Infant-Sleep Deaths in Focus in Fight Over Role of Consumer-Safety Agency

WASHINGTON—Earlier this year, a parent in New York filed a complaint with the government’s consumer-product watchdog about a controversial type of baby bed. A napping six-month-old sleeping in it had rolled over, stopped breathing and died.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has received reports of at least 30 deaths and more than 700 injuries since 2005 in connection with these inclined sleepers, which angle a baby so its head is elevated. More than half the reported deaths—16—occurred since September 2016.

The product, which some parents praise for finally getting their fussy baby to sleep, has become the focus of a battle over how strongly federal consumer-safety regulators should act, and how quickly.

The debate centers on who is at fault: the companies, or parents themselves. Manufacturers say parents don’t use the product correctly. Doctors say the design itself increases the risk of suffocation.

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https://www.wsj.com/articles/infant-sleep-deaths-in-focus-in-fight-over-role-of-consumer-safety-agency-1542974400 (paid subscription)