Last Updated: . The Fisher Price Rock ‘n Play sleeper has been on a roll lately, appearing on TLC’s new reality show OutDaughtered. A recent episode featured their five baby girls sleeping in a row of—you guessed it—Fisher Price Rock ‘n Play sleepers:
As a result of this and other publicity, this Fisher Price sleeper is reaching cult status—women are whispering about it in the aisles of Babies R Us as a “miracle worker” that enables babies to sleep. And the Fisher Price Rock ‘N Play occupies FIVE slots of the top 10 best-sellers in Amazon’s “bouncer” category.
At the same time, several pediatricians have taken to blogs to denounce the bouncer, calling it dangerous, a possible risk for SIDS among other maladies.
So what exactly is the Fisher Price Rock ‘n Play sleeper? And why is it controversial?
The Fisher-Price Rock ‘n Play sleeper’s pitch: “great for overnight sleep”?
The Fisher-Price Rock ‘n Play sleeper debuted in 2009 and is billed as an “inclined sleeper.” Baby is placed inside the sleeper, which has deep side walls to keep a baby snug. Fisher-Price touts the sleeper as “great for overnight sleep” (on its box) and “the inclined seat helps baby sleep all night long” (on FP’s web site).
The instructions for the Rock ‘n Play sleeper list a 25 lb. weight limit. The average (50% percentile) boy reaches 25 lbs. around 21 months of age. For girls, that same figure is 23 months.
The popularity of this product has lead Fisher-Price to release 36 different versions of the Rock ‘n Play. While the basic Rock ‘n Play has a soothing vibration feature, it must be manually rocked. Fisher-Price addressed that by adding a version called “Auto Rock ‘n Play“—an auto-rocking function with two speeds. There is also a “deluxe” version of this sleeper with plusher padding and an additional toy. Most of the other versions of the Rock N Play sleeper are variations in color and padding. The retail price for this product is between $50-$95.
There’s an even a version of the Rock ‘n Play that is smartphone-enabled (SmartConnect) for $90. You can remotely trigger the rocking, vibrations or other features via your smartphone.
Full disclosure: we did write about the Fisher Price Rock ‘n Play in the latest version of our book, Baby Bargains. While we did not do a full review of the product, we did note our readers generally liked it.
So what’s all the fuss about? The Fisher Price Rock ‘n Play’s secret sauce is the cocooned sleep space. Babies (especially newborns) love it—and that’s where the controversy begins.
Controversy: Does the Fisher Price Rock ‘n Play cause SIDS? Flat heads? Bad sleep habits?
Kansas City pediatrician Natasha Burgert wrote an excellent blog post on this subject, detailing the myriad of concerns about the Fisher Price Rock ‘n Play sleeper. (We know Dr. Burgert through our co-author, Dr. Ari Brown of the Baby 411 series—Dr. Brown thinks highly of Dr. Burgert).
Dr. Burgert’s concerns can be summed up as three key points:
1. The Rock n’ Play Sleeper is not a safe place for overnight, unobserved infant sleep.
The problem: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a firm sleep surface with no soft padding or bedding items. This is to lower the chance of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
On that score, the Fisher Price Rock ‘n Play fails—it is not a flat surface (but a curved, sling seat). And Fisher Price touts the padding (infant head support, body padding) for this sleeper. The problem: padding can shift, causing the baby to get caught between the padding and the side of the sleeper. In fact, Fisher-Price even notes this risk for SIDS in their instructions:
Yet at the same time, Fisher-Price touts this sleeper for overnight sleep:
So you can see the obvious conflict: how can you use the Fisher Price Rock ‘n Play sleeper for overnight sleep when you as a parent as supposed to watch for infants getting stuck between the pad and the side of the product? And isn’t a “plush body insert and head support” that comes with the deluxe version of this sleeper the very definition of soft bedding to avoid?
Yes, Fisher Price notes that the Rock ‘n Play has “breathable mesh” sides—but the body support pillows and headrest either cover the sides or can easily shift.
2. Flat head syndrome and other deformities.
The Fisher Price Rock ‘n Play has been implicated in cases of flat head syndrome or plagiocephaly. Because folks use this product for months, babies sleep in the same position night after night. And because infants can’t freely move their heads or bodies around in this sleeper, two problems can result: flat head syndrome and torticollis, or a twisted neck.
