DockATot’s product, the DockATot Deluxe+ Dock, has been deemed unsafe after the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued the company a Notice of Violation on Wednesday, Nov. 9. According to the notice, the DockATot company is in violation of the Infant Sleep Product Rule that made it unlawful to sell noncompliant infant sleep products manufactured on or after June 23 of this year.
The Sleep Product Rule “removes products hazardous to infants from the marketplace as part of CPSC’s longstanding commitment to protecting the most vulnerable members of the public.”
This rule specifically applies to infant sleep products that are “marketed or intended to provide sleeping accommodation” for infants up to five months in age. This includes non-inclined — or “flat” — infant sleepers as well as inclined ones with a sleep surface angle greater than 10 degrees.
Before the citation was issued, DockATots were a popular product amongst parents of infants, as they facilitated tummy time — a crucial part of development for babies that prevents flat spots on the head, improves motor skills, and increases neck and head strength, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says.
Here’s everything we know about the DockATot violation and what you need to know if you own one.
Owners of the DockATot Deluxe+ are advised to stop using it immediately.
If you own a DockATot, check what model it is. Not all of the company’s products are in violation; it’s specifically the DockATot Deluxe Plus Dock that should no longer be used — and shouldn’t have been used since the ISP rule first went into effect back in June.
The DockATot Deluxe Plus Dock no longer meets the ISP requirements for safety because it’s a flat sleeper that either has sides shorter than 7.5 inches, doesn’t come with a stand, or fails to meet stability requirements. The product isn’t recalled — the new federal ruling makes it unlawful to sell noncomplaint infant sleep products that were manufactured on or after June 23, 2022.
The citation contends that the DockATot Deluxe Plus Dock is not safe for sleep, and this comes on the heels of several public infant deaths that occurred in the Deluxe Plus. According to SaferProducts.gov, there are as many as four reported infant deaths in a DockATot Deluxe Plus Dock.
CPSC issued the violation to DockATot Deluxe Plus Dock, but there’s more for DockATot to worry about. Going into effect today, Nov. 12, is the Safe Sleep for Babies Act — passed in 2021 — which effectively bans padded crib bumpers and inclined infant sleep products. And not just those manufactured after the effective date of the rule but all of them.
Related: List of Product and Food Recalls
DockATot Deluxe Plus Dock will be unavailable soon in the U.S. and Canada.
Despite the citation, DockaTot is still sold at Target and Nordstrom , but that should be ending imminently.
This citation means that the DockATock Deluxe Plus Dock can no longer be sold anywhere. As of this writing, the DockATot Deluxe Plus Dock is still available online at Target.com. Currently, there’s no signage on the website that indicates that this is a recalled item.
We reached out to two local Targets and learned the DockATot Deluxe Plus Dock is shown as a recalled product on their end, and they’ll no longer be putting the product on the shelves starting today. The manager in the baby department was unsure if returns or store credit would be issued on the item (more on that below).
As of this writing, Nordstrom.com is still selling certain styles of the DockATot Deluxe Plus, including the DockATot Deluxe Plus Stage 1 and its covers. A little bit of online sleuthing revealed that the DockATot Deluxe Plus is also sold at Bed Bath & Beyond stores and in their online shop — in fact, it’s currently on sale.
In a Nov. 10, 2022, message from DockATot’s founder Lisa Furuland, she notes that the company “made the difficult decision to phase out the Deluxe+ dock in the United States” due to the new Infant Sleep Product Rule in the U.S. While the Deluxe+ dock will no longer be sold in the U.S. and Canada, she notes that the company is working on a new sleep product line which will launch in the U.S. in January 2023.
No return or recall information has been released regarding the DockATot Deluxe Plus.
DockATot has not yet released any specific information about their policy regarding returns now that the Deluxe Plus has been wrongfully sold since June.
However, Target is famously easygoing when it comes to Target returns, and if you go there with a Deluxe Plus, they’ll likely honor your request and refund you. (Especially if it was bought with a Target RedCard.)
DockATot also has their own return policy that allows consumers to return a product that has been purchased within the last 60 days, but in this case, we expect DockATot to allow returns and refund purchases of DockATot Deluxe Plus Dock beyond that return window.
For owners of other models, a reminder — DockATots are not intended for sleep.
If you have another model of DockATot — one that is not in violation of the newly instituted ISP rule — you don’t have to do anything. But if you are the owner of a DockATot Deluxe Plus Dock, you should immediately stop using it for infant sleep.
It’s important to note that since 2020, DockATot changed their packaging on their product to reflect that it is not to be used for sleeping. “Deluxe+ docks are not intended for sleep,” a message on their website states. “Babies fall asleep most anywhere you put them, and this may include a Deluxe+ dock. You should always supervise your back in the dock.”
The message on the site continues that if your baby does fall asleep in their dock and you are not able to supervise, you should move your infant to a safer sleep place — the crib — on their back.
Rich Trumka Jr., Commissioner of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, said in an official statement, “I encourage you to read the reports of infants’ deaths associated with DockATot products.”
Trumka Jr., added, “It is unsafe for your baby to sleep in a DockATot Deluxe+; immediately discontinue its use. There are publicly available reports of infant deaths associated with the product.”
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