Safety regulators: Avoid inclined sleepers

WASHINGTON — Consumers should stop using all inclined sleepers — even models that have not been recalled — because of the risk of accidental suffocation, federal safety regulators said.

The warning from the Consumer Product Safety Commission comes after months of controversy over the popular infantsleeping devices, which began in April with the recall of millions of Fisher-Price’s Rock ’n Plays because of safety concerns and culminated in the release of a study two weeks ago that found the product’s design inherently dangerous.

The CPSC’s new warning applies to any sleeping device that allows babies to sleep at an angle greater than 10 degrees. Most inclined sleepers stood at about 30 degrees.

In addition to the Rock ’n Play, inclined sleepers made by Kids II and Dorel Juvenile Group also have been recalled in recent months. They were pulled from the market, and the companies are offering consumers some compensation.

But the new CPSC warning Friday is not a recall. It is the agency’s response to a growing body of research about the safety of inclined sleepers. The agency said there were fewer than 40 deaths tied to the products in April. Now, that number has shot to 73 infant deaths.

The CPSC is also pushing for new federal rules that would essentially outlaw inclined sleepers by limiting the incline to 10 degrees.

But the rulemaking process is expected to take at least several months.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has said inclined sleepers are unsafe for several years. The group recommends that babies sleep on a flat surface in a crib or bassinet.