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Pediatric essentials brand Happiest Baby is currently trending after reports emerged that they asked influencer Brooklyn Larsen to return the bassinet following the stillbirth of her son last year, as she failed to live up to their promotional agreement.
Her sister Kenna Bangerter took to her Instagram Story on March 24, 2025, and shared that she and their family were “absolutely disgusted” after Happiest Baby offered to send a courier to pick up the $1,700 SNOO smart bassinet. This was because she couldn’t tag them in the promotional content promised.
The incident happened a few days after Brooklyn and her husband Tanner lost their newborn son Rocky in late November 2024. Tagging Happiest Baby, Bangerter wrote:
“Super disappointed in a certain brand during this unimaginable time for my sister… After sending an email regarding the content she wasn’t able to send—it because her baby passed away. They demanded she send the bassinet back. The empty baby bassinet, still sitting next to her bed. Because she didn’t ‘deliver the content.'”
Following the revelation, Happiest Baby faced mass online backlash. They have since issued an apology in a statement to TODAY on March 24, 2025, calling it a “tragedy beyond comprehension.”
"We cannot express more emphatically our deepest sympathy for what she and her family have been through following the loss of her son. What was intended to be an effort to provide assistance clearly was a mistake that added to Brooklyn’s grief, for which we are truly sorry,” a spokesperson stated.
Happiest Baby has taken “internal steps” to ensure such a thing never happens again, adding they were “heartbroken” for Brooklyn Larsen’s “loss.”
More about Brooklyn Larsen’s experience with Happiest Baby in the wake of the brand’s apology
Four months after Brooklyn and Tanner Larsen lost their child to stillbirth, her sister and family-focused influencer Kenna Bangerter expressed disappointment over Happiest Baby’s approach.
“I want you to think about why she couldn’t deliver the content. I’m absolutely disgusted by a BABY brand who promotes support for moms & babies—that doesn’t even have the decency to give her the space to grieve the bassinet she never got to fill,” Kenna’s social media statement read.
She mentioned other baby brands have shown her sister “grace and empathy” and not handled the situation like a “transaction” or “business deal.” Kenna also regretted promoting Happiest Baby for years while also sharing a clip of herself unboxing their SNOO smart crib, claiming she would donate it to a women’s shelter.
The company has since taken accountability and issued a formal apology. Apart from the statement issued to TODAY earlier this week, they also shared another one with People.
“When we learned of Rocky’s passing in December, we were heartbroken for Brooklyn and her family. We immediately sent flowers and our sincere condolences, and there was no mention of anything else. We just wanted her to know we were thinking of her,” a representative shared.
Happiest Baby representative added: “Out of respect for her privacy, we communicated directly to Brooklyn’s manager (not Brooklyn herself). We know that many parents who suffer such unimaginable and tragic loss often find that the sight of an empty bassinet or crib can become a painful reminder of their grief, and parents want to remove it, so we offered to have her SNOO picked up.”
They defended their action by saying it was based on “what other grieving families had requested in the past” and that “content had no bearing on this decision and was never mentioned.” Happiest Baby mentioned they have since reached out to Brooklyn Larsen directly and taken steps to coach team members to better handle such a situation in the future.
Happiest Baby's spokesperson stated this was “not representative of who we are,” nor did they “believe in or stand for” it. They concluded, saying they were a “small company” whose sole aim was to support families during their “most valuable moments.” The baby band expressed their apology that Brooklyn’s “experience with us did not reflect the care and compassion we strive to show every family.”
“We hope that one person’s misstep does not overshadow the hearts and efforts of an entire team working with love and devotion to protect babies and bring comfort to parents,” the statement wrapped.
A similar statement previously appeared on their Instagram comment after receiving mass criticism. Kenna Bangerter has since taken to a TikTok video and responded, “SIX emails demanding the bassinet back isn’t an offer.”
Happiest Baby was founded by pediatrician and child development specialist Dr. Harvey Karp and his wife, Nina Montée-Karp, in 2015. The brand is best known for developing the world’s first smart sleeper bassinet and sleep solutions including the 5 S’s method — Swaddling, Shushing, Swinging, Sucking, and Side position.
More about Brooklyn Larsen’s loss amid Happiest Baby controversy
In a joint post in November last year, 29-year-old Brooklyn Larsen and her husband, Tanner, 30, wrote on Instagram:
“Our hearts are completely shattered. Our perfect little boy didn’t make it. Late Sunday evening, at 40 weeks and 2 days, Brooklyn went into labor on her own. We arrived at the hospital, full of excitement, only to be told the devastating news that they couldn’t find his heartbeat.”
The post, which consisted of moments the couple shared with their stillborn son, continued that the day of the tragedy was a “complete blur” and made no sense. This was because, throughout their pregnancy, every checkup, test, and ultrasound showed they were expecting a “healthy baby.”
“He was always measuring big, always moving, always so active. We never imagined that this could happen. In an instant, our best day became our worst. At 11:23 am on Monday morning, Brooklyn delivered our son in less than 9 minutes. 8 lbs 10 oz of pure perfection,” they added.
Tanner and Brooklyn Larsen revealed their baby looked “strong, beautiful” and was a perfect blend of his father and sibling.
“Holding him, memorizing every feature of his, feeling his spirit—he was everything we had dreamed of. We were blessed to spend the next 12 precious hours with him, surrounded by our family, pouring all of our love into him. We can’t fully express the depth of the pain we feel losing our son and Rome losing his little brother. Our son, our angel,” the post ended.
Brooklyn Larsen is a dancer, reality TV personality, and content creator, best known for participating in So You Think You Can Dance reality series. Ever since the tragedy, she has opened up on social media, sharing her journey through grief. Earlier, she suffered a miscarriage in December 2023.
She is a mother to a 4-year-old son, Rome, from her previous relationship.
