One child safety equipment producer is recalling around 220,000 infant travel beds. Reports surfaced of the death of one infant, compounded by nine additional reports of babies who became entrapped or distressed while using these portable "sleep tents." Pennsylvania parents should be aware of this possibly dangerous product.
KidCo Inc. (Illinois) is cooperating with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to recall the Pea Pod Travel Crib, amid reports of the potential that a baby can get trapped between the little air mattress and the tent's fabric sides. When this happens, the potential risk of suffocation arises.
The little domed tent includes an air mattress that goes into a zippered pocket in its floor. However, if the mattress is placed directly on the tent floor, the infant may lodge his/her head between the mattress and the side of the tent. This could make breathing impossible for the baby. The tent collapses for easy transportation, but this ability may also contribute to potential problems.
Inability to breathe because of this is allegedly the potential cause of the deceased five-month old in New York. Napping with his twin sister, the youngster apparently could not breathe because of wedging his head between the mattress and tent sides.
Not a brand new product, with sales starting in 2005, the travel bed is very easy to fold and compact. When folded, it resembles a Frisbee. It easily pops open for infant use. To protect against any danger, the manufacturer now offers kits that support the tent sides and a thinner air mattress, preventing the rare, but potentially deadly, pocket from forming. The CPSC encourages parents to get this kit.
Should the manufacturer and CPSC cooperation, along with installing this special kit, help safeguard infants from any dangers with this product? Do you have any further suggestions for parents using this travel bed?
Source: The Huffington Post, "Pea Pod Travel Crib Recall: 220,000 Infant Travel Beds Recalled After Baby Dies," Michele Salcedo, Nov. 16, 2012