More than 200,000 children’s weighted blankets were recalled on Thursday by Target following reports that two girls reportedly got entrapped inside one and died of asphyxiation this spring.
Back in April, a 4-year-old girl and a 6-year-old girl from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, were trapped inside the cover of a weighted blanket and died of asphyxiation with Target receiving two more reports of children becoming entrapped in the product.
Citing a safety risk of suffocation if a child unzips and enters the blanket, the big box chain and the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced the recall of 204,000 Pillowfort Weighted Blankets that have been sold by the retailer from December 2018 through September 2022.
Commonly used therapeutically to assist with sleep and reduce anxiety, Pillowfort Weighted Blankets, weigh six pounds and are 60 inches long and 40 inches wide. They have a removable, washable cover.
Both CPSC and Target have urged consumers to immediately stop using the weighted blankets that were manufactured in China – which come in 8 different prints or colors including unicorn white, space navy, buffalo plaid red, blue constellation, and unicorn pink – and return them for refund.
As announced by Target, purchasers can contact at 800-440-0680 from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. ET daily to receive a prepaid return label to return the blankets by mail or will be given a refund of $40 in Target credit at any Target store.
The company, which is in the process of alerting known consumers of the blanket, also sent condolences to the family that lost their loved ones.
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