Berwyn-Based Nap Nanny Co Fires Back at Feds

Don't blame her product, blame the people who fail to read the directions and use her product properly.

That's the upshot of a statement issued Thursday by Leslie Gudel, inventor and owner of the Nap Nanny. The device is a contoured baby-holding device designed to make infants more comfortable and more able to sleep.

It has now been linked to five deaths and the Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a stop-selling order against the company.

Gudel, the local mom and Comcast sports reporter who invented the device issued a statement on the company's website saying that she has been working closely with CPSC and this stop-selling order caught her by surprise. In the statement, which can be found in full on the nap nanny website, Gudel says the problem is with consumers who don't read the instructions which are clearly marked on the baby recliner. The device is supposed to be placed on a hard floor only and not supposed to be put in a crib.  According to the directions and warning on the Nap Nanny the baby must be clicked into the harness.

In her company statement Gudel responds to the government order:

Today the CPSC filed an administrative complaint against our company seeking legal authority to stop the sale of all Nap Nanny recliners on the theory that the Nap Nanny is a hazardous product. We do not believe the complaint has merit and stand behind the safety of our product when used as instructed.

The CPSC’s complaint notes that five infants have died “while using” the Nap Nanny. The loss of an infant is an unthinkable tragedy, and I am truly heartbroken for the families who have lost a child. But the fact that infants have died “while using” the Nap Nanny improperly, such as when used in a crib where the child could suffocate on a crib bumper or a blanket, does not mean our product caused the child’s death or is hazardous.

We at Nap Nanny went to great lengths to make the safest product possible. Nap Nanny has helped thousands of babies and their tired parents the last four years. No infant using the Nap Nanny properly has ever suffered an injury requiring medical attention. The Nap Nanny was designed and constructed for use only on the floor with the harness secured.

Nap nanny has reportedly been forced to shut down operations and lay off 13 people as a result of the order.