Target Recalls Children's Pillowfort Weighted Blankets After 2 Girls Died, 4 Other Kids Trapped

Valerie Nome
·2 min read
Target recalls children's weighted blanket
Target recalls children's weighted blanket

CPSC Pillowfort weighted blankets

Target has issued a recall of 204,000 weighted blankets after two girls died and four others were trapped, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and chain store announced Thursday.

Consumers are urged to stop using the Pillowfort weighted blankets immediately and contact Target for a refund of $40 in the form of a store credit.

"A young child can become entrapped by unzipping and entering the blanket, posing a risk of death by asphyxiation," the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said.

RELATED: Tesla Issues Back-to-Back Recalls on Thousands of Vehicles

In April, a 4-year-old and a 6-year-old got trapped in the cover of the weighted blanket and died due to asphyxia at Camp Lejeune, N.C., the recall stated. In addition, the chain received four other reports of kids being trapped in the blankets, the statement said.

target
target

ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Target

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

"We send our deepest condolences and support to the family that lost their loved ones," Target spokesperson Joe Unger said in a statement to PEOPLE. "As soon as we became aware of the situation, we acted quickly to begin removing Pillowfort weighted blankets from our assortment and have pulled all of these items from sale."

He continued, "In cooperation with the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the product manufacturer, we are also initiating a full product recall and are in the process of alerting consumers. If a guest owns any of these products, they should immediately stop using them and return them to Target for a full refund."

The Pillowfort weighted blankets were $40 and sold between December 2018 and September 2022. They weigh 6 pounds, measure 60 inches long and 40 inches wide, and have a removable, waterproof, washable cover.

They were available in eight designs, including unicorn white, space navy, pink, blue, gray, buffalo plaid red, blue constellation, and unicorn pink.

RELATED: Clorox Recalls 8 Pine-Sol Cleaners They Say May Contain Harmful Bacteria

The announcement said item numbers 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) and 097-02-3905 (Unicorn – Pink) are printed on the fabric tag attached to the removable covers of the blankets.

Customers with further questions can contact Target at 800-440-0680 from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. CT daily to receive a prepaid return label to return the blankets by mail or return to any Target store. The brand will also be contacting all known purchasers directly to arrange returns.

Further information can be found on Target's website.