By Omeshnie Naidoo
South Africa's leading toy and baby products retailer, Redgwoods, said the Maclaren prams they sold in toy stores across South Africa would not be recalled, despite their being banned in America.
They will instead provide instructions to purchasers on how to use the strollers. Redgwoods, which owns 24 Toys R Us stores, 36 Reggie's stores, one Baby & Company store and three Little People stores in the country, hold the cards in their hands.
However, director Issy Zimmerman said there was no need for panic.
In a release issued by the company, Zimmerman said Maclaren products' safety standards were on a par with, and in some instances exceeded, the EU and US regulations.
In the US, Maclaren issued warnings and hinge covers for the strollers before offering a total recall to its American customers - perhaps because of the far more threatening culture of litigation in that country.
Some of the Redgwood-owned toy retailers we called in Durban hadn't heard about the incidents and were not sure whether they were selling the product with new instructions.
All of them said that they had never had injury related complaints.
Zarina Saib, in the customer services division at Toys R Us Pavilion, said that in the many years they had stocked the Maclaren pram, there had not been a single problem.
"The most we've had is a broken wheel," she said.
Fareeza Shaik at Reggie's, Ballito, reiterated the company's statement that the prams were safe as long as children were supervised in them.
In the Redgwood release, Maclaren was quoted as saying: "If a stroller is folded or unfolded in line with our operating instructions, the risk of injury is non-existent.
"Our advice to consumers is that they should exercise the same level of caution and care as they do when opening or closing a car door."
Those who regularly deal with trauma agree.
Derrick Banks at ER24 said in the past two years, he hadn't seen any pram-related injuries.
"At the very least we see infants who have injuries from having fallen out of their car seats as a result of not being strapped in properly. However, this is not a common occurrence."
Dr Konrad Dorfling, at Life Entabeni's trauma unit, said the only incidences he's seen at the hospital regarding prams were falls and head injuries, which occurred when children stand up in prams and lose their balance.
He said the vast majority of childhood injuries stemmed from ingestion of small objects, such as coins.
Instructions for Maclaren strollers:
- Keep children clear of the stroller during the opening and folding process.
- Always use the safety harness.
- Always apply the brakes when stationary.
- Never leave your child unattended - even with the harness fastened.
- Don't overload the buggy. Heavy items hanging from the handles can cause it to topple.
- Don't let children play or climb on a stroller.
- Don't carry more than one child on a stroller.
- Negotiate curbs carefully.
- Wherever possible, always carry a stroller down flights of stairs.
How to keep babies safe
Childsafe.com provides these guidelines for parents with children under the age of five, who are most vulnerable to injuries.
Between birth and six months the baby needs full time care from an adult. The baby's ability to roll, move and grasp objects increases rapidly. Most injuries in this age group can be prevented.
Often accidents happen because parents are not aware of what their baby can do.
FALLS: Babies wriggle and move and also push against things with their feet.
As a baby starts rolling he/she will be able to fall off anything unless protected.
Do not leave a baby alone on changing tables, beds, sofas or chairs.
Keep cot sides up at all times.
Place baby in a safe place when you cannot hold him, for example, cot, playpen, on the floor, on a cushion etc.
Babies usually start crawling at six months. Always use safety gates on stairways.
Try to avoid using a baby walker. They enable babies to move quickly and expose them to dangers that they may be too young to recognise. If using a walker, then constant parental supervision is essential.
- www.childsafe.co.za