If it’s small, it can choke a child. Each year, hundreds of products are recalled because they pose a choking hazard to infants. Parents should always check products before purchasing to ensure they are not subject to a recall, and should properly dispose of, or return, any items they own that could harm their child. If a child is injured or killed, parents may have grounds to file a product liability suit against a manufacturer, retailer, or distributor whose negligent actions are responsible for personal injuries or wrongful deaths.
Current Recalls
The Consumer Products Safety Commission maintains an up-to-date list of all current product recalls. This includes recent recalls for the “Firefly Frank Infant Teethers” whose wings can detach and lodge themselves within a child’s airway.
It also includes the more than 18,000 “Clip Clop Infant Activity Rattles” which were sold at Walmart. These have a ring that can detach and release small bead-like balls into the child’s throat.
There are also recalls for the “Cat and Jack Baby Rompers” which were sold at Target. These clothing items have a heart-shaped graphic on the knees of the romper which can be pulled off with very little force. Once detached, the item can be swallowed by a small child.
Protecting Children Against Choking
Parents should be extremely careful about the toys, clothing, and other items they give to small children. Naturally, any item that looks cheap and poorly made, or if it is a hand-me-down that is worn out and past its prime, it is not something the child should have in their possession. However, even brand new, “high quality” toys have posed significant choking hazards in the past. Indeed, no manufacturer is immune from a bad design or poor manufacturing process, and virtually every large toy manufacturer, food manufacturer, clothing manufacturer, medical equipment manufacturer, etc. has faced at least one recalled product in their history because one of their products could harm a child.
As such, parents should routinely inspect toys, clothing, and other items for signs of potential hazards. Removing the object from the equation removes the risk that it can harm an infant, choke a child, cause a brain injury, etc. Further, parents should always register new toys and heed recall notices. This allows for prompt removal and makes it easier for companies to contact parents when product defects make a toy, etc., unsafe for a child in Nevada.
