Another Recall For Parents To Freak Out About
It seems that every few months there is a new recall for parents to worry about. Sometimes, I am totally shocked by the products being recalled. Sometimes – not so much. This is one of those times.
On Friday morning, The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall of 220,000 infant travel beds manufactured by KidCo Inc. The product is called the Pea Pod Travel Crib. From The Huffington Post:
The Pea Pod Travel Crib has an air mattress that fits into a zippered pocket in the floor of the domed tent, which collapses for easy transport. But if the mattress is placed in the floor of the tent, an infant’s head could lodge between the mattress and the tent’s side, making breathing impossible.
That’s what’s believed to have happened to a 5-month-old New York City baby, who was put in the travel crib with his twin sister for a nap while visiting family in December 2011.
The parents put the twins in the travel bed for a nap. The daughter was fine, but tragically the son never woke up. My son is 2 years old and I still obsessively check for the rise and fall of his chest when he is sleeping. Stories like this one are why.
KidCo has sold 220,000 of these beds since 2005. This is their first recall. They are offering free kits to address the potential problem with the beds. The kits contain supports that will strengthen the sides of the tent, and also a thinner mattress. The belief is that a smaller mattress with reduce the rist of entrapment between the mattress edge and the side of the tent.
But Nancy Cowles, executive director of Kids in Danger, doesn’t like this solution. She would prefer to see refunds offered, because products like these aren’t tested for safety standards. “This was a product intended for a baby to sleep in,” she said. “But parents don’t realize that because it’s not a crib or a bassinette or a play yard, there’s no standard, it’s not tested to be safe for sleeping.”
That is crazy. How can something be labeled a “bed,” but not be held to the same standards as a bassinet, crib or play yard? Why dupe parents into believing they are buying something safe for their children?
The thing is, I have to admit that when I saw this bed the first thing I thought was, “Oh my God. I would never put my kid in that.” Something about trapping my child into a small tent just doesn’t seem right. I mean, no blankets, stuffed animals or crib bumpers is common knowledge for sleeping children. But closing them into a little tent structure is fine? It seems pretty counter-intuitive. Yet another reason why parenthood is terrifying. You never really know if you are making the right decisions. You just hope things really are tested for safety standards and one of these awful accidents doesn’t happen to you.
If I owned one of these beds, I might chalk it up to a bad purchase and throw it out. But if you own one of these beds and would like more information on receiving a kit, call KidCo toll-free at 855-847-8600 between 9:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. EST Monday through Friday or visit the company’s website at and click on “recall info” to receive the kit. http://www.kidco.com
(photo: kidco.com)
