Avon Joins the List of Companies Involved in Child Product Recalls

Today, the CPSC issued two recalls on products for children that Avon sold. The 2006 & 2007 infant Santa outfits sold in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands were recalled due to a choking hazard on the pom-poms and snaps. A Flower Table and Basketball Table sold by Avon in the US were also recalled today due to lead paint.

Last month over 100,000 Cozy Warming Polar Bears sold by Avon were recalled due to a fire hazard when heating the warming pouch.

See rotating pictures on this blog for the latest child product recalls.

8 Companies Agree to Settlement on Drawstring Issue in Children's Clothing

According to the CPSC, the companies listed below have agreed to pay $320,000 in total to settle allegations that they knowingly sold defective products. In 1996, the CPSC issued guidelines on the use of drawstrings in children’s hooded shirts and jackets. The drawstrings are believed to present a risk of strangulation to children.

In 2008 alone, there have already been 8 recalls for girls and boys hooded sweatshirts sold at places such as Marshalls and Nordstroms.


Life is Good Inc.
True Religion Apparel Inc.
The Cayre Group Ltd.
DollarDays International, LLC
Kohl's Department Stores Inc.
Seena International Inc.
Neiman Marcus Group Inc
Gildan Activewear SRL

Interesting Recall Timing on Beco Baby Butterfly Infant Carriers

The CPSC issued a recall today (April 22, 2008) for the Beco Baby Butterfly Infant Carriers. This is the second infant carrier recalled this year (the Ellaroo Infant Sling was recalled on 3/11/2008). As I was entering the recall into the SmartToyChoice.com database, I researched the recall at the http://www.becobabycarrier.com/ site and on their blog, Beco Baby announced the recall on March 7, 2008. Over a month passed from the time the manufacturer announced the recall on a blog to when the CPSC issued a national recall.

Apparently the buckles on the carrier shoulder straps can unexpectedly release tension causing the strap to slip through - which means the baby could fall out. Beco Baby has received 8 reports of the strap slipping though the shoulder buckles but no injuries have been reported.

Rising Toy Prices and the Cost to Parents of Recalled Toys

Toy makers expect toy prices to increase by 5 to 10% by the end of the year. This price increase is apparently not due to all of the toy recalls last year but due to higher wages in China, higher costs of raw materials (plastic has risen by 25% over the past two years due to higher gas prices), and a weaker dollar compared to the Chinese yuan which makes it more expensive to buy Chinese goods.

While we as parents are going to have to pay more for our children’s toys, I would like to point out a statistic that SmartToyChoice follows which is the estimated amount of money parents spend on toys that are recalled. For the 30 toy recalls so far in 2008, the retail value of the toys recalled is $74 million ($611 million in 2007).

Recent Toy Recall Lawsuits

On April 11th, a lawsuit was filed against the CBS Corp, Planet Toy and retailers alleging there was asbestos in CSI Kits that were being sold.

Reebok International agreed to pay a $1 million civil penalty to settle allegations that they sold charm bracelets with excessive levels of lead which resulted in the death of a little girl.

1992 Toy Recall Statistics

I read in a blog recently, that in 1992 less than 40% of toys purchased in the US were from China. So I wondered if back in 1992 less than 40% of the recalled toys were from China. Here are my findings for 1992

21 Toy Recalls
1 Made in the USA
1 Made in Singapore
2 Made in Taiwan
3 Made in Hong Kong
5 Recalls didn't list where the toy was made
9 Made in China (42%)

Lead Toys Made for the Mouth of Older Children Recalled

Most parents with children older than pre-school age have ignored many of the lead paint recalls thinking that their children don’t put the toys in their mouth. Unfortunately today, we see why all parents need to pay attention to the recalls. Almost 30,000 “Hillbilly Teeth” sold over the past three years were recalled for excessive lead paint in the teeth. (These are toys obviously put in the child’s mouth.) And Michaels today recalled over 300,000 seasonal writing pens for excessive lead. I don’t know about you but as a child, pre-teen, teenager and sometimes even as an adult, when I am writing I will stop and put the pen in my mouth.

WE ALL NEED TO PAY ATTENTION TO TOY RECALLS.

See scrolling pictures on the right side of this blog to see more toy recalls and other child product recalls.