Maclaren strollers added to growing recall list

Posted November 11, 2009 By Sue Sierralupe, examiner.com   Maclaren USA has recalled millions of their folding single and double baby strollers this week after reports of serious injuries were filed. A dozen children in the U.S. had their fingertips amputated when they were caught between the support posts of the popular baby buggy. The recalled models were the Volo, Triumph, Quest Sport, Quest Mod, Techno XT, Techno XLR, Twin Triumph, Twin Techno and Easy Traveler.   The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recommended that parents stop using the strollers immediately. A spokesman for the CPSC said: “The stroller’s hinge mechanism poses a fingertip amputation and laceration hazard to the child when the consumer is unfolding/opening the stroller.” Maclaren USA was in agreement with this statement but added,”We wish to reassure our customers that they should continue to use their existing Maclaren buggies since they are safe when opened and closed correctly. As further reassurance we have updated our operating instructions and placed a warning label on the buggy to ensure that customers take care and keep children away from the buggy when it is being folded or unfolded.”   The stroller recall is just another addition to the serious concerns that parents have about the safety of items that they trust to be regulated by the government. This month products that were initially approved by the FDA and CPSC were recalled by the millions. Each of these products endangered the lives of American children.   Earlier this month, Hospira recalled one line of their dietary supplements and anesthesia products with propofyl including Liposyn. These pills are sold to parents with babies who have trouble getting fat in their diet. These products have steel particles in them that can fatally restrict blood flow.   Recalls for beef tainted with E. Coli came too late for those that were sickened or died. The meat was sold in September but wasn’t recalled by the USDA until November. The list of buyers for the toxic batch of hamburger included Wisconsin school district cafeterias. Last week, parents with children with peanut allergies cringed when they learned that Jelly Belly candies were recalled due to incorrectly labeled packages. A statement for m the FDA warns, “The mislabeled packages failed to list peanut butter and peanut flour in the ingredient statement. People who have an allergy to peanuts or a severe sensitivity to peanuts run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these ingredients.”   US parents have many resources for getting access to product recalls that may not make the news but still affect their families. The FDA ,  the CPSC and the USDA update their hazardous recall list regularly. Parents can also get recall notices by mailing the product registration forms that comes with many toys or furniture or registering on-line