As the parent of a new baby you obviously want to do all you can to ensure your baby is kept safe and healthy at all times. Keeping up with product recalls is part of keeping your little one safe and healthy, as it seems we hear about items being recalled on a regular basis nowadays. Baby products are no exception; in fact, there have been some rather serious recalls over the past couple of years:
The Baby Wipes Recall
In some cases, it is the company/manufacturer that sends the recall out to the public, and in other cases the public can be the ones asking for the recall. Just over a year ago with the baby wipes recall, it was the public that was taking to social media to demand the recall of Huggies baby wipes. Parents were posting videos and pictures of what they claimed to be pieces of glass inside the baby wipe packages.
The manufacturer, Kimberly-Clark, was quick to respond stating they believed the wipes were safe but that they would be “testing the product in question from the consumer” which would allow for a proper and complete investigation.
The investigation determined that there was in fact fiberglass or glass present. The company went on to state that they did find products “used to manufacture our baby wipes” could have left a shimmer that could be caused by the microfibers reflecting light. Their official statement that was released to the public read “based on the findings of the independent testing, we are confident that our product is safe and poses no health risk to babies, so there are no plans to remove this product from the market”.
While Huggies didn’t end up issuing a recall on its wipes, there have been wipes that have been recalled in the past. Take for example Nutek Disposables who recalled a number of their wipe brands due to discoloration and odor which could be caused by bacteria. This bacteria could pose a problem to those with weak immune systems.
Crib Recall
Putting your little one down for a nap or bedtime in their crib shouldn’t cause stress for parents, but that isn’t always the case. For those parents who bought the very high-end Oeuf Sparrow Crib, that is known for its eco-friendliness, suddenly there were reports coming out about some very serious injuries.
Some were reporting that the top rail, spindles, and even slats were coming off the crib, which of course posed a risk of entrapment. The company ended up ordering a recall of cribs manufactured between July 2007 and January 2014 with the model numbers 5SPCR, 4SPCR, 2SPCR, and 1SPCR. The recall spanned across all colors of the cribs and affected over 14,000 items. Parents were told to stop using the crib immediately and contact the company for a free repair kit.
Stroller Recall
Your stroller takes quite a beating and needs to be able to stand up to the elements and keep your baby safe and secure. Well that’s not always the case either as Graco recalled almost five million stroller models. The recall was issued due to reports from parents who claimed the strollers caused some serious injuries to their children’s fingers. There were 11 reported injuries, four of which were partial finger amputations and six fingertip amputations.
These injuries were happening due to the folding hinge that was on the side of the stroller. They were pinching the child’s finger. In total, there were 11 models that were recalled which were the TravelMate, Sterling, Solara, Sierra, LiteRider, Kite, Glider, Cirrus, Capri, Breeze, and Aspen. Graco is asking that people visit their recall page so they can be sent a free repair kit.
Car Seat Recalls
In this particular category parents are faced with more than one recall, as it seems there are a few companies that have experienced issues with their car seats. Earlier this year, Evenflo had a voluntary recall on a variety of models. It resulted in a recall of more than 1.3 million car seats. The problem was that the buckles were faulty and could be hard to open, which could be serious in cases of emergencies where parents needed to get the child out of the seat quickly.
The Baby Trend Trendz Fastback 3-in-1 Car Seat was also recalled. Two models were affected resulting in just over 16,000 recalls. Again, there was a problem with the harness and buckle system.
For parents, the only solution seems to be taking an active role in staying on top of product recalls, and making sure the items and products you are using don’t appear on any lists.
