Federal agency issues warning on popular bassinet

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The federal Consumer Product Safety Commission is warning parents and caregivers to immediately stop using a popular brand of bassinet after the death of a second baby attributed to the product.

The warning covers the Simplicity 3-in-1 and Simplicity 4-in-1 bassinets. CPSC spokeswoman Julie Vallese said Thursday the danger is so severe that the agency was compelled to issue the warning late Wednesday ahead of a likely recall.

"Recalls can take time, and the commission felt that time was of the essence and that warning the public about this product was so important that we could not wait until a recall was announced," she said.

Last week, a 7-month-old Shawnee, Kan., girl was strangled after trying to slip through the metal tubes that run down the side of the bassinet. Police say her body fit through the tubes, but her head was too big and she became hung.

In September 2007, a 4-month-old Pineville, Mo., girl died after being caught between the rail of her Simplicity 4-in-1 bassinet and the mattress.

Vallese said the agency is acting under new authority granted under the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, signed by President Bush earlier this month.

"It is now clear what the foreseeable danger with this product is," she said. "The fact that we have put out this warning pretty much has determined that this is a product that should not be used by consumers."

Simplicity recalled about 1 million cribs Sept. 21, 2007, after reports of three deaths and seven babies who had become entrapped in its cribs. Vallese said the recall put Simplicity out of business, and its assets were purchased by SFCA Inc. in April.

A spokeswoman SFCA, based in Reading, Pa., declined immediate comment but said company officials would issue a statement later Thursday.

In a release Wednesday, CPSC said SFCA "has refused to cooperate with the government and recall the products. SFCA maintains that it is not responsible for products previously manufactured by Simplicity Inc."

Vallese said there are about 1 million of the bassinets, which have been on the market for about seven years, in stores and in homes across the U.S.