CPSC Announces Infantino Baby Sling Recall, Wants Mandatory Standard
The Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada, in cooperation with Infantino LLC, of California are announcing a voluntary recall and free replacement program for the Infantino "SlingRider" and "Wendy Bellissimo" infant slings.
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Involves 1 Million Slings in U.S., 15,000 in Canada
One million Infantino infant slings are being recalled in the U.S. and 15,000 slings are being recalled in Canada.
The subject slings were manufactured in China and Thailand and sold in the U.S. and Canada from January 2003 through March 2010 at: Walmart, Burlington Coat Factory, Target, Babies "R" Us, BJ's Wholesale, various baby and children's stores and other retailers nationwide, and on the Web at Amazon.com.
The Infantino "SlingRider," is a soft fabric baby carrier with a padded shoulder strap that is worn by parents and caregivers to carry an infant weighing up to 20 lbs. "Infantino" is printed on the plastic slider located on the strap. "Infantino," "SlingRider" and the item number are printed on the instruction/warning label inside the baby sling carrier. "Wendy Bellissimo" branded sling carriers were sold exclusively at Babies "R" Us and have a sewn-in label on the inside of the sling strap that says in part "Wendy Bellissimo Media, Inc." and lists Item numbers 3937500H7 and 3937501H7.
CPSC Working Toward a Mandatory Standard for Slings
CPSC has determined that a mandatory standard is needed for infant sling carriers. While a mandatory standard is being developed, CPSC staff is working with ASTM International and concerned companies such as Infantino to quickly develop an effective voluntary standard for slings. There currently are no safety standards for infant sling carriers.
Import, Sale, Distribution of Recalled Products is Prohibited
Note that the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA) made it explicitly unlawful to sell, offer for sale, manufacture for sale, distribute in commerce, or import into the U.S. any consumer product that is subject to voluntary corrective action (recall) or is not in conformity with a CPSC-enforced product safety rule. (See ITT's Online Archives or 09/17/08 news, 08091705, for BP summary.)
Recall Has Received Elevated Level of Publicity by CPSC
Most often, CPSC simply lists products subject to recalls on its Website. However, CPSC sometimes provides more significant coverage of specific recalls, such as it did in this case.
CPSC sources have previously explained that the following factors go into the agency's decision to more intensely publicize a recall: (i) the level of risk and whether the product has been linked to actual injury or death or just the possibility of injury and death; (ii) the number of units affected; (iii) the product type, with children's products generally receiving more emphasis.
(CPSC states that three deaths have occurred with these slings and advises consumers to immediately stop using them for infants younger than four months of age due to a risk of suffocation and contact Infantino for a free replacement product.)
CPSC notice (dated 03/24/10) available at http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10177.html