Target issues recall for more than 200,000 weighted blankets after 2 children die
Target is recalling hundreds of thousands of weighted Pillowfort kids blankets after two children died from asphyxia.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Target Corporation issued a statement on Dec. 22 explaining that “a young child can become entrapped by unzipping and entering the weighted blanket, which poses a risk of death by asphyxiation.”
The news comes after a 4-year-old girl and a 6-year-old girl reportedly became entrapped in the cover of the product and died due to asphyxia at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, in April 2022, the CPSC said.
“Target has received four reports of children becoming entrapped in these weighted blankets, including the two fatalities,” the statement said.
The CPSC and Target are urging buyers of the product to immediately stop using the weighted blanket and contact Target for a refund. The chain store is also contacting all known purchasers directly to arrange returns.
They estimate that there are about 204,000 Pillowfort weighted blankets that need to be recalled. Target exclusively sold the product from December 2018 through September 2022 for $40.
“We send our deepest condolences and support to the family that lost their loved ones,” a company spokesperson added in an emailed statement to NBC News. “As soon as we became aware of the situation, we acted quickly to begin removing Pillowfort Weighted Blankets from our assortment and have pulled all of these items from sale.”
The blankets weigh 6 pounds, measure 60 inches long and 40 inches wide and have a removable, waterproof, washable cover.
The recalled blankets come in eight prints or colors including unicorn white (item number 097-02-0140), space navy (item number 097-02-0148), pink (item number 097-02-0361), blue (item number 097-02-0363), gray (item number 097-02-0364), buffalo plaid red (item number 097-02-1603), blue constellation (item number 097-02-3904) and unicorn pink (item number 097-02-3905). Item numbers can be found on the fabric tag attached to the removable covers of the blankets.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
