On Wednesday, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced that it had issued a violation notice to DockATot for continuing to import and sell its popular Deluxe+ Dock in the U.S., even after the company was notified that its product does not comply with the newly instated Infant Sleep Product Rule.
According to a CPSC press releaseOpens a new window, DockATot was alerted in June that it should stop manufacturing the DockATot Deluxe+ Dock because it fails to comply with safe sleep standards for babies instituted by the Infant Sleep Product RuleOpens a new window. This landmark rule makes it unlawful to sell products that don’t meet the CPSC’s safety standards after June 23, 2022. Despite this warning, DockATot has continued to import products manufactured after that date.
“It is unsafe for your baby to sleep in a DockATot Deluxe+,” says CPSC commissioner Richard L. Trumka, Jr., in a separate statementOpens a new window. “Immediately discontinue its use.” He also encourages owners of the product to look at the reports of infants’ deaths associated with DockATot products by searching the CPSC’s incident reportsOpens a new window. “Read caregivers’ stories of their worst nightmares becoming reality using this product,” he urges.
In a statement to the pressOpens a new window on Friday, DockATot CEO Trip Coyne noted that the company stopped marketing its docks as an infant sleep solution in 2020 and stopped production on the Deluxe+ docks earlier this year. He also said that “DockATot disagrees with the Notice of Violation and feels misrepresented by the agency’s statements but will continue to work with the CPSC in good faith in hopes of resolving any concerns it may have,” adding that the company will no longer make Deluxe+ docks for the US market and, therefore, will stop sales in the US when the current inventory runs out.
The news of DockATot’s violation comes days before the Safe Sleep for Babies ActOpens a new window goes into effect. This act prohibits the manufacture and sale of crib bumpers or inclined sleepers for infants, furthering the CPSC’s efforts to remove hazardous sleep items from the market.
Why is the DockATot not safe for sleep?
The DockATot Deluxe+ Dock is an incredibly popular “docking station” meant for babies under 8 months to lounge in while caregivers are nearby. Although DockATot statesOpens a new window that its Deluxe+ is “not intended for sleep,” it acknowledges that babies often do fall asleep in the product and says that supervised sleep is acceptable.
Worth noting: Michael H. Goodstein, M.D., FAAP, a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics, told What to Expect in June that baby “nests” or “pods” should never be used for sleep, even supervised.
The DockATot Deluxe+ Dock isn’t safe for infant sleep because it is a flat sleep product that:
- Has sides shorter than 7.5 inches
- Doesn’t have a stand
- Fails to meet stability requirements
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This safety criteria was outlined in the Infant Sleep Product RuleOpens a new window that went into effect June 23, 2022, and these factors mean that the product poses a risk of serious consequences, including death, to sleeping babies.
What should caregivers do?
If you own a DockATot Deluxe+ Dock, it’s a good idea to follow the CPSC commissioner’s advice and stop using it immediately.
(Unfortunately, since the product hasn’t been officially recalled, you can’t get your money back at this point.)
Even if you make sure to supervise your baby when they’re using any DockATot loungers, it’s still a good idea to stop using it. Accidents happen, and as experts have told What to Expect in the past, even supervised sleep in baby loungers and pods isn’t safe.
This article originally appeared on What to Expect.