Consumer Reports, the independent, nonprofit, and nonpartisan organization, writes again regarding the Halo BassiNest Flex (Halo bassinet), which may not provide a level sleeping surface for infants. Expert medical guidance states that a firm, flat, noninclined sleeping surface is a key characteristic of a safe infant sleep environment that can help to reduce a baby’s risk of injury or death, including from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). As we did in our January 25, 2024, letter to the CPSC, we once again urge the agency to investigate this bassinet and push for its recall to protect babies from potentially unsafe sleep spaces.
CR already notified consumers of the harm regarding this product in the January 25, 2024, article, Some Ingenuity and Halo Bassinets Can Tilt Dangerously and Pose Risks to Infants. Our recent analysis of SaferProducts.gov reports and publicly available reviews found an additional ten complaints since January 2024 connecting this bassinet to hazards that could create an unsafe sleep environment for infants. After reviewing the reports, we found that nine out of the ten reported incidents mentioned the hazard “roll,” which suggests that the Halo bassinets may create an incline that can cause babies to roll over onto their stomachs or roll into the corner of the sleep surface, increasing the risk of suffocation. The Halo bassinet is actively being sold by companies including Target, Walmart, and Amazon.
Since January 2024, there have been new consumer reviews appearing continually for the Halo bassinets that state they would not stay level, causing the baby to roll over onto their side or stomach. On December 20, 2023, a proposed class action lawsuit was filed against Halo, alleging that the Halo BassiNest Flex is a “dangerously defective bedside bassinet” that tilts when in use, “leading to infants rolling from their backs to dangerous sleep positions and putting them at risk of SIDS.” A second, similar case was filed against the company on June 7, 2024. The cases have since been consolidated, and there is a pending class action settlement that received preliminary approval on February 10, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Despite the parties reaching a settlement, we contend that the CPSC’s work to ensure compliance with the Consumer Product Safety Act should continue with respect to this product.
In short, due to the risk that the Halo BassiNest Flex may put babies in unsafe sleep environments, we respectfully ask the CPSC to ensure an appropriate recall of the product occurs.