WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is once again urging all parents and caregivers to immediately stop using convertible “close-sleeper/bedside sleeper” bassinets manufactured by Simplicity Inc., of Reading, Pa.

CPSC has learned of two additional infant deaths since the August 2008 safety alert and recall announcements that notified consumers of two infants who had strangled in their Simplicity bassinets. To date, CPSC is aware of four infants who have died in the close-sleeper bassinets.

CPSC learned that in September 2008, a two-month old girl in Demorest, Ga. suffocated when she rolled into the adjustable fabric siding of the bassinet, pressing her face into a “pocket” which formed near the Velcro fasteners. In another incident in January 2009, a six-month old girl in Fort Worth, Texas appears to have been fatally entrapped in the bassinet’s bar opening created when the Velcro fasteners were not secured. An investigation into this infant’s death is ongoing.

In addition, CPSC has received two separate reports involving a 10-week old and a 3-month old whose heads became entrapped between the lower bassinet bar and the mattress support. The infants were freed by their caregivers without injury.

The Simplicity 3-in-1 and 4-in-1 convertible bassinets, including bassinets with the Graco logo and “Winnie the Pooh” motif licensed by Disney Consumer Products, contain metal bars that are covered by an adjustable fabric flap.

This fabric flap is secured by Velcro fasteners, which are intended to be partially removed when the bassinet is converted into the bedside/close-sleeper mode. If the Velcro fasteners are not properly re-secured when the fabric flap is adjusted, or if the consumer entirely removes the fabric flap exposing the metal bars, an infant can slip through the opening between the lower metal bar and the mattress support and become entrapped and suffocate or strangle.

Consumers are urged to check their bassinets to ensure they are not using one of the recalled Simplicity bassinets.

Parents and caregivers are advised to return these bassinets to the retail store where they were purchased. All of the recalled bassinets can pose a danger to infants.

To determine whether your bassinet has been recalled, please check for the model number and the manufacture date code pictured below. Bassinets manufactured prior to 21st week of 2008, “2108” (before May 18) are recalled. The model numbers for recalled bassinets manufactured prior to “2108” are:

The following retailers have voluntarily agreed to recall the product and provide a refund or store credit to consumers who return the product to the store where purchased:

• Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Bentonville, Ark.
• Toys “R” Us Inc., Wayne, N.J.
• Kmart Corp., Hoffman Estates, Ill.
• Big Lots!, Columbus, Ohio
• Target, Minneapolis
• J.C. Penney, Plano, Texas
• AAFES, Dallas
• Amazon.com, Seattle
• Bed Bath & Beyond, Union, N.J.
• Burlington Coat Factory, Burlington, N.C.
• Buy Buy Baby Garden City, N.Y.
• Chelsea&Scott LTD (One Step Ahead), Lake Bluff, Ill.
• CSN Stores of Boston
• Fingerhut Direct Marketing, Eden Prairie, Minn.
• Frogs and Lily Pads, St. Johnsbury, Vt.
• Kohl’s Department Stores, Menomonee Falls, Wis.
• ShopKo Stores, Inc., Green Bay, Wis.
• Sweet Pea Décor, North Beach, Md.
• USA Baby #47, Overland Park, Kan.
• USA Baby #58, Brookfield, Wis.
• USA Baby #136, Berlin, Conn.
• USA Baby #141, Waipahu, Ha.
• USA Baby #142, Virginia Beach, Va.
• USA Baby #147, Clovis, Calif.
• Value City Department Stores, Columbus, Ohio

Due to the life-threatening hazard these bassinets pose to infants, CPSC urges all consumers to share this safety warning with friends, family, day care centers, and consignment stores to ensure that no child is placed to sleep in a Simplicity convertible bassinet covered by this warning.

SFCA Inc., the Reading, Pa.-based company that purchased the assets of juvenile product manufacturer Simplicity Inc. after foreclosure, no longer appears to be conducting day to day operations. SFCA Inc. is no longer answering phone calls or responding to e-mails from consumers.

CPSC is still interested in receiving incident or injury reports that are either directly related to this product recall or involve a different hazard with the same product. Reports can be sent by visiting https://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/incident.aspx.