Infant Swing Recalls: What They Say and How to Check Yours

Recent infant swing recalls fall into two groups, CPSC’s notices show: swings marketed for sleep with an incline over 10 degrees, which breaks federal rules, and swings with a design hazard such as Fisher-Price’s Snuga headrest or 4moms’ dangling straps. Check your swing’s model number at cpsc.gov/Recalls, and never let a baby sleep in a swing.

Why swings are not for sleep

CPSC’s safe sleep guidance says “inclined products with an angle greater than 10º, such as rockers, gliders, soothers, and swings, should never be used for infant sleep,” and that a baby who falls asleep elsewhere should be moved to a crib, bassinet, play yard or bedside sleeper. CPSC explains that “a seated or semi-reclined position can cause your baby’s head to tip forward and their airway to be blocked.”

Swings have their own federal standard, 16 CFR part 1223, for infant and cradle swings. Several recent recalls say the swing also failed that standard’s warning requirements about sleep.

Recent swing recalls, in CPSC’s words

Read your notice for its exact remedy. The Snuga notice, for example, tells owners to remove the headrest by cutting the tether, and the body support insert, “before continuing to use the swing,” and offers a $25 refund to consumers who remove and destroy them. The MamaRoo remedy is “a free strap fastener that will prevent the straps from extending under the swing when not in use.”

How often are swings recalled?

Some swing-style products are counted with rockers and sleepers instead; see the inclined sleeper ban.

How to check your swing

1. Find the label. Fisher-Price’s 2016 cradle swing notice said the product number was “located on the seat under the pad”; check there and on the base.
2. Search the brand plus “swing” at cpsc.gov/Recalls.
3. Compare model numbers and dates with each notice.
4. If it matches, follow the remedy. What to do with a recalled product covers the steps.

Use the swing only while the baby is awake and watched (CPSC says not to leave a baby unsupervised in products that are not designed for safe sleeping), and move a sleeping baby to a crib or bassinet. See safe sleep basics and the baby gear recalls overview.