On Thursday, Target and the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a recall of 240,000 Pillowfort Weighted Blankets after two sisters, 4 and 6, died of asphyxia after they got trapped inside the blanket and suffocated in April 2022.
The blankets include zippers, which the girls had used to seal themselves inside, causing them to become trapped and suffocate.
The deaths occurred at the girls’ family home at Camp Lejeune, a North Carolina Marine Corps base camp where their father is a staff sergeant.
After the two fatalities, Target received two other reports of children who had also gotten trapped inside the 6-pound blanket but managed to survive.
Now, ahead of Christmas, the CPSC recalled the blankets that had been sold at Target nationwide since December 2018. The CPSC issued an urgent warning on their social media about the recall, saying, “A young child can become entrapped by unzipping and entering the blanket, posing a risk of death by asphyxiation. Two child deaths reported. Stop use, get full refund.”
#Recall: @Target Pillowfort weighted blankets; A young child can become entrapped by unzipping and entering the blanket, posing a risk of death by asphyxiation. Two child deaths reported. Stop use, get full refund. Full notice: https://t.co/bK06q2GlSq pic.twitter.com/0WLUhRo6gA
— US Consumer Product Safety Commission (@USCPSC) December 22, 2022
The agency issued another statement, saying, “CPSC and Target are urging consumers to stop using the recalled weighted blankets immediately and contact Target for a refund.”
Refunds can be acquired by returning the blankets either by mail or at a Target store.
The blankets were sold for $40 in eight colors and patterns, including unicorn white, space navy, pink, blue, gray, buffalo plaid red, blue constellation, and unicorn pink.
The CPSC has recalled other unsafe products recently, including the Life is Good Company’s woman’s fleece sweatshirts and men’s fleece shorts because they violated the federal flammability standard and burn injuries to consumers. About 750 units of the clothing were recalled.
400 units of Ortal’s traditional gas fireplaces were also recalled after reports came in that it was a fire hazard if improperly installed because there would be problems with heat release and ventilation.
A safety feature malfunction also caused a recall of the Scotch Thermal Laminator, TL1302, by 3M Scotch. This recall was due to a safety feature malfunction that happens if the laminator overheats. About 516,000 of the laminators are part of the recall, along with an additional 3,560 that were sold in Canada.
