Target Baby Wipes Recall Lawsuit – Contaminated Up & Up Wipes Linked to Sepsis and Pneumonia

If your baby or young child became seriously ill after you used Target’s Up & Up brand baby wipes, your family may be entitled to significant compensation. In June 2026, Target recalled millions of its store-brand baby wipes after FDA testing confirmed the presence of dangerous bacteria capable of causing life-threatening infections in infants — including sepsis and pneumonia.

The product liability attorneys at Estey & Bomberger, LLP are now reviewing claims on behalf of families nationwide whose children were harmed by these contaminated wipes. We have recovered over $500 million for our clients, and we never charge a fee unless we win your case. Call anytime for a free, confidential consultation.

The Target Up & Up Baby Wipes Recall

On June 4, 2026, Target announced a voluntary recall of two lines of its Up & Up brand baby wipes sold at Target stores nationwide and online at Target.com. The recall came after customers complained about discoloration of the wipes, prompting FDA testing that identified two strains of harmful bacteria in product samples: Burkholderia cepacia complex and Burkholderia gladioli.

Target and the wipes’ manufacturer, Turkish company Sapro Temizlik Urunleri, had already received numerous consumer complaints and adverse event reports describing skin irritation, eye irritation, and infections potentially connected to the wipes before the recall was issued. Call today if you need a baby wipes lawyer who can file a lawsuit against target on your behalf.

The recalled products include:

• Up & Up Fragrance Free Baby Wipes
• Up & Up Fresh Cucumber Scented Baby Wipes

If you still have any of these wipes in your home, stop using them immediately. Do not throw the packaging away if anyone in your household became ill — it may be important evidence in your case.

Why This Contamination Is So Dangerous for Babies

Burkholderia cepacia and Burkholderia gladioli are opportunistic bacteria that pose a particular threat to the very people baby wipes are made for: newborns, infants, and young children, whose immune systems are still developing.

In a healthy adult, contact with these bacteria might cause only a localized skin infection. But baby wipes are used on the most vulnerable skin — including diaper rash, broken skin, and the face and hands of infants. According to the FDA recall notice, in newborns, infants, young children, and immunocompromised individuals, these bacteria are far more likely to enter the bloodstream and cause:

• Sepsis: a life-threatening, body-wide response to infection that can lead to organ failure, septic shock, amputation, and death
• Pneumonia: a serious lung infection that can require hospitalization, oxygen support, or mechanical ventilation in infants
• Bloodstream infections (bacteremia)
• Serious skin and soft tissue infections
• Eye infections

These infections frequently require emergency room visits, hospital admissions, NICU or PICU stays, IV antibiotics, and extended recovery. In the most tragic cases, they can be fatal.

Signs Your Child May Have Been Affected

Parents who used the recalled Up & Up wipes should watch for symptoms such as:

• Fever or abnormally low body temperature
• Unusual lethargy, irritability, or difficulty waking
• Rapid breathing, labored breathing, coughing, or wheezing
• Poor feeding or refusal to eat
• Skin redness, rash, blistering, or wounds that won’t heal
• Red, swollen, or discharging eyes

If your child is showing any of these symptoms, seek medical attention right away — and tell the treating physician that your child was exposed to a recalled product contaminated with Burkholderia bacteria. Ask whether a culture can be performed to identify the specific organism. A positive culture for Burkholderia cepacia or Burkholderia gladioli can be powerful evidence linking your child’s illness to the contaminated wipes.

Who Can File a Target Baby Wipes Lawsuit?

Estey & Bomberger is evaluating cases on behalf of families whose child or loved one used the recalled Up & Up Fragrance Free or Fresh Cucumber Scented Baby Wipes and subsequently suffered:

• Sepsis or septic shock
• Pneumonia or other respiratory infections requiring medical treatment
• Bloodstream infections
• Serious skin, soft tissue, or eye infections
• Hospitalization, including NICU or PICU admission
• The death of a child or immunocompromised family member

Adults who are immunocompromised and developed serious infections after using the wipes may also have a claim.

Who Is Responsible?

Under product liability law, companies that sell contaminated or defective products can be held strictly liable for the harm those products cause — meaning your family does not necessarily have to prove negligence, only that the product was contaminated and caused the injury. Potentially liable parties in these cases include:

• Target Corporation, which sold the wipes under its own Up & Up store brand
• Sapro Temizlik Urunleri, the manufacturer of the wipes
• Other companies in the supply and distribution chain

Notably, complaints about discoloration, irritation, and infections were reported before the recall was announced. Our attorneys will investigate when Target and the manufacturer first knew of the contamination and whether they acted quickly enough to protect families.

Compensation Available to Affected Families

A successful claim may recover compensation for:

• Emergency room, hospital, and NICU/PICU bills
• Ongoing and future medical care
• Parents’ lost wages while caring for a sick child
• Your child’s physical pain and suffering
• Emotional distress to the child and family
• Permanent injury or disability
• Wrongful death damages, including funeral expenses, in fatal cases

What You Should Do Now

1. Stop using the wipes immediately and check your packages against the recalled lot codes.
2. Preserve the evidence. Keep the wipes, packaging, receipts, and any Target purchase records (your Target Circle account or credit card statements can establish purchase history). Do not return the product to Target for a refund if your child became ill — the product itself is critical evidence.
3. Get medical care and request testing. Ask your child’s doctor about culturing for Burkholderia bacteria and obtain copies of all medical records.
4. Document everything. Photograph the product, any discoloration of the wipes, and your child’s visible symptoms, and write down a timeline of product use and illness.
5. Contact a product liability attorney before speaking with representatives of Target, the manufacturer, or their insurers.

Why Choose Estey & Bomberger?

For more than 25 years, Estey & Bomberger, LLP has fought on behalf of children and families harmed by dangerous and defective products. Our trial attorneys have recovered over $500 million in verdicts and settlements, including some of the largest results in the nation on behalf of injured children. We have the resources to take on major corporations like Target — and the trial experience to back it up.

We handle every dangerous product case on a contingency fee basis: you pay nothing unless we win compensation for your family. Consultations are always free and confidential.

Contact Us for a Free Case Evaluation

If your baby or loved one developed sepsis, pneumonia, or another serious infection after using recalled Target Up & Up baby wipes, time matters. Strict filing deadlines apply, and evidence can disappear quickly.

Call Estey & Bomberger, LLP today or fill out our online contact form for a free consultation. We are reviewing Target baby wipes cases nationwide.