2 More Infants Killed In Simplicity Bassinets

WASHINGTON—Government safety officials warned parents Thursday 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 the 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, Texas, died when the fabric flap was undone and she got trapped between the exposed bars.

The CPSC warned against these Simplicity bassinets in August 2008, when it reported the deaths of two infants who also got trapped.

All of the bassinets manufactured before May 18, 2008 have been recalled. This includes some sold under the Graco brand, some with a Winnie the Pooh motif, as well as other bassinets.

Recalled bassinets can be returned to the retail stores where they were purchased.

For more details, go to http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09319.html.