What Happens If My Baby Products Are Recalled?
Filed under: Baby Gear, Baby Safety, Baby Sleeping, Baby Toys, Parenting
Drop side crib
In the event of the recall you should find out if the manufacturer will be sending out safety kits to correct the hazard. If not, a newer baby product needs to be purchased.
Always think about recalls beforehand and send in a registration card for the baby product. You never know when it will come in handy.
A product recall, on the other hand, is often a last resort, one taken as the result of multiple injuries or deaths. Like we saw with drop side cribs, many brands were recalled over the past decade for entrapment, suffocation, or strangulation-related deaths. Enough brand recalls over time resulted in the government banning the product from stores, daycares, and any location needing cribs.
Before you hear about a product recall, check the baby toys and furniture yourself. U.S. News & World Report gives the following suggestions for parents:
• Toys should not be able to fit in a child’s mouth.
• Always look for broken parts on the toy and around you home.
• Keep toys designed for older children out of reach.
• Avoid motorized toys, cords and strings, and balloons.
• Find out if the toys are safety tested.
• Always throw away the packaging.
Take a similar approach with baby furniture. Look for suffocation hazards inside a crib, such as stuffed animals or bumpers. Check the durability of hardware. If any item in the nursery has a cord, keep it as far away from the crib as possible.
More Baby Product Recalls: Portable Baby Recliners and Pacifiers
A few baby products were recalled this past week by the CPSC. This included portable baby recliners by Nap Nanny and Pacifiers by brand Karino. The Nap Nanny portable baby recliners can be found at various national retailers, while the Karino pacifiers are sold at stores in California.
The Nap Nanny portable baby recliners are designed for “fussy” babies and feature a car seat-like shape with a three-point harness. The issue with the harness is the lack of coverage; a baby can get out fairly easily and become trapped, suffocate, or fall. When one of these is placed in a playpen or crib (not recommended), the risk of entrapment and suffocation increases. 30,000 Nap Nanny portable baby recliners have been recalled after 22 reports, including one child bruised by the device, and one death.
These Nap Nanny products come in two forms and both are up for recall. The First Generation Nap Nanny is characterized by a lack of D-rings on the harness, while Second Generation products have these. Users of both types of Nap Nanny recliners should stop use immediately. Those with First Generation recliners can contact the manufacturer for an $80 coupon for purchasing a product that has not been recalled; Second Generation users should go to the website for new product instructions and warnings.
45,000 Karino pacifiers were also recalled during the same time period. These baby products are sold in a small area, and consumers in California need to know not to purchase them. The CPSC declared that the pacifiers fail to meet safety standards, as the nipple easily separates from the base and the handle is too long. Both of these factors pose choking hazards. If your child uses Karino pacifiers, stop using them immediately and find another by a manufacturer that has not been recalled.
Baby Product Recalls and What to do About Them
Baby product recalls have been in the news recently, ranging from cribs to Maclaren strollers. Recently, Heinz baby cereals, particularly the mixed cereals sold in Canada, have also been recalled for having levels of a possible carcinogen in them. The possible carcinogen, called mycotoxin, is known for causing fungi in grapes and coffee. For animals, the substance has been known for causing kidney and liver tumors. These cereals are sold only in Canada at the moment and no one, so far, has reported any illness from consuming the baby cereals. Nevertheless, if such a product is in your cupboard, it’s recommended that you stop using it.
Something like this Heinz product recall is somewhat straightforward. The company finds that something is wrong with their product and, although no one has been hurt or sick from it, they issue a recall statement. But other product recalls really aren’t as straightforward. In fact, some, such as the Maclaren stroller recall, have lead to lawsuits. In the linked story, one British family claims they complained to Maclaren after their child sliced its finger on one of their strollers and the company did nothing. Right now, no safety recall has been issued in the UK and those who’ve experienced such problems with the strollers can’t get safety kits, as the story claims.
In such a situation, the stroller (or any other recalled baby product) should stop being used. Although the recall was issued in the US, it has made British news simply for being a large American recall and not a UK one, although Maclaren is a UK-based company. Similar recalls have been in the news on both coasts, such as a Toys R Us recall in 2007 over Chinese toys. If you hear about a recall, regardless of whether you live in the US or UK, research it to find which products by the brand have been placed on a list. If you own such a product, stop using it. A safety kit may be sent in some cases but, if it isn’t, the product should stop being used for the safety of the child.