Fisher-Price Snuga Swings Recall Investigation

Berger Montague PC is currently investigating the recent recall of 2.1 million Fisher-Price Snuga Swings that are linked to 5 infant deaths when the product was used for sleep. 

On October 10, 2024, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Fisher-Price announced the recall of Fisher-Price Snuga Infant Swings due to the risk of suffocation. Major retailers including Amazon, Toys R Us, Walmart/Sams Club, and Target sold the swings from October 2010 through January 2024. 

When the swings are used for sleeping, or if bedding material is added, the headrest and body support insert can increase the risk of suffocation, the CPSC said. Consumers are being urged to immediately remove the headrest (by cutting the tether) and the body support insert from the seat pad before continuing to use the swing for awake-time activities. 

According to the CPSC, there have been 5 deaths involving infants 1 to 3 months of age between 2012 and 2022. The infants were unrestrained and bedding materials were added to the product in most of the incidents. 

The recalled Snuga Swings are an infant swing with a front to back and side-to-side motion. The swings have 90 degrees of rotation, two seat back positions and folds up for storage. They come in 21 different models featuring a wide variety of themes and accessories. A full list of the Snuga models involved in the recall is available below.

Insufficient Recall

The recall is insufficient to customers who purchased the swings for about $160 as it only provides $25 to consumers if the swing’s headrest and body support insert are removed and destroyed.

Commissioner Richard L. Trumka Jr. of the CPSC released a statement that calls the recall “doomed to fail” and saying it “will keep many babies in harm’s way.” Commissioner Trumka noted the recall fails to recall the entire product and provides consumers with only a small portion of the product’s cost. He advised customers to: “get your $25 refund and then throw this product away; do not keep it in your homes because even after the so-called ‘repair’ this product will still be unsafe for infant sleep.”

“When Fisher-Price recalled the Rock ‘n Play in 2019, it failed to offer full refunds to all consumers, offering many just vouchers for other Fisher-Price products. Eight babies died after the recall, bringing the total Rock ‘n Play deaths to over 100 babies,” he added.

Consumer Reports also lambasted the recall, saying it “doesn’t go far enough to help families protect their children and ensure that consumers are made whole for spending money on a product that turned out to be hazardous.”

“Once again, Fisher-Price is putting its bottom line first and safety last,” Consumer Report’s associate director of safety policy William Wallace said. “There should be a full refund, and Fisher-Price should be urging people to throw away these swings. Retailers, online platforms, and secondhand marketplaces should all prohibit Snuga Infant Swings from being sold and take a range of steps to make sure they aren’t listed,” he said.

Recalled Models

The recall applies to the following Snuga Swing models. The model number and name are printed on the underside of the swing motor housing.

About Berger Montague

Berger Montague is one of the nation’s preeminent law firms focusing on complex civil litigation, class actions and mass torts in federal and state courts throughout the United States. The firm is active in the fields of antitrust, commercial litigation, consumer protection, defective products, environmental law, employment law, securities and whistleblower cases, among other practice areas. For more than 50 years Berger Montague has played leading roles in precedent-setting cases and has recovered over $50 billion for its clients and the classes they have represented. Berger Montague is headquartered in Philadelphia and has offices in Chicago, Minneapolis, San Diego, San Francisco, Toronto, Washington, D.C., and Wilmington, DE.