Angelcare recalls 600,000 baby monitors due to 2 strangulation deaths
About 600,000 baby monitors are being recalled after two infants died of strangulation caused by the cord attached to the monitor’s sensor pad.
The federal safety agency, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), said Thursday in a press release that the units of Angelcare Movement and Sound Baby Monitors will be recalled so they can be outfitted with a cord cover.
Involved in the recall are all versions of Angelcare sensor
monitors including model numbers: AC1100, AC201, AC300, AC401 AC601 and 49255
that do not contain cord covers.
The monitors were sold from October 1999 through September 2013 at retailers including Babies R Us/Toys R Us, Burlington Coat Factory, Meijer, Sears, Walmart, Amazon.com, Target.com, Overstock.com, and about 70 small baby specialty stores for about $100 to $300 a unit.
The recall stems from two strangulation deaths: a 13-month-old infant girl who died in San Diego, Calif. in Nov. 2011, and an 8-month-old girl who died in Salem, Ore. in Aug. 2004.
The cord attached to the baby monitor’s sensor pad is placed under the crib mattress, but if the child pulls the cord into the crib, it might get wrapped around the neck, according to CPSC.
People who own the products should immediately make sure cords are placed out of reach of the child and contact the Angelcare website to order the free repair kit or by calling the company directly at 855-355-2643.
Angelcare Monitors Inc. is based in Quebec, Canada.
Such a strangulation risk is not new for baby monitors. The government agency warned there have been eight reports of strangulation linked to baby monitor cords since 2002, two tied to the Angelcare products.
To prevent strangulation, check all monitors and other products with electric cords in the home and make sure they are out of a child’s reach. Monitors and cords should be at least three feet away from any part of the crib, playpen or other sleeping environments, according to babymonitorsafety.org, a website from the CPSC and Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association.
Never
position a monitor inside or on the edge of a crib, the agencies added.
