Kmart will refund money used to buy a Generation 2 Worldwide or ChildESIGNS drop side crib after they were recalled by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
According to a press release from the Licensing and Consumer Affairs Department, the commission received several reports of injury and entrapment with both the Generation 2 and ChildESIGNS cribs. Three suffocation deaths were reported.
The problem occurs when the crib’s plastic hardware breaks. This causes the drop side to detach from a corner of the crib. When the drop side detaches, a space is created and the toddler or infant can become stuck. When the child becomes trapped between the drop side and mattress, there is a high risk of suffocation and strangulation.
Parents are urged to stop using the cribs immediately and to not attempt to fix them.
The recalled cribs were sold at major retailers including Kmart, Wal-Mart, and Buy Buy Baby.
Edouard Richardson, a manager at Kmart in Tutu Park Mall, said the store sold those cribs. He doesn’t know the years they were sold, but they are not currently in stock.
If you have your receipt or can track your purchase back through a credit card, Richardson said Kmart will issue a refund. If you don’t have either, he said it’s on a case-by-case-basis.
An employee at the Sunshine Mall Kmart on St. Croix said no receipt was necessary. She declined to give her name.
"Once they recall an item, we have to give you back your money," she said.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a similar recall in November 2009 of 2.1 million Stork Craft cribs, in which the design and structure of the crib caused suffocation. Kmart did not sell them, Richardson said.
In 2005, Generation 2 went out of business, but it is estimated that over 500,000 cribs were sold to consumers.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission also announced a voluntary recall of the Discovery Kids Animated Marine Lamp model number 1627121 or 1628626. Additionally, the Animated Safari Lamp with model number 1627124 or 1628626 is on the recall list. There is a defect in the lamp’s printed circuit board which can cause an electrical short, posing a fire and burn hazard to consumers.
The lamps are not sold at any store throughout the territory. However, consumers in the Virgin Islands may have purchased them via the Internet.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission urges consumers to immediately stop using the lamps and contact Innovage LLC, of Foothill Ranch, Cal. at 888-232-1535 for a full refund.