More than 1 million baby slings recalled

Over 1 million baby slings have been recalled by Infantino LLC. The slings were recalled after several (at least three) babies died due to suffocation induced by the sling. A baby’s neck is too weak for the baby to turn his head. The design of the slings allowed the baby’s face to be pushed against the cloth. Unable to move his head, the baby slowly suffocated.

The design of the sling also allowed the baby to lie in a hunched position. This position restricts the airways. When the airways are restricted the baby cannot cry for help and slowly suffocates.

Infantino LLC is offering a free replacement product to everyone affected by the recall. The Consumer Product Safety Commission is currently working on establishing mandatory safety regulations for baby slings. While this is in the works, they are encouraging the industry to adopt voluntary regulations. There are currently no mandatory safety guidelines for baby slings.

This blog post is different from other posts on this blog. Instead of showing the latest and greatest technology, I showed you the tragedy and financial loss that can follow when products are designed poorly. As Biomedical engineers, we tend to think that our field is composed entirely of high-tech implants and artificial organs. True, these are in our field, but our field is much broader. Every device used by humans to treat disease, reduce the effects of aging, or assist in the care of the weak is an example of Biomedical Engineering. The moral of this post is to never dismiss a problem or concern in engineering because it is too trivial. I highly doubt the designers of the baby slings put much thought into the design of the slings. After all, people have been making these for centuries. But now, thanks to their negligence, at least three babies have died.

http://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/news/20100324/1-million-baby-slings-recalled