For parents, it is a never-ending struggle to try and keep babies safe. It can be difficult to delegate this duty to others, but sometimes we have no choice. In a perfect world, the manufacturers of products marketed for babies would ensure that the products are safely designed and manufactured. This doesn’t always happen, however, and defective baby products place children at serious risk of injury. Common defective baby products include:
Cribs
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) promulgates guidelinesthat manufacturers should meet in order to ensure that cribs are safe. These requirements include:
- Cribs should not have drop sides
- Crib slats should be no more than 2 3/8 inches apart
- Cribs shouldn’t have any loose or missing slats
- Cribs should not have any sharp cutouts in the headboard
Cribs that do not meet these standards can cause suffocation and other risks to babies.
Toys
Defective toys are recalled on a regular basis due to loose parts, choking hazards, and faulty safety features. Babies put everything in their mouths and toys that are not manufactured properly or fail to contain the proper warnings or age restrictions can cause serious injury. Toys can also contain substances that cause risk of toxic inhalation, dermatitis, or eye irritation.
Strollers
The CPSC has safety standardsfor strollers and carriages that manufacturers must adhere to. Defective strollers can cause a wide range of injuries including amputated fingers and severe lacerations. They can also pose suffocation risks if not designed correctly. Strollers are frequently recalledfor anything from choking hazards to entrapment risks. Most recently, the company Jane recalled hundreds of strollersdue to entrapment and strangulation risks.
High Chairs
Many different high chairs have been recalleddue to defective design or problems with the manufacturing materials. High chairs are that are not properly designed or manufactured can tip over due to instability, collapse as the result of poor locking mechanisms, and contain faulty restraints. In March of 2018, Graco recalled thousandsof high chairs due to a risk that a leg of the chair would pivot out and cause the chair to fall.
Car Seats
The use of car seats is required by law in every state, and the use of properly designed car seats can save lives. But defectively designed and manufactured car seats can cause serious injury. Car seats have been recalledfor defects such as broken handles, insufficient restraints, and parts that pose choking hazards.
Check for Recalls
If you are concerned about the safety of the baby products in your home, you can check the CPSC recall databaseto make sure there hasn’t been a problem. If you believe you have a defective product that has not been the subject of a recall, you canreport the productdefect to CPSC, and the agency will investigate.
Contact an Experienced Attorney
If a defective product has injured your baby, you should have an experienced personal injury attorney evaluate your case. At Bonina & Bonina, P.C., we have over 50 years of experience helping New Yorkers injured by defective products. Contact us onlineor call us at 1-888-MEDLAW1 to schedule your free consultation. Home and hospital visits are available. Se habla español.