPSC has at least 13 other reports on the products. But again, without Simplicity For Children company records the number of complaints and injuries could be much higher.

Fortunately retailers have risen to the occasion to offer consumers a replacement crib, refund or store credit. We wish more manufacturers would follow their lead instead of offering repair kits. Consumers should contact the store where they purchased the product to learn more.

This recall highlights that the problems with crib integrity and durability go beyond drop-side hardware. New standards being drafted by ASTM International include more testing for mattress support durability. It is believed the CPSC will incorporate those new requirements into mandatory crib standards to be adopted this year.

Consumers who have these cribs should stop using them immediately and arrange for an alternative safe sleeping environment for their baby. While this blog post deals with drop-side cribs, the advice on finding a place for your baby to sleep is relevant here as well.

If you have a Simplicity crib, play yard or bassinet (and remember some carried the Graco or Fisher Price name); we recommend you stop using it. Check to see if it is recalled and there is a retailer or licensed recall that might provide a replacement. If not, destroy the product to avoid having someone else find and use it.

CPSC initiates renewed efforts to locate Simplicity cribs

Prompted by the recent death of 7-month-old from Kentucky , CPSC has initiated a new effort to locate the recalled Simplicity drop-side cribs that have now claimed the lives of 11 infants.

The cribs were manufactured by Simplicity and SFCA Inc., but some of them include Graco or Winnie-the-Pooh logos. Plastic connectors on the drop-side can break easily and cause entrapment or suffocation. Besides the known fatalities, the CPSC is aware of 25 other incidents of breakage.

The CPSC issued a Simplicity recall in September 2007, but then last July initiated another recall for more cribs; now all Simplicity wooden dropside cribs have been recalled. The cribs were sold across the nation from January 2005 to June 2009.

Simplicity and SFCA Inc. no longer make cribs, but their negligence continues to take babies lives. It's encouraging that CPSC is taking renewed action, but this baby's tragedy highlights the systemic weaknesses of the recall system. Only 10-30% of all recalled products, it is said, are ever retrieved. Companies should be held accountable not just to do a recall, but to administer an effective recall that takes products out of use.

For now, it is imperative that we all spread the word of this dangerous crib to any families who might still be using it. A complete list of crib recalls can be found in KID's flyer on safe sleep.

CPSC has posted a helpful video. For other related information, please visit www.cpsc.gov.

Reminder: Check bassinets for deadly recalls

Last year, CPSC recalled 900,000 Simplicity Bassinets sold under the Simplicity, Graco and Disney names after they had reports of two deaths. As we reported earlier this month, they have now learned of at least two additional deaths.

To help spread the word about these recalls, the Illinois Attorney General's office has developed posters in English, Spanish and Polish. Please download and print these lifesaving posters and place them where parents might see them: child care facilities, doctor's offices, neighborhood businesses, etc.

Yet another Simplicity recall -- more play yards this time

Back in January, when the recall of Simplicity-made, but Fisher Price branded, play yards was announced, KID warned readers that the same product was still on the market under the Simplicity brand. Now finally today, the retailers have again come forward to recall this faulty product for the defunct Simplicity for Children, Inc or SFCA, the successor company.

The side rails on these play yards can fail, leading to entrapment and fall hazards. The Travel Tender play yard was sold by various retailers through January of this year. It can be returned to the place of purchase for a refund or replacement. Retailers participating in the recall include Babies"R"Us, Burlington Coat Factory, Target and Kohl's. Kudos to Kohl's for being the first of the lot to have the recall posted on their website -- the rest should show up shortly.

Illinois AG Madigan files suit against SFCA for selling deadly bassinets, publishes safety guide for parents on sleep environment recalls

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has again stepped up to the plate to protect Illinois consumers from dangerous children's products. This week her office filed a lawsuit against SFCA, the company that bought Simplicity for Children's assets. The lawsuit calls on SFCA to recall all faulty bassinets, reimburse retailers who have refunded consumers for the bassinets, publicize the recalls and institute a complete safety review of all Simplicity products still on the market.

Since 2005, Simplicity has recalled over 2.6 million cribs and bassinets for flaws that have led to at least six deaths. Most of those cribs and bassinets remain unaccounted for. The staff of Attorney General Madigan have been combing Craigslist for months, along with other online sites, for the recalled products and helping consumers participate in the recalls. Now, they have published Rest Assured, a guide to recent sleep environment recalls. This vital document should be placed in every pediatrician's waiting room, at child care facilities, hospitals and any other place new parents might see it.

KID joined with the AG's office at the press conference announcing the lawsuit and Rest Assured. In addition, we strongly support Attorney General Madigan's call for refunds as the only remedy in products that have already caused a death.

Another Simplicity recall: will it ever end?

CPSC announced the recall today of another 600,000 Simplicity cribs with dropside problems -- the same ones they said were safe back when they recalled 1 million other Simplicity cribs. This on the heels of a recall of 900,000 Simplicity bassinets. Our advice -- do not use or buy any Simplicity products. The current company SFCA has refused to stand behind Simplicity labeled cribs and bassinets and we (and the CPSC) know of other incidents with Simplicity cribs that aren't on either of these recall lists. If you have a Simplicity crib on today's recall list, stop using it immediately and return it to the retailer for a refund or store credit. If you have a Simplicity crib not yet on a recall list, at the very least check it carefully for broken or loose hardware or problems with the wood in the drop sides or slats. Stop using it and report any problems with the cribs to CPSC.

Dangerous Simplicity Bassinets sold under Graco and Winnie-the-Pooh brands as well

The recently 'recalled' Simplicity Bassinet was also sold under the Graco name from from 2001 - 2004 and Winnie-the-Pooh from 2002-2008. If you have a Graco bassinet that looks like this picture -- do not use it! Graco now has the information posted at its website, as does the CPSC. Read more.

Retailers agree to recall/refund Simplicity Bassinets

CPSC has gotten retailers to take the unusual step of recalling a product themselves. Because of Simplicity's new owner's refusal to recall this deadly product, the retailers stepped in. But it still might be for sale at other locations. If you see any of the models referenced in the CPSC alert for sale anywhere, please report it to CPSC. The alert has detailed pictures to show the affected models versus the newer ones that have been fixed. But both may still be for sale, so just because you bought it recently doesn't mean it is safe. Read this Tribune article for some of the background on this troubled company.

UPDATE: CPSC warns against Simplicity Bassinets

Following the news this week of another death in a Simplicity Bassinet, CPSC has issued a warning urging parents and caregivers to stop using the bassinet involved. This warning is in lieu of a recall because CPSC can't get the company that now owns Simplicity to agree to a recall -- another sign of the weakness of the agency that hopefully will be remedied with the new legislation. CPSC did get six retailers to agree to recall the product, so if you bought it from one of these stores, you can return it for a refund. Please, send the CPSC warning out to anyone who might be using this product.