Things Fall Apart: Simplicity Bassinets Recall Still Expanding, Awkwardly

Miriam Axel-Lute — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 20:30:00 GMT

Amazing how complicated it can be to identify an unsafe bassinet and get kids out of them. It was late August when the Consumer Products Safety Commission first issued a safety alert warning caregivers not to use Simplicity 3-in-1 or 4-in-1 "close sleeper" bassinets, because when the fabric is detached to place it in "cosleeper" mode and not reattached properly, there is a gap under a metal bar that babies can slip under and strangle.

This was a clear danger, directly responsible for two infant deaths (one of which ocurred nearly a year before the safety alert, which has also raised some eyebrows). So you get them off the market pronto, right?

Enter the complications: First, Simplicity went out of business, and SFCA, the company that bought it, get this, bought only its assets, but not its liabilities. Sweet deal, huh? Sound like a certain Wall Street bailout to you? Anyhow, SFCA assumes no responsibility, and won't issue a recall, so the CPSC has been having to do it piecemeal with retailers.

Meanwhile, it took until late September for someone to figure out that the exact same products were being sold under the Graco and Disney brands as well, and those ought to be included in the recalls.

And then they realized that it was only older models that had the problem, and newer ones have the fabric permanently attached and are fine. Oy vey. Consumer Reports has a video that shows the difference if you're not sure. And the news is still spreading, with one news report just yesterday.

In amongst all this, the ongoing bias against cosleeping (I'll have more on that in detail in a few days) rears its head again: This dangerous product got to market because no one has bothered to set specific safety standards for cosleeping products. And even Consumer Reports disappointingly turns around and in its video uses that as an excuse to recommend the use of regular cribs over cosleepers at all times, even though other cosleepers, and even the later models of this one, don't have this dangerous flaw. The problem here was, in the CPSC's words "metal bars spaced farther apart than 2 3/8 inches, which is the maximum distance allowed under the federal crib safety standard," not being a cosleeper.

Two lessons for safe sleeping: Follow instructions carefully, and if something looks dangerous, don't wait for a manufacturer or the CPSC to tell you it really is.

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The Red Castle Carry Cot May Just Lead to Pregnancy

Jessica Ashley (Sassafrass) — Fri, 11 May 2007 13:04:00 GMT

I'm pretty sure the Red Castle Carry Cot has caused my body to spontaneously ovulate. And I'm not the only one who's thoughts fast forwarded to the as-yet-nonexistent child #2 when I saw this dreamy little baby product. My husband yelled out when he peeked over my shoulder at it on the screen, "Oh we are SO getting that for our next kid? How many pounds can it hold? Is it washable?" It doesn't take much to get we gear-geeks going, but this really did the trick.

The Red Castle Carry Cot is intended to turn two of the company's versatile strollers into a pram, sort of a cross between the classic Maclaren and the bankable Bugaboo. While this carrier is meant to transport an infant up to about six months of age safely in a stroller, I can't help but think what a great alternative it is to the bulky, awkward, just plain heavy Pack & Play, at least in the early days. If like us, your family travels a lot, any option other than hauling the Pack & Play on a plane or even out to the trunk of the car feels like packing light. And since I am a big Moses basket fan, this seems like a more washable, durable, structured version of a portable bassinet.

I'm not sure if we would spend in another six bills for the accompanying stroller. (Would it be bad to jimmy rig this thing to my Graco with some bungee cords? I kid, I kid.). I do know, though, we will invest in a Carry Cot so the baby that isn't yet has a sweet new place to sleep. And that has the parents of this figment of our imagination just a little bit excited.

Strollerderby : bassinets

Things Fall Apart: Simplicity Bassinets Recall Still Expanding, Awkwardly

The Red Castle Carry Cot May Just Lead to Pregnancy