One Million Infantino Baby Slings Recalled

(CBS)  The popularity of baby slings has been on the rise over the past four years.

But, reports "Early Show" Consumer Correspondent Susan Koeppen, the Consumer Product Safety Commission says two slings are considered so dangerous they're being pulled from the market, and parents are being told to stop using them.

Earlier this month, "The Early Show" broke the news that federal regulators were warning of possible suffocation hazards posed by baby slings -- which parents put around their necks and carry their babies in.

Now, the CPSC has announced the voluntary recall of one million slings made by Infantino.

The Sling Rider and the Wendy Bellissimo are being pulled because they pose a suffocation risk, Koeppen says.

Asked by Koeppen how quickly a child could suffocate in "one these slings," CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum responded, "In a matter of minutes."

Tenenbaum says three children died in Infantino slings last year alone.

"You might have your baby in a sling next to you and not notice that the baby has gone into (a) position (in which he or she) cannot breathe" until it's too late, Tenenbaum added.

That, notes Koeppen, is exactly what happened to seven-day-old Derrik Fowler during a shopping trip with his mother, Lisa Cochran.

She'd been carrying her newborn in a sling made by Infantino. "By the time I got to the car and pulled him out of the sling to put him in his car seat, he was no longer of normal color," Cochran recalls.

Infants younger than four months are at greatest risk in slings, Koeppen points out, because their weak neck muscles mean they have no head control. An infant can curl into a "C"-shape, with the chin falling into the chest -- restricting the baby's airway.

There are no federal or voluntary safety standards for infant slings.

In a statement, Infantino says, "Safety is our No. 1 concern," adding it "has also been working closely with the CPSC and other agencies … to develop safety standards for baby slings."

But, observes Koeppen, that's of little consolation to mothers such as Cochran, who says, "As a first-time mom, I had no clue I could walk into a store and pick something off the shelf that wasn't safe."

Consumers are being advised to stop using the recalled Infantino baby slings immediately and contact the company for a free replacement product.

To get it, take the tags off your recalled sling and send the tags to Infantiono, Koeppen says, adding, "There are three different products that you could get in return. You have a choice. There is a shopping cart carrier. There is a different type of baby carrier. There's also an activity gym that you can receive for free."

As for baby slings not included in the recall, Koeppen repeated parent sholdn't use them if their infant is less than four months old.

The CPSC, Koeppen says, is also looking at all baby slings, investigating them -- the ones that are on the market currently -- and will be working toward mandatory federal safety standards.

[pragmatist1]

Considering there were thousands of these the designs sold and if they're that dangerous I would think there would be a lot more deaths than just the three in the past year. What this sounds like isn't so much a design flaw, but yet another case of parents improperly using the product and not paying attention to their kids in the sling. Too many parents rely on a convenience item like this instead of taking care of their kids and not lugging them around in one of these for hours on end.

[Kaylee20101]

You're rotten. Parents aren't going to get everything perfect! It's up to companies to make products safe for those instances where mistakes are made! I can't believe people like you exist! Blaming the parents who just lost their kids! It's the worst feeling in the world and they don't need scum like YOU. What makes you think they lug them around for hours on end? It doesn't take that long to suffocate. Piece of garbage. You don't deserve to live.

[dontyougetit]

Humans do need to eat, Dan. Could it be that she may have been at the grocery store? Why must you jump to conclusions and judge people when you know nothing about the situation?

[dandandandandandan]

"That, notes Koeppen, is exactly what happened to seven-day-old Derrik Fowler during a shopping trip with his mother, Lisa Cochran."


Shopping trip with a 7 day old baby? "Misplaced priorities cause recall"

[sandy19731]

Are you offering to babysit infants so that their mothers can shop alone? Remember she has been in the hospital and 9 months pregnant for weeks before that, was she supposed to stock up, then?

[CompletelyFrustrated]

I agree with you on this! This was negligence on the mother's part, you don't just stuff a baby in a bag and go one your merry way! That is just plain STUPID!!!!

sandy19731 - you're an idiot! I went grocery shopping at 9 months pregnant - no big deal. I also made sure that there would be staples in my house near my delivery date. Oh and there's the father - he could have kept the baby so mom could shop or better yet done the shopping!

If I remember the first report correctly this woman is pregnant again - lets hope she learned to be more attentive!