Baby slings linked to three deaths are recalled

Infantino recalled more than 1 million baby slings after three children suffocated, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Wednesday.

Consumers should stop using the SlingRider and Wendy Bellissimo slings for children younger than 4 months and contact San Diego-based Infantino for a free replacement, the agency said. The commission said it’s aware of deaths in Philadelphia, Cincinnati and Salem, Ore., last year.

“Do not attempt to fix these carriers,” the agency said.

The commission said in a March 12 statement that it was investigating 14 deaths associated with baby slings in the last 20 years, though the statement didn’t name specific brands. Young babies are at risk of suffocation because they have less motor control of their heads.

The safety commission said the products were made in China and Thailand and were sold from January 2003 through March 2010 at retailers including Wal-Mart, Target, Amazon.com, Burlington Coat Factory, Toys R Us and its Babies R Us locations.

Infantino has been working with regulators and ASTM International, a nonprofit standard-writing organization, over baby-sling safety concerns, said Jack Vresics, president of the company.