These complaints have been seen both anecdotally in Amazon reviews and formally in complaints to the Consumer Products Safety Commission. Here is one from April 2016:
My son has been diagnosed with “Right Torticollis” and “Mild positional plagiocephaly” (after using this product). He now has to have physical therapy to fix the tightening of his neck muscles on his right side. The physical therapist said that this is due to the way that gravity pulls the heavy infant head down while sleeping in the Fisher Price Rock & Play. He now favors turning his head to one side due to the tightening of the muscles and thus has developed a mild flat spot on the back-right side of his skull.My first son also used the Fisher Price Rock & Play sleeper and had SEVERE Brachycephaly; he had to have a helmet to correct the shape of his head from this.I had no idea at the time that the Rock & Play could cause Brachycephaly, plagiocephaly and torticollis or I would NEVER have used it for either son. We ended up paying $1,200 AFTER 80% insurance coverage of my first son’s helmet.FIsher Price should not market this Rock & Play as a safe infant sleeper due to the extensive medical issues that it can and does cause. I know that I am not alone in my frustration with this product-please see other reviews from Amazon and other verified retailers.
Fisher Price seems to recognize the problem by spending an entire page (page 6) of the instruction manual warning parents about this problem. One of their tips says:
Help your baby avoid resting his head in the same position all the time by frequently changing the direction he lies in the crib.
That is true—but the opposite of what the Fisher Price Rock ‘n Play does!
3. Bad sleep habits.
If you’ve read our Baby 411 book, you know that babies establish sleep patterns around four months of age—this includes the ability to self soothe and general sleep environment preferences.
And that’s the problem with the Fisher Price Rock n Play sleeper: because the company has a 25 lb. weight limit on it, parents use it for many weeks beyond that four month window. Remember above we pointed out the average girl newborn doesn’t reach 25 lbs. until 23 months of age.
“The problem is that parents don’t want to stop using it—it works, baby sleeps, parent sleeps—why potentially ruin a good thing? Babies need room to spread out and move around as they get older . . . 2 months and up,” says Dr. Ari Brown, co-author of Baby 411. Dr Brown recommends discontinuing use of products like the Rock ‘n Play sleeper around two months. But parents who use it longer point to Fisher Pricer’s stated 25 lb. weight limit for the Rock ‘n Play.
And good luck trying to break the sleep habits of an older baby in a Fisher Price Rock ‘n Play—Dr. Burgert of Kansas City says moving an older baby out of the FP sleeper to a crib can be difficult: “Families are suffering from many sleepless nights while their older infant re-learns how to sleep, on their backs, in their long-term sleep environment.”
In other words, the Fisher Price Rock ‘n Play helps a fussy newborn get to sleep . . . but you’ll pay for that later if you continue use beyond four months!
4. Mold.
The Fisher Price Rock ‘n Play sleeper has a series mold problem, which prompted a recall of the 800,000 units back in 2013 after 600 reports from users. Yet complaints about this issue persist into 2016: see this report filed with the CPSC.
Why is this happening? Well, diapers leak. And that moisture gets trapped behind the pad and seat. Here’s what the result looks like:
This is obviously a serious health hazard. Yes, Fisher-Price includes detailed cleaning recommendations and instructions for this sleeper. But the persistent reports of mold indicate to us an inherent design defect, in our opinion.
Fisher-Price recommends washing this product EVERY time it gets soiled—but parents may miss a leaking diaper if the moisture gets trapped between the pad and seat liner (where the top padding is dry by morning).
Bottom line: we do NOT recommend the Fisher Price Rock ‘n Play sleeper.
Given the possible health risks (some of which have been documented in numerous formal complaints filed with safety regulators), we can not recommend the Fisher-Price Rock ‘n Play sleeper. In general, we only recommend bouncers/swings for brief use for soothing, but not for overnight sleep. If you already have one of these sleepers, we strongly recommend discontinuing use after two months of age. And clean it frequently to make sure mold or mildew doesn’t show up.
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Sometimes, I laugh when I read things like this. I understand the intent, but it’s the broad disconnect between the experts and those in the industry with mothers who are currently struggling with babies with commonly experienced sleep issues. Also, there is a huge overemphasis on the sleep environment in the occurrence of SIDS – finally, research is catching up with the fact that most babies who die of SIDS often have certain genetic issues and conditions that put them at substantial risk (when the risk is negligible in the average infant). In addition, I can’t help but wonder if many with children with head shape deformities or neck issues kept their child in this an exorbitant amount of time, rather than just as an overnight sleeper (and if you stop using it by 3-4 months, you should be feeding your child at least a couple times through the night still, so I’m not getting why children are frozen in one position for hours). I’m a maternal and child health epidemiologist myself, so I get the purpose of pushing data and research, but advocating so strongly against this, as many sites do, pushes parents who are desperate for sleep (and for whom the crib and pack and play just do not work) to try more unsafe alternatives (like falling asleep with the baby on them or co-sleeping in bed. We need to start being more realistic with our advice.
