(UnitedVoice.com) – Target has recalled hundreds of thousands of weighted blankets linked to the deaths of two children. According to the recall, the blankets can trap and suffocate kids. The retail giant urges anyone who bought the items to return them for a refund.
On December 22, Target Corporation and the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a recall for Pillowfort children’s weighted blankets. The six-pound blankets have a removable, washable cover with a zipper, which children can unzip, becoming trapped inside the cover. In April, two children aged four and six asphyxiated to death inside a Pillowfort blanket at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina; Target also received two more reports of kids becoming trapped in the covers.
#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
Weighted blankets have become popular with people who believe they help some to sleep more soundly, although the evidence is inconclusive. Scientists have also warned that they may not be safe for children.
Target marketed the Pillowfort blankets through its stores and online from December 2018 to September 2022, selling around 204,000 of them. Now the chain is warning anyone who has one to stop using it immediately and contact Target by calling 800-440-0680 to request a prepaid return label. The company will also issue a refund for all those affected by the recall.
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