Retailers recall more than 150,000 infant recliners

WASHINGTON Nap Nanny baby recliners will be taken off the market by four national retailers.

Amazon.com (AMZN), Buy Buy Baby, Diapers.com and Toys R Us/Babies R Us agreed to recall more than 150,000 of the recliners amid reports of at least five infant deaths and 70 reports of kids nearly falling out of the recliners, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced Thursday.

• Feds target baby recliner maker after infant deaths
• CPSC files complaint against Nap Nanny infant recliners
• Renewed warnings of suffocation risk from infant sleep positioners

The recall covers Nap Nanny Generations One and Two, and the Chill model infant recliners which were sold between 2009 and 2012. The Nap Nanny was designed to mimic the curves of a baby car seat, elevating an infant slightly to help reduce reflux, gas, stuffiness or other problems.

The CPSC warned parents and caregivers that the Nap Nanny contains defects in its design, warnings and instructions. The agency said the product poses a substantial risk of injury and death to infants when it filed a complaint against the manufacturer earlier this month.

The four retailers agreed to voluntarily participate in the recall of the Nap Nanny because its manufacturer is not participating, the government agency said in a statement.

The manufacturer, Baby Matters of Berwyn, Pa., disputes the CPSC complaint and says its products are safe when used properly.

"Baby Matters is disappointed to hear that four retailers have chosen to voluntarily recall the Nap Nanny," said Leslie Gudel, the company's founder and owner, on Thursday in a e-mail message to CBS MoneyWatch.

"The Nap Nanny still benefits thousands of children and families and we continue to stand behind the product 100 percent," Gudel said.

According to the Associated Press, the first two versions of the foam recliner were recalled in July 2010 after the agency became aware of one death and 22 reports of infants hanging out or falling over the side of the Nap Nanny even though most of the infants had been placed in the recliner's harness. Since then, the agency reportedly learned of four more deaths. Four were allegedly linked to the first versions of the recliner, and one to the newer model.

Five thousand Nap Nanny Generation One and 50,000 Generation Two models were sold between 2009 and early 2012. About 100,000 Chill models have been sold since January 2011.

The CPSC advised consumers seeking more information about the recall to review the return policies of the retailers participating in the recall.