Hi Christina: Thanks for that feedback. Good points—there is an ongoing tension between pediatricians/SIDS researchers and the real world of parenting. Our concerns about SIDS risk, mold and bad sleep habits are why we wrote this post. In a parenting world of blogs and other paid-for social media “reviews,” our goal is provide some balance. Thanks again!
Thank you!
I’m not entirely sure when this article was written but I disagree with the idea that these concerns are deal breakers. We have used the deluxe auto rock n play since birth with our son who is now 6 months. For the first 4 or so months of his life he slept in this rocker exclusively. We did not transition him to his crib until about that 4 month mark. And we still occasionly use the rocker for naps or if he’s having a particularly rough night and won’t sleep in his crib. At this point he cannot yet sit up on his own (he can sit up if placed in that position but can’t quite get there on his own yet), but he can be very squirmy so we never use the rocker now without supervision, but we do still use it (and he’s small for his age, at about 16 lbs). He has never had any problems with his head shape. In fact the doctor has commented on how nicely his head is shaped several times. Our ped also knew he slept over night in the rocker and was completely fine with it. The extra padding is very minimal, does not cover the vents on the side, and is actually sewn onto the cover on the rocker (which is securely attached to the rocker itself with clips and Velcro in several places), so very little, if any, risk of suffocation. As far as SIDS goes, a simple crib sheet and/or mattress protector (which most people use) pose the same risks if not used properly. Also flat heads can happen just as easily for newborns in cribs who dont yet have the ability to move around much. For the mold issue, I believe that is purely an issue of the seat not being washed properly and regularly. Our son has severe acid reflux and spit up several times after every single feeding. All we had to do was take the cover off and throw it in the wash. The base has a plastic shell which can easily be wiped down with soap and water or any other kind of baby safe cleaner. While all of these issues could certainly be a concern, proper use of the product (as with anything), will minimize or even eliminate all of these concerns. In my opinion, this is a great product and was very helpful for us and our little one 🙂
Thanks for sharing that experience—glad it worked out for you. Good points. Our main concern is people NOT transitioning out of the FP Rock and Play into a crib; occasional use is fine! Sounds like you struck the right balance.
I used it with my 2nd baby on occasion, but never started the night with him in it because I wanted to get him used to a flat surface. I’d move the RNP right next to my side of the bed if he kept waking and I was just too tired. I also used a Snuza monitor on him when he was in it and I never left it “running” while I was sleeping. I also made sure to not use blankets or swaddle in it and made sure he was buckled correctly… I also didn’t by the deluxe – so there was no extra padding. I didn’t want a crutch, I wanted to make sure he was safe, but I knew I needed to be rested as well. We were fully transitioned out of it by around 8-10 weeks. By that time, he was used to being put down on his back and would sleep for a solid 6-8 hours. I never felt like it was 100% safe, but I think we used it safely.
We would agree—that would be the correct way to use it! Thanks for sharing that story.
I won’t deny that some of these concerns are warranted, however, it’s hard to follow and agree with an article discussing safe sleep that doesn’t even understand what SIDS is. SIDS is not suffocation. Sadly, the 2 have been used interchangeably over the years, and it’s not doing any one any favors. The Rock N Play does not have a SIDS warning, it has a suffocation warning, two very different things. There is no way to prevent SIDS. There is a very clear way to prevent suffocation. I love that you are providing the knowledge to be cautious while using these, as much as you would with any other sleeping device…But PLEASE be careful using scare tactics to make parents think they can cause/prevent SIDs with one of these devices. Medical issues vs Safety issues, please keep them separate.
Good points. We have a detailed discussion of SIDS (causes, risk factors, etc) in our Baby 411 and Baby Bargains books. In a nutshell, SIDS has several causes—one of which can be suffocation in soft bedding. Others SIDS deaths are unexplained.
I believe SIDS by definition is unexplained infant death.
