CR calls on Fisher-Price to offer a full refund and take all measures to remove the product from the marketplace and consumers’ homes
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced this week that Fisher-Price is recalling more than two million Snuga Infant Swings, following reports of five infant deaths. According to the CPSC, the swing should never be used for infant sleep and bedding materials should never be added to it. If the product is used for sleep or bedding material is added, the headrest and body support insert can increase the risk of suffocation.
Consumer Reports (CR) stated that while the recall is welcome news—because it is now illegal for anyone to sell any Snuga Swing listed in today’s announcement—the $25 partial refund offered by the company to customers who remove the headrest and body support insert is woefully inadequate and insufficient to prevent future infant deaths. CR also highlighted the need for Congress to strengthen the CPSC’s ability to carry out its mission.
William Wallace, associate director of safety policy, said: “Once again, Fisher-Price is putting its bottom line first and safety last. There should be a full refund, and Fisher-Price should be urging people to throw away these swings. Retailers, online platforms, and secondhand marketplaces should all prohibit Snuga Infant Swings from being sold and take a range of steps to make sure they aren’t listed.
“Something a lot of people don’t know is that the CPSC can’t easily force companies to issue a strong recall—typically, the agency can only get companies to carry out recalls that are voluntary and on the terms that the company agrees to. This is an absurd and dangerous reality. Congress should pass a law bolstering the CPSC’s ability to force companies to carry out strong recalls, especially in cases like this where children have died.”
The Snuga Swings were sold at Amazon, Toys R Us, Walmart/Sam’s Club, and Target nationwide from October 2010 through January 2024 for about $160. Approximately 2.1 million swings were sold in the US, about 99,000 swings were sold in Canada, and about 500 swings were sold in Mexico. The Snuga Swing comes in 21 different models—with names like My Little Snugakitty Cradle ‘n Swing, Safari Dreams Cradle ‘n Swing, Moonlight Meadow Swing, and Sweet Snugamonkey Swing—and features a wide variety of themes and accessories. To learn more about how to participate in the recall, read CR’s story.
This is not the first Fisher-Price product to face a recall. In 2019, the Rock ‘n Play inclined sleeper was recalled after dozens of infant deaths. Despite the high death toll, the company failed to offer a full refund to all consumers, offering many people vouchers for other Fisher-Price products. Eight babies died after Fisher-Price’s insufficient recall, bringing the total number of Rock ‘n Play fatalities to over 100. The product also continues to be available for sale on secondhand marketplaces—likely sold and purchased by consumers unaware of the lethal risks.
CR recommends that parents and caregivers take extra caution to ensure that a baby in a swing or rocker is awake, and move an infant that falls asleep in these products to a crib, bassinet, or play yard. The American Academy of Pediatrics safe sleep recommendations state that babies should be placed alone on a firm, flat, noninclined surface in their own space, with only a fitted sheet and no added items such as blankets, pillows, crib bumpers, or toys in their sleeping space.
Media Contact: Emily Akpan, emily.akpan@consumer.org