Cots recalled over suffocation risk

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A Canadian company is voluntarily recalling more than 2.1 million baby cots in the United States and Canada, due to a potential suffocation hazard.

Four suffocation deaths related to cots with drop-down sides made by Stork Craft Manufacturing Inc have been reported in the United States, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission said in a statement announcing the recall.

US and Canadian safety officials have received a combined 110 reports of accidents involving Stork Craft drop-side cots, the agency said.

The cots were sold at major retailers such as JC Penney, Kmart and Wal-Mart, as well as online at Amazon.com, Costco.com and Target.com, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said.

The voluntary recall involves about 1.2 million cots distributed in the United States and 968,000 in Canada, the agency said.

Problems with the cots' plastic hardware or improper installation could cause the side that drops to detach, creating a potentially dangerous space between the cot and mattress, the agency added.

"The bodies of infants and toddlers can become entrapped in the space which can lead to suffocation. Complete detachment of drop-sides can lead to falls from the crib," the agency said.

The recall includes Stork Craft cots made and distributed between January 1993 and October 2009, including 147,000 with the Fisher-Price logo. Parents should immediately stop using the recalled cots and contact Stork Craft for a free repair kit, the agency said.

In January, Stork Craft recalled more than 1 million cots in Canada and the United States because of a different defect, a potential suffocation hazard.

In that recall, the safety commission said, metal support brackets used to the support the mattress and mattress board could crack and break, which could create a gap between the mattress and cot rails that could entrap and suffocate infants.

- Reuters