0 Consumer Reports warns about high chair choking hazard

Consumer Reports says owners of one model of high chair manufactured by Baby Trend of Ontario, California should check the product carefully for any plastic labels that can be removed without tools, and thus might pose a safety hazard if young children peel the labels free, put them in their mouths and then choke on them.

The Baby Trend Deluxe Feeding Center Chrissy is a $90 chair intended for babies and toddlers weighing up to 40 pounds. Consumer Reports is not aware of any choking incidents involving the Deluxe Feeding Center and we believe that the likelihood of such incidents is small.

However, should such incidents occur, they could result in serious injury or death, so we have designated the Deluxe Feeding Center as Don't Buy Safety Risk.

The oval-shaped plastic labels that caused our concern say "Baby Trend", and on the units we tested, were attached to the front of the tray and on both sides of the upper part of the frame.

We initially tested two of these high chairs, both manufactured in 2011. As part of our testing, we check that all non-paper labels are securely attached and cannot be removed without the use of tools or solvents-- a requirement that is also part of the ASTM-International standard for high chair safety. Our tester noticed that one plastic label on one of these samples was slightly detached, and she peeled it off easily. We found that all of the plastic "Baby Trend" labels on both samples could be peeled off without tools or solvent.

We then purchased two more Deluxe Feeding Center samples, both made in 2012. On these chairs, the labels on the frames were attached with adhesive and we were able to remove one such label from each chair without tools or solvent. The labels on the trays, however, were securely attached with tabs, posing no hazard.

All of the removed labels were small enough for children to choke on as judged by the fact that they fit into a standard "small parts" cylinder used to check for that possibility.

We found no non-paper labels that could be removed without tools on any other high chair we tested.

As a further check, we purchased four samples of Baby Trend high chairs that were not the Deluxe Feeding Center model. All the plastic labels on these chairs were attached with tabs and posed no safety hazard.

The Deluxe Feeding Center is sold only by Toys 'R Us, according to Baby Trend General Manager Bradley Mattarocci who said that the model is no longer made and he expects it will no longer be available within 60 days.

Mattarocci added that, "We stand behind the product that it is 100 percent in compliance with ASTM standard and it has been tested by certified CPSC labs that have approved it for distribution".

Consumer Reports has notified the Consumer Product Safety Commission of our findings.

Consumer Reports advises shoppers to avoid purchasing the Deluxe Feeding Center Chrissy High Chair and cautions existing owners to check their units carefully to remove and discard any plastic labels that can be peeled off by hand. "Checking labels in this manner is always a good practice when purchasing products that may be used by or come in contact with your baby or any child under 3," said Joan Muratore, program leader for family and child product testing at Consumer Reports.