Recalls of baby and kids' products surge, analysis shows

Recalls of baby and children's products are increasing, raising new concerns for families with young children.

A new analysis of Consumer Product Safety Commission data by What To Expect, a pregnancy and parenting app and website, found that one in three product recalls now involves baby and kids' items.

That's more than double the number of recalls in those categories compared to 10 years ago.

Caroline Picard of What To Expect said the increase is driven in part by changes in federal safety rules.

"There were new regulations put on sleep products, specifically banning inclined sleepers and crib bumpers," Picard told Action News.

Another contributing factor is the growing popularity of online shopping. Picard said even when parents buy from well-known websites, products can be sold by third-party vendors.

She described those sellers as "independent merchants who sell products through these platforms. They might come from countries that don't have the same safety regulations that we have here in the U.S."

As a result, some unsafe products can make their way into consumers' homes before problems are discovered and recalls are issued.

"There are a lot of products that are getting to people's homes that are not safe," Picard said.

Picard advised parents to be cautious when shopping online, particularly when prices seem unusually low. A steep discount, she said, could be a sign that a product is a duplicate or imitation of a legitimate item.

She also recommended buying key safety items, such as car seats and cribs, new and directly from manufacturers whenever possible.

"Then you know they meet the latest safety standards and there are really strict regulations," Picard told Action News.

Parents and caregivers are also encouraged to sign up for free product recall alerts at Recalls.gov and to report unsafe products through the Consumer Product Safety Commission's website.