Infants Killed

In Simplicity Bassinets

WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) — Government safety officials have issued a warning to parents about Simplicity bassinets after two more infants were killed when they became trapped. Two young children died after getting trapped in previously recalled Simplicity close-sleeper/bedside sleeper bassinets, the Consumer Product Safety Commission disclosed.

The company’s 3-in-1 and 4-in-1 convertible bassinets contain metal bars spaced farther apart than federal standards allow. If Velcro-fastened fabric covering the metal bars of the bassinets is not properly adjusted, it can be dangerous.

In September 2008, a two-month-old girl in Demorest, Ga., suffocated when she became trapped in a pocket of fabric, which was not properly secured to the bassinet. In January 2009, a six-month-old girl in Fort Worth, Tex., died when the fabric flap was undone and she got trapped between the exposed bars.

Asked about the time gap between the deaths and the reannouncement of the recall, the new chairman of the safety commission told The Associated Press the death in Georgia did not come to the agency’s attention until this year. Inez Tenenbaum said she could not comment further on the Texas death because it is under investigation.

The CPSC warned against these Simplicity bassinets in August 2008. The commission has been contacting child care facilities, state governments, and consumer groups about the bassinet recall. All of the bassinets manufactured before May 18, 2008, have been recalled, including some sold under the Graco brand, and some with a Winnie the Pooh motif.

Recalled bassinets can be returned to the retail stores where they were purchased. For details, visit tinyurl.com/lr4gwf.