Great Trade-In at Babies“R”Us and Toys“R”Us to round up dangerous baby products

Babies“R”Us and Toys“R”Us stores are holding a Great Trade-In so customers can exchange used baby items for a 20% savings toward the purchase of new ones.

Many baby products aren't the best candidates to be handed down or resold. Some items are on recall lists, while older, used baby items may be unsafe for a variety of reasons, including damage or lack of compliance with safety standards.

Safety experts report that sales of used products are on the rise due to the slow economy, and they're warning consumers to be cautious about purchasing second-hand children's items.

Kids In Danger (KID), a consumer advocacy organization, said less than 30% of affected items are returned when a baby product is recalled.

"In today's economy, we are all looking for ways to stretch our dollars, but in doing so, children's safety should not be compromised," said Jerry Storch, Chairman and CEO, Toys"R"Us, Inc. "We hope this program will help raise awareness of the importance of being vigilant about potentially unsafe children's items that may still be in the marketplace, while encouraging customers to use the Great Trade-In event as an opportunity to remove used baby products, such as cribs and car seats, from their garages and attics."

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said it is challenging to get dangerous products out of the home following a product recall. The CPSC advises parents to check its Web site to make sure a product has not been recalled before using or purchasing it second-hand.

Parents should be aware of used baby product safety concerns.

For example:

• Federal and voluntary standards and regulations for safety testing, particularly for cribs, have changed significantly over the past few years, and older products may not have been produced to meet these stringent requirements;
• Car seats can sustain damage in an accident that may not be visible to the naked eye, but could prevent the seat from functioning properly;
• Car seats have expiration dates, as the materials can deteriorate over time, potentially making the car seat less effective in a crash. Parents can check with the car seat manufacturer to determine the recommended period of use for a particular car seat;
• Certain baby products, particularly car seats, are regularly introduced with new innovations in technology that can improve the products' safety efficacy;
• Products made of or that contain certain materials, like wood and plastic, for example, can deteriorate when exposed to extreme weather conditions, like heat, potentially compromising safety integrity;
• And parts or instruction books for proper assembly, installation or use may be missing.

Manufacturers participating in the Great Trade-In event include Baby Cache, Babi Italia, Baby Trend, Bertini, Britax, Chicco, Contours by Kolcraft, Cosco, Delta, Eddie Bauer, Evenflo, Graco, Jeep, Nature's Purest by Summer Infant, Safety 1st and Sorelle.
Customers can visit the company's Safety website, Toysrus.com/Safety, for the latest information on product safety and to sign up to receive product recall notifications by e-mail.
Day care centers or other organizations who wish to exchange items in bulk are encouraged to contact their local “R”Us store prior to returning their used items to ensure adequate availability of new merchandise.

Visit your local “R”Us stores to trade-in your used baby products through September 20.