The Recall Desk
Our severity:SevereCPSC·07176·Announced 2007-05-02

Graco Recalls Soft Blocks Towers on Baby Einstein Activity Centers for Choking Hazard

Graco is recalling specific Baby Einstein activity centers because the plastic film on soft block towers can detach, posing a choking risk to infants.

What this means for you

Our assessment, not the agency’s: severity 4/5 (Severe).

The hazard poses a serious risk of illness, injury, or structural failure. Stop using the product immediately and contact the manufacturer for a refund or repair.

Our severity reasoning: The recall involves a choking hazard with reported incidents of infants choking and gagging, some requiring medical attention, which aligns with the rubric criteria for significant injury reports.

Plain-English summary

Graco Children's Products Inc. is recalling Soft Blocks Tower Toys attached to Graco Baby Einstein discover and play Activity Centers. The recall affects approximately 40,000 units of model number 4635BEE with serial numbers ranging from 012705 through 063005. These specific serial numbers indicate manufacture dates between January 27, 2005, and June 30, 2005. The model and serial numbers are located underneath the activity center's tray.

The hazard exists because the plastic covering on the soft block towers can detach. Graco has received 137 reports of infants mouthing and chewing pieces of the plastic film, with some requiring medical attention. Serious incident reports include 32 infants who gagged and 49 who choked on the plastic covering. The soft blocks are one of nine toys that snap onto the tray of the activity center and feature pictures of apples, fire engines, ducks, bananas, birds, and blueberries covered in plastic film.

The affected products were sold at Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES), Babies "R" Us, Toys "R" Us, Meijer, Shopko, Target, and various specialty retailers nationwide, as well as on Wal-Mart.com and Target.com, from February 2005 through about December 2005 for $80. Consumers should immediately remove the Soft Blocks toy from the activity center and contact Graco for a free replacement Tower toy without the plastic film. The activity center can continue to be used after the soft block tower has been removed. For more information, consumers can contact Graco at (800) 345-4109 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit www.gracobaby.com.

The recalled product

Product
Soft Blocks Tower Toys (on Graco® Baby Einstein® discover and play™ Activity Centers)
Manufacturer
Graco Children's Products Inc., of Exton, Pa.
Category
Consumer Product — Toys
Hazard
Affected units
40,000

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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