One Million Kids' Play Yards Recalled by Kolcraft
Another day, another recall that raises more questions about the safety of products meant to keep children safe: Kolcraft Enterprises Inc. is recalling about 1 million portable play yards because of a latch defect that poses a fall hazard to kids.
The recalled play yards were sold under the product names "Kolcraft", "Carter's", "Sesame Street", "Jeep", "Contours", "Care Bear" and "Eric Carle". They were available for purchase at stores nationwide -- including Walmart, Kmart, and Target -- from January 2000 to January 2009, for between $50 and $160.
To find out whether you have a play yard that might be affected by the recall, look for the model number (should be printed on a white sticker on one of the feet of the play yard) and check out the CPSC News Release for detailed product information, including affected product lines and model numbers.
The problem with the recalled play yards is that "a side rail can fail to latch properly and when a child pushes against the rail it can unlatch unexpectedly, posing a fall hazard to children," according to a CPSC News Release announcement.
Kolcraft Enterprises Inc., based in Chicago, has received 347 reports of incidents in which the sides of the play yard collapsed, causing 21 injuries to kids -- including bumps, scrapes, bruises and one concussion, according to the CPSC.
The Kolcraft Play Yard recall is just the latest high-profile problem with products that parents trust will keep their kids safe, as the Wall Street Journal points out: "Since September 2007, nearly seven million cribs, bassinets and play yards have been recalled due to hazardous defects primarily related to durability and hardware. The trend has prompted product-safety advocates to call for tougher standards and regulation for children's products."
- Kolcraft Recalls 1 Million Play Yards Due to Fall Hazard (CPSC.gov)
- Wall Street Journal: Play-Yard Recall Revives Child Safety Issues
- Injuries from Defective Products (provided by The Law Offices of Ronald A. Graziano)
- Baby Pool Floats and 'Simplicity' Cribs Recalled (FindLaw's Injured)
- Personal Injury Information Center (provided by The Pingelton Law Firm)