Can High Chairs Be Dangerous?

Usually, nobody thinks at high chairs as being dangerous, because they are designed with the child safety in mind. However, from time to time, it may happen that some manufacturers release some chair models which may present fall or chocking hazards, because of small parts that can be easily detached from the item itself by a curious baby. That was the case of Evenflo, who had to recall Envision (TM) high chairs exactly due to fall and choking hazards. The stock consisted of about 643,000 units which were recalled voluntarily by the manufacturer, because they have received 320 reports of seatbacks which detached or reclined unexpectedly, causing the baby to fall. Additionally, there were 13 reports of screws and recline fasteners falling out of the chair, therefore being handy for the baby to swallow them. No chocking occurred, but the danger was present, so the company decided it’s best to recall the chairs from the market and give the customers who already bought such a chair a free repair kit.

If you’ve bought an Envision (TM) high chair, you can find more information on the CPSC website. Stop using the high chairs immediately and call the manufacturer to get your repair kit. Don’t wait until something bad happens to your baby, act now, since the manufacturer is willing to take action and fix the issue. Such things happen in all fields of activity. There were so many situations, for example, in the automotive industry, when big names recalled several series of vehicles because of malfunctions at the wheels, or at the brakes, or at the chairs. It’s all for the better of the consumers. It’s a sign of civilization to recall products that are not what they were supposed to be.

As a general caution measure, before putting your baby in the chair, you could proceed at a visual inspection, in order to make sure nothing may be harmful. Check all screws to be well tightened. If they are too loose, fix them. If it’s a wood chair, check that it is very well polished, that no surface has rough parts that may get in contact with the baby’s body and harm the skin. Check the recliner mechanism, try it with your hand, in order to make sure it doesn’t detach easily. Actually you could perform these routine checks even when you are in the shop, before buying the chair. If you order it online, you’ll have to wait until you get it, but most merchants would allow you to return the product if it is not in perfect shape. Some shops would send you a replacement chair, while others wouldf just reimburse you the money. These are issues you have to discuss prior to any purchase, be it high chairs or anything else.