According to the official statement shared by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), using the blankets poses the risk of death by asphyxiation as a young child can become entrapped by unzipping and entering the blanket. The CPSC has confirmed that Target received four reports of children becoming entrapped in these weighted blankets, including two fatalities that occurred in April at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, where a 4-year-old girl and a 6-year-old girl reportedly became entrapped in the cover of the weighted blanket and asphyxiated. The recalled weighted blankets were made by Pillowfort and sold exclusively at Target stores nationwide and online from Dec. 2018 through Sept. 2022 for about $40. The blankets weigh 6 pounds, measure 60 inches long and 40 inches wide and have a removable, waterproof, washable cover. They were sold in eight prints or colors, including unicorn white, space navy, pink, blue, gray, buffalo plaid red, blue constellation, and unicorn pink. The affected item numbers can be found printed on the fabric tag attached to the cover and listed below:
097-02-0140 (Unicorn - White)097-02-0148 (Space Navy)097-02-0361(Pink)097-02-0363 (Blue)097-02-0364 (Gray)097-02-1603 (Buffalo Plaid – Red)097-02-3904 (Blue Constellation)097-02-3905 (Unicorn – Pink)
The notice urged customers to immediately stop using the recalled weighted blankets and contact Target for a refund by visiting their nearest store or by reaching out to a representative at (800) 440-0680 to receive a prepaid return label to return the blankets by mail.