A company selling baby-related products apologized after it faced backlash for asking an influencer to return a gifted $1,700 smart bassinet because she couldn't use it following the stillbirth of her unborn child.
The influencer, "So You Think You Can Dance" alum Brooklyn Larsen, received a SNOO smart bassinet from Happiest Baby. The item was given to her in exchange for tagging the baby brand in any related content as she was expecting to give birth sometime soon.
Baby Brand Faces Widespread Backlash
However, when tragedy struck for Larsen and her husband, Rocky, the company responded in what many online users are calling the worst way. In November 2024, the couple found out that the expecting mother had a stillbirth, which meant she had lost her second child with her partner.
The two mourned the loss of their baby and posted on Instagram about their feelings of devastation. The couple revealed that their baby was unable to make it at 40 weeks and 2 days as Larsen went into labor on her own, according to Perez Hilton.
The two added that they never imagined something this tragic would happen to them or their unborn child. The issue with Happiest Baby exploded on social media when Larsen's sister, McKenna Bangerter, slammed the company last week, claiming that it had asked the grieving mother to return the smart bassinet.
Bangerter added that several other companies who contacted the couple handled the situation with "grace & empathy and not like a transaction." Following backlash, a spokesperson for Happiest Baby apologized for the "misguided and ill-conceived communication" that was sent to Larsen.
A Tragic Incident
The apology came after many online users, including fellow mommy influencers like Larson, expressed their frustration toward Happiest Baby's actions. They left various messages on the company's social media accounts and told others to not buy from them again, the New York Post reported.
In its statement, Happiest Baby said that it expressed its condolences to the couple and sent flowers in this trying time. It argued that it was asking for the bassinet to be returned because it claimed that the sight of an empty bassinet or crib could be a painful reminder for a grieving mother who lost her baby.
Happiest Baby added that what it intended as an effort to provide assistance to Larsen was a mistake that only added to the grieving mother's pain. The company said that it took internal steps to ensure that it never happens again, as per Today.
