Recalls of the Week

That time once again to catch up on the significant products which have been recalled within the past week.

1. MacGregor and Mitre Folding Soccer Goals: I think every young child this day and age is introduced to the sport of soccer. I remember my kids when they were as young as 3 being out on the soccer field kicking a ball….and then picking their nose. Needless to say, neither of my sons pursued soccer. But i digress. The point is that many kids are exposed to soccer and thus this recall is of significance. These two soccer goals, distributed by Regent Sports, have a foldable white frame with a white net attached. These nets are being recalled in large part because a 20 month old child was strangled to death when his neck and arm got tangled in the net. The recalled nets, which were sold at Wal-Mart, Ace Hardware and sports and toy stores across the country between May 2002 through May 2008, have squares measuring 5 inches on each side. The MacGregor soccer goal has model number 97236 and the Mitre soccer goal has model number 89186. Bottom line, the openings in the netting are too large creating the potential hazard of children getting their head and body parts caught in the net. Look here for the CPSC information regarding this recall and for a more in depth report of the concerns related to soccer goals, including these, read this report from Consumer Reports. If you have one of these nets, take it down immediately and contact Regent Sports.
2. Simplicity Cribs: I have had two previous posts about recalls of Simplicity bassinets here and here. Now its the cribs. The CPSC has recalled 600,000…yes you read that correctly 600,000 cribs distributed by Simplicity at places like Babies “R” Us, Target and Wal-Mart. These cribs were sold between January 2005 and August 2008. It is reported that the drop side of the crib can come off the tracks and if it does, it can lead to entrapment and suffocation of the infant. For a complete description of those models affected, see here. As with the bassinet recalls, since Simplicity is out of business, you need to bring the crib back to where you purchased for a full refund. Consumer Reports has a complete discussion of this recall here.
3. Harry Potter Bookends: Some 36,000 of these Harry Potter bookends were sold through elementary school fundraising programs, as well as through various dollar stores between June 2004 and January 2006. The paint on the bookends contain excessive levels of lead. I guess being a wizard does not exclude you from being effected by the problems of lead paint. If you have these bookends, you are to return them to Giftco, the importer for a full refund. Go here for more information on who to contact regarding this recall.
4. Razor Powerwing 3-Wheeled Scooter: The Razor Scooters are still very popular, including one’s that are now electrically powered. The Powerwing version of the Razor Scooters is a 3-wheeled version which was sold in black or silver. The undersides of the foot platforms can have sharp edges that can cut and lacerate kids riding the scooters. There have been 10 reports of Achilles tendon and ankle lacerations, some of which required surgery. If you child has one of these scooters (go here to see the specific models involved) you should have them stop using it immediately and contact Razor for a set of free replacement foot platforms.
Those are some of the more significant recalls over the past week. Remember, be careful out there. If you have any questions regarding any of these recalls, or any other products, you are welcome to contact me for further assistance.