So many details go into designing and developing a safe and durable product for young children. Lakeshore Learning Materials has always been devoted to the process of developing child-safe toys and learning materials. However, even the most carefully designed product can fail if the oversight of materials and factory quality assurance steps is not regularly monitored. Last week, Lakeshore recalled about 4300 Feels Real Baby Dolls across the United States and Canada, after reports of a choking hazard were identified to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
CPSC is working with Lakeshore who is voluntarily recalling these dolls when it was discovered that the fingers and toes could detach from the doll during use, creating a potential choking hazard to youngsters. No injuries have been noted, but baby dolls are developmentally appropriate for children under 3 years of age who are likely to chew and mouth dolls regularly. If small parts release unexpectantly, this does present a significant safety concern.
The baby dolls were produced in China, far from Lakeshore’s Carson, California headquarters. The cause of this defect was determined to be a "production error." It is not unlikely for issues of this kind that a manufacturer’s consistent choice of raw material purity, quality, or curing time during production be questioned. Continued vigilance and quality assurance checks are required at the factory level and upon receipt of incoming shipments at the importer.
The fourteen-inch, PVC plastic Feels Real Baby Dolls can be identified from the photo provided by CPSC below,as well as the product markings. The legs, head and arms on the babies are moveable, and they come in four different ethnic models: Asian, Black, Caucasian and Hispanic. The dolls’ diapers are decorated with colored hearts, stars and swirls.
Look for a couple of different labels sewn into the diaper at the back. One large label carries the "Lakeshore" name, and the smaller label indicates the batch number 550200. The dolls affected by this recall were sold online at the company website (www.lakeshorelearning.com) or through their mail order catalog between May 2011 and January 18, 2012.
Replacement dolls are being offered, so remove the dolls from child access and contact Lakeshore via phone at (800) 428-4414. Consumers can contact the company on their website as well, using this link.
