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This week, the Maclaren stroller company recalled one million strollers because of a faulty hinge. The company had reports of 15 children injuring themselves when their fingers were placed in the hinge during the opening or closing of the stroller. Twelve of those children suffered fingertip amputation. Since the recall is for strollers sold over the last 10 years, it would appear that on average there were one or two reported injuries per year.

Commentary on the web (including many of those who commented on the Motherlode blog post about the recall) shows many skeptics asking, should the product be recalled for such a low level of injuries? Why weren’t the parents watching their children to make sure they were away from the hinge when it was being used? Is it the company’s fault or the parents’? Is the United States culture recall obsessed? Are we getting all worked up about nothing?

Not in my opinion. I thank my lucky stars that I live in a country where I basically didn’t have to worry about whether the toys hanging from the activity mat for my newborn were defective and would drop down and accidentally smother him in the five seconds that I turned my head. I am grateful that the Consumer Product Safety Commission is out there monitoring companies whose goal is to make a higher profit every year. There’s nothing wrong with trying to make a profit, but in that process there is going to be some give and take in exactly how extreme the safety precautions and testing are going to be. And that’s where product safety regulations come in. It’s my job to make sure my son is strapped into his stroller, but it’s the manufacturer’s responsibility to make sure that strap can’t be undone by a one-year old.

Recalls are a part of our culture, a good part of our culture.

What do you think about the recall? Is it unnecessary? If you’re expecting, does the recall make you more anxious about choosing baby products or do you feel safer because a faulty product has been fixed?

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 12th, 2009 at 12:51 pm and is filed under Baby Prep. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response.