The government is urging parents to stop using a certain type of bassinet because of safety issues. Two infants died in them.

The bassinets, almost a million of them, are an older style made by Simplicity in Reading, Berks County. The design has been changed, but there are still many of the older ones in homes.

The old versions of the Simplicity 3-in-1 and 4-in-1 Convertible had removable fabric sides. If not re-attached properly, a baby's head could slip between two metal side rails. Two such strangulations happened in the last two years.

Julie Vallese, Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) spokesperson said, "The CPSC took the unusual step to issue a safety alert to let the public know that the agency sees there is a serious and very real risk."

The CPSC wanted Simplicity to recall the bassinets but the company's new owners, SFCA, refused. An SFCA spokesperson told us, "SFCA does not manufacture the Bassinets that the CPSC issued its warning about. SFCA purchased Simplicity's assets at auction."

Recognizing the danger, some of the nation's largest retailers have agreed to recall the bassinets without the manufacturer's help.

Stores voluntarily recalling the bassinets are Wal-Mart, Toys "R" Us, K-Mart, Big Lots!, Target and JCPenney.

If the store where you bought the bassinet is among those six, take it back for a full refund or store credit.

The list of serial numbers for the recalled bassinets is quite long. Log onto www.cpsc.gov for details.

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