Hundreds of baby and kid products are recalled every year. The price or cachet of the item does not determine its risk of recall, and the federal government is extra vigilant about products for minors. This week, the Phil and Ted's jogging stroller has been recalled due to 3 finger injuries, including one amputation when folding and unfolding the stroller. Read the full CPSC report here.
This report joins the McClaren recall and Graco stroller recall -- both recalled within the past 18 months for similiar issues. Let's look quickly at the issues that brought about the recalls:
- Phil and Ted's jogging stroller: 30,000 units recalled; 3 reports of finger injuries when opening/closing stroller
- Maclaren strollers: 1 million units recalled; 15 reports of finger injuries when opening/closing stroller
- Graco strollers: 1.5 million units recalled;7 reports of child finger injuries fron the canopy opening and closing
Just 3 months ago, the Graco Quattro tour and metrolite stroller were also recalled. This time, 2 million units due to 5 reports of child entrapment and 4 strangulation deaths. Clearly, there are differing levels of severity involving recalls. Have we gone too far? Are we jading the public to the importance of engaging in a recall notification process? In the case of Phil and Ted's stroller, the injury rate reported was 0.0001% of all units sold. Certainly parents needs to keep their fingers away from the stroller hinges. Comment to my post and let me know how you feel.
Regardless of your opinion, recalls are abundant. Parents need to have a quick, easy way to stay on top of the recalls and take the necessary steps to protect their family. Kids in Danger, a Chicago-based NFP, has been successful in securing the passage of improved safety legislation regarding child products. Visit their website and sign up for their monthly e-newsletter, which contains a clear, easy to read summary of all the child-related recalls. Reviewing this on a monthly basis and cross-checking it against the items in your home only takes a few minutes.
Comments
HI Kim - there were a lot of stories about this recall but yours gave the most depth and a lot of information. I'm going to do a brief local announcement about the strollers since they were sold in my vicinity but will be linking to your story for more information about recalls of children's products.
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