In the early hours of May 3, 2017, Jayme Minnich put his 3-month-old son Cayson down to sleep in a “Napper,” an inclined sleeper that was part of the Chicco Lullaby Dream Portable Playard. Minnich then fell asleep on a nearby couch. When he awoke about 30 minutes later, Cayson was not moving and did not appear to be breathing. Despite life-saving measures by his parents, first responders and medical personnel, Cayson died later that day.

The tragedy that played out in Minnich’s home was not a “freak” occurrence. It was a predictable outcome of a sleep environment that was unsafe for newborn infants. The defective design of inclined sleepers results in infants being able to move into positions that cause asphyxia. Newborns do not have sufficient neck strength and head control to prevent these injuries from occurring.