Thank you for this comment! I am a SIDS mother. I get so irritated when suffocation is grouped into SIDS. True SIDS cannot be prevented or explained. Suffocation is a cause of death. It’s explainable! I along with other true SIDS parents will never have an explanation as to why my precious baby died. I wish doctors and researchers would stop classifying the 2 as the same thing.
I agree with many of the comments. It’s great to inform consumers of the risks but stating a product is unsafe to use is not helpful for parents seeking help. I have also used this product without issues. Instead of scaring the consumer and shaming a company for their product, I would prefer information on how to safely use the product to prevent some of the mentioned concerns so that as a parent I am well educated on how to safely use it.
Thanks for that feedback Suzana. FYI: Our specific advice on how to safely use this product is in the last paragraph of the review!
25 lbs. is not 50th percentile at 9 months. Not even close.
You’re right! We have updated that cite to be more accurate—it is 21 months for a boy, 22-23 months for girls.
I am agree with these. It’s great to inform consumers of the risks but stating a product is unsafe to use is not helpful for parents seeking help. I would prefer information on how to safely use the product to prevent some of the mentioned concerns. If you had more insight i will greatly appreciate it. Thanks for the sharing such a helpful article.
Thanks Thomas for those comments. Check out the last couple of paragraphs on this page—we tell you how to safely use it!
Hi there. I understand all the research and appreciate the advice however my issue with every blog and review of the rock n play that says don’t use it for sleeping is that they don’t recommend tips on how to get your baby to sleep on a flat hard surface. We have a halo bassinet and a crib and our baby refuses to sleep in either. He hates the hard surface. We’ve tried swaddling and noise machines and hand rocking him but nothing works. He will only sleep in the rock n play. Many of my friends have experienced the same thing. So if you’re going to say don’t use it, please include tips on how to get baby to sleep anywhere else!
Good point! We should add tips like that to this post. Do you try to lay your baby down on a flat firm surface to start? Or did you start with the FP Rock N Play? Unfortunately, babies can get too comfortable with the FP RNP in a hurry!
We started with the bassinet. Before baby was born I was adamant that he’d only sleep there because of the back to sleep research etc. I only planned to use rock n play during the day when we needed to put baby down for brief periods. I had no intention of having baby sleep in it. However after a week of baby not sleeping or only sleeping on one of us which required us to stay awake all night we tried putting baby down in RNP and he fell asleep instantly. All the advice I’ve gotten about how to get a baby to sleep in bassinet has seemed unsafe such as putting blankets around him to make him feel enclosed or a wedge under his head. Those are both highly advised against. So again, the advice is always what not to do and not tips on how to make the baby actually comfortable in a hard flat Surface. I feel like a bad parent every time I put the baby to sleep in the RNP but it’s a better option than none of us sleeping. It just always feels like the “advice” has no connection to the reality of having a newborn.
As a parent of two kids, we feel your pain. There are the best practices—and the reality of trying to get a newborn to sleep. Your story is a cautionary tale for other parents on how addictive the FP RNP can be. The same goes for babies who can only fall asleep with a bottle or pacifier. For specific tips in your case on how to break the RNP habit, I have pinged our in-house pediatrician to get some thoughts. I will post a reply here when I hear back. Meanwhile, there is a section on “Undoing Bad Sleep Habits” in our Baby 411 book, part of a chapter on sleep for babies up to a year. You might see if you local library has it and read that chapter. Spoiler alert: you can break the RNP habit, but it won’t be fun or easy.
Ok, the pediatrician who wrote the Baby 411 has chimed in to answer your questions:
“Here is the thing: newborns are not 2 month olds or 4 month olds. From 0-8 weeks they really like being snug (not necessarily on an incline). That is why the RNP is so great. However, 2 month olds up (and definitely 3 month olds) do like to start stretching out and moving/rolling over in their sleep. So, that is when switching from RNP to the flat surface–without swaddling or Merlin suit–is key. Babies do not need to sleep in a nest to be able to settle into sleep, but it can be an adjustment.
As for getting a baby to sleep on a flat surface, THERE ARE NO TRICKS. Adjusting for one baby is different for another one. Some babies may like listening to music, others may like mobiles, some like being rocked to sleep then moved into crib (*which is ok until 3 month mark). It just takes time and consistency of the routine. No one can find advice or answers on ‘how to’ because there is no answer other than you just do it and your baby figures it out.”
Thank you for this! Your reply and especially the remarks from your pediatrician are very reassuring. At least I feel like I’m not alone!