HOUSTON – For Houston mom Erin Rowland, pillow pets have been part of their lives for the last several years. She has four daughters, they own about six of them and they sleep with their pillow pets every night.
The stuffed animals convert to pillows in one easy step with a Velcro strap. They're often advertised on TV, online and are sold in most stores.
Last week, Rowland said her youngest daughter, Adley, who will be 3 in May, had a terrifying experience with hers. The toddler woke up hysterical in the middle of the night.
"When I picked her up she was laying on her pillow but the strap was all the way around her neck," she told Channel 2 News.
Rowland said the Velcro strap attached to her daughter's pajamas, then her daughter must have rolled over and the strap became wrapped around her neck. She immediately cut all the straps off their six pillow pets.
"I never thought this could happen," Rowland said. "The feeling that it could have been so much terrifies me."
Rowland reached out the company that makes pillow pets and filed a complaint. She also called Channel 2 News because she wants to spread the word.
"It's marketed to sleep on," she said. "I would have never have thought this could be a hazard while sleeping."
The warning on the product's packaging states that the toy is not intended for children under 3, but Rowland said she believes this could happen to any child, regardless of their age.
Channel 2 News reached out to the pillow pet company based in California but several emails and phone calls were never returned.
"I would like to see them redesign the strap," she said. "Redesign it so it will be safe."