Parents who prepped for the day their baby starts crawling with the Push 'n Snap Cabinet Lock from Safety 1st, beware! The popular babyproofing item has been swept from the shelves in a major recall after at least 140 kids were able to get past the safety system and into the cabinets their parents had so carefully locked up -- some as young as 9 months! This affects 900,000 of the locks sold by the Dorel Juvenile Group.
But before you panic, here's what you need to know ...
1. The recall is only for the Safety 1st Push 'n Snap Cabinet Lock, not other items in the company's babyproofing line. If your lock is one of the recalled items, it will have two straps that wrap around the knobs or handles on a cabinet door. If it's in the "lock" position, a green triangle can be seen through a window on the device.
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2. This is not a recall you should ignore -- the items are being voluntarily recalled after 200-some complaints that the locks do not securely close cabinet doors. Of the 140 kids who managed to make it inside the cabinets, at least three received emergency treatment after they'd swallowed or handled dishwasher detergent, window cleaner, or oven cleaner.
3. Fortunately this does not involve all of the cabinet locks; only model numbers 48391 and 48442 (printed on the back of the product). They were produced between January 2004 and November 2010 (date of manufacture is also on the back of the product).
4. The locks were sold at retailers online and nationwide between January 2004 and February 2012 but have since been pulled from the shelves.
5. Safety 1st will replace the faulty lock free of charge. To get a more secure system, call 866-762-3212 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. EST Monday through Friday or email the company at cabinetlatch@djgusa.com. You can also visit their website to ensure yours is on the list.
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6. If you have removed the lock, be sure to move any dangerous items from the cabinet so your little crawler can't get at them until a replacement arrives!
Have you been babyproofing with cabinet locks? What could your little one have gotten hold of if the lock failed?
Image via Consumer Product Safety Commission
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Comments 26
We don't baby proof. I did a little bit with the first, but that soon ended. He could get past just about everything. We do put a gate on the steps until they learn how to crawl up and down. But that is it.
Might as well recall every child safety feature - because there will always be kids who can get past them.
I don't baby proof either. We keep all detergents on the top shelf in the laundry room. Any thing else that is a hazard is kept in our storage building that has locks on it. My kids are pretty good at not climbing and getting into stuff. My 20 mth old does like to get in the cabnets and take out the box food!
I don't baby proof either! I put cleaners and detergents up high, block the stairs and watch my son.
we have baby proofed our cabinets, and our 2 year old can NOT get in them, thank God! we used the latch that catches so you have to push it down in order to open the cabinet. pain in the butt to install, but they work!
That's crazy, we had one of these at the daycare I used to work at, and I remember the staff could barely get it open, I'm not sure how a 9 month old would be able to open it.