Child Play Yard Mattresses Sold on Amazon Could Pose Suffocation Risks: CPSC

Manufacturer has refused to recall more than 108,000 Hiccapop PlayPad mattresses, despite design problems that may crease a serious safety hazard for children, federal officials indicate.

Federal safety officials are warning customers to immediately stop using certain play yard mattresses sold on Amazon.com, due to safety violations that may increase the risk of young children suffocating.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued the Hiccapop PlayPad play yard mattress warning on March 6, indicating that the mattresses should be disposed of since the manufacturer has refused to issue a recall, even though the products fail to meet federal standards regarding thickness and dimension necessary to avoid a serious safety hazard.

The Hiccapop play yard mattresses are designed to provide additional comfort and support for children while in a play yard. However, the safety violations could result in dangerous gaps between the mattress and the play yard sides, which may allow babies to fall and become trapped, increasing the risks of suffocation and death.

The affected products include more than 108,000 Hiccapop PlayPad play yard mattresses, model HP-TPM-2, which are sold separately from play yards. The mattresses measure 37.5 inches by 26.5 inches and are labeled with “Hiccapop PlayPad,” the model number, and the “mfg. date,” which is on or after September 2022.

The mattresses were manufactured in China and sold online through various platforms, including Amazon, from March 2024 through November 2024 for between $24 and $120.

Consumers are advised not to give away or sell the Hiccapop mattresses, and the CPSC is reminding caregivers to use only the mattress provided with their play yard or a mattress that specifically identifies the brand and model number associated with the play yard.

Parents are also reminded not to use supplemental padding in a play yard, never stack mattresses, avoid adding blankets, pillows or padded crib bumpers, and to use only a fitted sheet in an infant’s sleeping environment.

The manufacturer, Keezio Group LLC, has not agreed to recall the play yard mattresses or provide a remedy to consumers.

Unsafe Infant Sleep Environment Risks

The dangers of unsafe sleeping conditions for children are widely recognized. After more than 100 infant deaths, at least 16 class action lawsuits were filed against the manufacturer of the Fisher-Price Rock ‘n Play sleeper, resulting in a $19 million settlement in August 2024.

The massive Fisher-Price Rock ‘n Play sleeper recall was announced in 2019, after at least 32 infant deaths were linked to the product’s design. However, when another 70 deaths occurred after the initial warning, the CPSC announced the recall again in 2023, urging families to immediately stop using the inclined infant sleepers.

Following the Rock ‘n Play sleeper settlement, the CPSC announced new federal safety standards for infant support cushions in October 2024, which were aimed at addressing the rising number of preventable injuries and deaths associated with their use.

Despite the dangers, research still shows that many parents regularly place their infants in unsafe positions or environments with products known to increase the risk of infant deaths, even though they acknowledge understanding the risks.

Additional studies indicate that more than 170 children died on average each year between 2019 and 2021 due to unsafe sleep environments created by commonly used nursery products, such as cribs, cradles, playpens and inclined infant sleepers and carriers.