Fisher-Price has announced a recall of more than 2 million of its Snuga infant swings after five infants died of suffocation while sleeping in the swings. "The swing should never be used for sleep and bedding materials should never be added to it," according to an alert from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, which announced the recall. "If the product is used for sleep or bedding material is added, the headrest and body support insert on the seat pad can increase the risk of suffocation," the agency explained.

The CPSC advises parents with one of the Snuga infant swings at home: "Consumers should immediately remove both 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."

At least five reported deaths of infants between one and three months of age were linked to the use of Snuga swings between 2012 and 2022. "In most of those incidents, the infants were unrestrained, and bedding materials were added to the product," the CPSC noted.

Apart from the danger from the Fisher-Price products under recall, the agency reminded parents and caregivers that they "should never use any inclined seated products, like swings, gliders, soothers, and rockers, for infant sleep and should not leave infants in these products unsupervised, unrestrained, or with bedding material due to the risk of suffocation." Instead, always lay an infant flat on their back for sleep "on a firm, flat surface in a crib, bassinet, or play yard, with nothing but a fitted sheet," the CPSC advised.

The agency noted that in 2022, Congress banned the sale of any inclined sleeper for infants.

A few life-threatening risks involved with infant swings include:

According to experts, babies can always fall forward onto their chins, which restricts their breathing due to soft bedding.

The skulls of infants are very soft and applying too much pressure on their heads can lead to flat spots.

Doctors say infants who lie in swings for a longer time also keep their heads turned to one side – leading to torticollis, known as wry neck - a condition caused by tight muscles on one side of the neck. It leads to various kinds of neurological issues.

If you leave the infant unattended for a longer time unstrapped in a swing, it can always risk falls.

To make sure your baby or infant does not get injured, you must:

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