Posted on December 27, 2011 8:34 pm

With the sheer number of gifts sold during the holiday shopping period, it’s inevitable that the number of recalls will increase. Items you purchase and assume are perfectly safe often pose safety hazards. Rather than rely on the local news station to report a safety issue or product recall, protect your family by visiting the Consumer Proudct Safety Commission’s website at http://www.saferproducts.gov.

Notable recalls in December that may impact your family this holiday season include some well known favorites. Build-A-Bear just reached a $600,000 civil penalty in December for failing to report known defect in the toy bear beach chair that could pinch, lacerate or amputate a child’s finger when the toy chair is folded. Ten injuries occurred between March of 2001 and October of 2008, and the recall affected 260,000 toys. On December 23^rd, Build-A-Bear announced a recall of nearly 300,000 Colorful Hearts Teddy Bears for a choking hazard. The bear’s eyes can come out of the animal and pose a serious safety risk for children.

True Value Hardware stores recalled approximately 1,000 pre-lit holiday wreaths this year. The affected products have a battery box that heats up and could cause a fire. The wreaths were made exclusively for True-Value Hardware by the manufacturer General Foam Plastic Corp and came as part of a set that included a tree, garland set and wreath.

Bugaboo America an importer of infant and toddler gear sold at Toys R Us, Babies R US, and Buy Buy Baby stores recalled 71,000 car seat adapters and strollers due to a fall hazard this week. In the incidents involving the strollers, an infant and a child were injured when the front wheels locked, causing the stroller to tip forward.