Target is recalling 204,000 blankets after two children died of suffocation

Target is recalling about 204,000 weighted blankets sold nationwide after the suffocation deaths of two girls in April, the retailer and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced Thursday.

A four-year-old and a six-year-old boy were reportedly trapped in a Pillowfort blanket and died of suffocation at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, according to a statement released by the CPSC. Target has received four reports of children becoming trapped after unzipping and entering the blanket, including two deaths, it said.

Made in China, the blankets were sold exclusively at Target stores and online from December 2018 through September 2022 for $40.

People should stop using the blankets immediately and contact Target for a refund, which will be in the form of a $40 store credit, the commission said. In addition, Target is “directly contacting all known customers to arrange returns,” according to the CPSC.

“This product is deadly, and today’s action to immediately recall the product and offer refunds to consumers is the only acceptable way forward,” CSPC Commissioner Richard Trumka said in a statement.

The six-pound blankets are 60 inches long and 40 inches wide and have a removable, waterproof, and washable cover. They came in eight prints or colors, including the following:

Consumers must show receipt to return blanket.

Target can be contacted online or at 800-440-0680 from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Central Time to obtain a prepaid blanket return label by mail. Blankets can also be returned to any Target store.