Consumer Reports had previously asked Cosco to stop selling these products.
Cosco Jump, Spin & Play Kids Activity Center
By Lauren Kirchner
The Cosco brand children’s activity center Jump, Spin & Play has been recalled, after its parent company, Dorel Juvenile, received 141 reports of incidents in which the straps came off or broke, including 38 reports of minor injuries such as bumps, bruises and scratches. The recall notice asks anyone who purchased it to stop using it immediately, cut the straps so it can’t be used, and contact the company to replace it with another children’s activity center immediately. free.
The recall includes approximately 115,700 activity centers that were sold in Walmart stores and through Walmart.com. They come in blue and pink color versions, and can be identified by their model numbers, WA105FZW and WA105GML.
In June of this year, safety experts at Consumer Reports called for a recall of this activity center after investigating numerous alarming reports from parents and caregivers of babies falling and being injured when the straps supports would suddenly break or detach. Since January 2021, dozens of angry and negative comments began to appear on Cosco’s product website, as well as on Walmart.com.
The activity center seat hangs from a plastic frame using 3 straps that are attached with hooks. At the time, CR found more than 30 reviews of the product saying that one or more of these straps had suddenly broken, causing the seat to hang to one side or fall off. About 20 other reviews mentioned that one or more of the straps had completely detached from the frame structure. Although head injuries were mentioned in several of these reviews, none of them appeared to be life-threatening.
“If I could, I would give this product 0 stars,” Madeleine of Maryville, Tennessee, wrote on Cosco’s website. “[N]Not one but TWO of the straps broke while my son was jumping. Even with me standing next to him, with 2 of the straps breaking, he fell faster than I could reach him, causing him to hit his head on the ground.”
In addition to the negative reviews of the product, there were also 4 incident reports that consumers filed in the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s SaferProducts.gov database.
“The baby was using the product to jump around. . . one of the straps broke, causing him to suddenly fall to one side,” said one of the incident reports in March 2023 involving a 10-month-old child. “This caused the baby to fall and hit his head. He was also left hanging upside down trapped in the seat because he was leaning too far.”
Safety experts at Consumer Reports requested the recall and alerted the CPSC to these findings. At the time, a CPSC representative said the agency was “looking into this.”
Dorel Juvenile, Cosco’s parent company, did not comment on Consumer Reports’ initial article about the product’s dangers in June. When we included the product on a list of 5 dangerous children’s products that parents should avoid in August, Dorel spokesperson Rick Leckner told CR that the company “takes all safety issues very seriously.” ” and that he had been in contact with the CPSC.
Cosco makes other versions of the activity center that are not affected by this recall. One of them has the model number WA105HCM and an additional black support strap. (You can find more details and photos of the different versions on the Cosco Kids recall page.) And the company is offering a similar product, made by Safety 1st, another Dorel Juvenile brand, as a replacement for the recalled product.
In response to questions Thursday, Leckner said Walmart has already removed the defective versions from its shelves. When asked why it took so long to make the recall, he said the company has been working closely with the CPSC on this, and “followed their recommendations.”
“We encourage Dorel and Walmart—as well as all manufacturers or sellers of baby products—to be faster and more proactive in responding to safety complaints from their consumers,” says William Wallace, associate director of safety policy at CR . “In the case of these activity centers, more than 2 years passed and there were more than 100 reports before Dorel withdrew the products from the market. Companies simply must do better. “People need to be able to trust that baby products are safe when they buy them and that companies will act quickly if any safety issues arise.”
Recall Details
Product recalled from the market: The blue and pink versions of the Cosco Jump, Spin & Play activity centers, with model numbers WA105FZW and WA105GML. Activity centers with model number WA105HCM are not affected by this recall; This version has an additional black safety strap.
Sold in: Walmart stores nationwide and online at Walmart.com, from November 2020 to October 2023, for approximately $70.
ANDl problem: The straps of the activity center can become detached or break while a child is inside, posing a risk as the child could fall and be injured.
lto solution: If you have this activity center at home, you should stop using it immediately and contact Cosco Kids to begin the recall process. They will ask you to cut the straps so that the center is unusable and send them proof of this. In exchange, you will receive a free replacement activity center made by Safety 1st, which is another Dorel Juvenile brand.
cHow to contact the manufacturer: Visit the Cosco Kids recall page and fill out the registration form. You can also contact the company at 877-657-9546 for more information.
To report a dangerous product or product-related injury, visit
SaferProducts.gov.
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