According to a April 8, 2009 item in the Chicago Tribune, about 25,000 playpens made in China and imported by Simplicity Inc. and SFCA Inc. have been recalled. The playpen in question is known as the “Travel Tender Play Yard”[shown below]. The playpens are portable and feature a bassinet, along with a changing table. The specific defect involves a series of rails that can collapse unexpectedly, causing children to fall or become entrapped. The playpens were sold in Burlington Coat Factory stores and online at Babiesrus.com, Target.com and Kohls.com from March, 2005 through January, 2009.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission[CPSC] has initiated a recall after becoming aware of at least 5 incidents where the rails collapsed. Thankfully, no injuries have been reported. Nonetheless, the CPSC is recommending that consumers should stop using the playpens immediately and return them to the place of purchase for refund or replacement.
This isn’t the first time Simplicity products have been the subject of recalls. In September, 2008 the CPSC had come under fire after failing to take appropriate action after becoming aware that two infants had died when the Simplicity Bassinet in which they were situated collapsed. The CPSC did issue a recall for the Simplicity brand items. Turns out however, that the exact same bassinet was being sold by a different company under a different name. Despite being so advised, the CPSC failed to issue a recall for those bassinets.