Safety experts are urging parents to stop purchasing and using a popular infant recliner called the ‘Nap Nanny,’ after yet another wrongful death claim. In between 2009 and 2012, 165,000 Nap Nanny recliners sold in stores were recalled due to 92 filed reports, and 5 wrongful death claims, yet the company that makes the product has refused to pull it from store shelves or offer refunds.
After appearing on the market in 2009, it only took one year for problems to arise, and the Nap Nanny was recalled and redesigned in 2010, after the first infant death. Despite the redesign, added precautions, and even an instructional video, the infant mortality rate associated with the product continued to rise, causing the Consumer Product Safety Commission to file a lawsuit to force the parent company, Baby Matters LLC, to issue a recall. The reports and wrongful death claims are a result of a defect in the Nap Nanny’s safety harness. Complainants reported finding infants hanging or falling over the side of the products, and in cases of death, being strangled by the harness straps.
Since then, four retailers, Amazon.com, Buy Buy Baby, Toys “R” Us, and Babies “R” Us have stopped selling the product, which retails at a $125 dollar value, and have taken it upon themselves to offer customers a chance to return it. Nap Nanny creator and parent company, Baby Matters CEO, Leslie Gudel, still contends that her product is safe, and the deaths resulted from improper use, such as refusal to use the safety straps, and placing the Nap Nanny in unsafe areas. Gudel says, “Baby Matters is disappointed to hear that four retailers have chosen to voluntarily recall the Nap Nanny. As I’ve said before, the loss of an infant is an unthinkable tragedy, and I am truly heartbroken for the families who have lost a child. But when the Nap Nanny has been used properly, no infant has ever suffered an injury requiring medical attention.” She was forced to shut her company down after the Consumer Product Safety Commission brought a lawsuit against it, because she couldn’t afford to keep fighting against them. She still, however, continues to defend her product, stating, “We look forward to presenting our case before a judge who will hear all of the facts.”
If you own a recalled Nap Nanny, or are a victim of damages caused by this dangerous product, the law firm of Hodes Milman can help you get the justice you need. Contact us today online at verdictvictory.com or call (949) 640-8222 for a complimentary case evaluation.
