Little Tikes, an Ohio based toy manufacturer, has announced the recall of roughly 540,000 toddler swings in the U.S. after receiving two reports of young children falling and breaking their arms. Little Tikes told U.S. Authorities that 140 incidents have been reported leading to a total of 39 injured children in connection with their 2-in-1 Snug ‘n Secure pink toddler swings. In addition to the abovementioned children, other toddlers suffered bruises, lacerations, and head traumas. According to officials in each of the incidents the plastic seat in question “can crack or break, posing a fall hazard.”
The swings, connected to four yellow ropes, come with a pink restraint guard meant to prevent children from falling out of their seat. The defective swings, which have a Little Tikes logo printed across the front, were sold for around $25 from November 2009 to May 2014 at Toys “R” Us, Walmart, and online at littletikes.com. The model number is 615573 and it is imprinted on the back of the seat. Several date codes are affected, so all parents who own this Little Tikes model of swing should call the company to see if their product is affected.
This is Little Tikes first recall since September 2011 when the company recalled 1.7 million toy workshops and tool sets over concerns that the toy nails could pose a choking hazard to children. That recall was an expansion on their August 2009 announcement when they recalled an additional 1.6 million toy workshop sets and a line of trucks that contain the same toy nails. At least three children were rushed to the hospital in connection to those plastic nails, but in each case the incident was not life threatening. The nails were sold in several lines of Little Tikes products from 1990 to 2009. Little Tikes also recalled around 250,000 of their blue 2-in-1 Snug ‘n Secure swings in 2001 because of fall hazards similar to the current recall. Those toddler swings were sold from December 2000 to September 2001 for around $20.
Consumers who own a recalled Little Tikes swing are being told to stop using the product immediately. Authorities are telling all owners of a 2-in-1 Snug ‘n Secure pink toddler swing to contact Little Tikes directly to determine whether their swing is safe to use. The toymaker said that all affected customers will receive a Little Tikes credit for the inconvenience.
To contact Little Tikes call: (800) 321-0183