CPSC Seal; image courtesy of the U.S. Government via Wikimedia Commons.

With most of the country on lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, more kids than ever have been spending more time at home playing. This means parents have to be more vigilant in ensuring the toys their kids are playing with are safe. For example, did you know a popular toy grocery cart was recently recalled? According to a recall notice posted on Step2’s website, “more than 20,000 of its popular Little Helper's Shopping Carts have been recalled due to potential laceration concerns.” An estimated 17,000 of those carts were sold here in the U.S., while another 3,500 were sold in Canada, according to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The notice states:"It is possible that the basket on certain…models may not meet our durability standards and [could] prematurely break, posing a potential safety risk. We have isolated the issue to baskets on those models that were manufactured in May of 2019."To double-check whether or not you have one of the affected models, take a peek at the date code. According to the notice, all the recalled products “have a date code with a combination of 5 and 19 under the handle.” Specifically, “model number 700000, which has a blue basket and a tan bottom, and models 8567KL and 708500, which have pink baskets and gray or white bottoms, respectively, have both been recalled.”The carts were available at Kohls, BJs, and other retailers across the country. So far the CPSC has received 22 complaints about the baskets “breaking off into sharp pieces.” Fortunately, no injuries have been reported, though there is still a potential risk of injury. Because of this, if you have one of the recalled toy carts, you should remove it from your home immediately and contact Step2 for a free replacement or a $40 credit. If you have additional questions or concerns regarding the recall, contact Step2 at 800-347-8372.

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These Popular Step2 Kids' Shopping Carts Just Got Recalled; Here's What You Should KnowPopular Toy Shopping Cart Has Been Recalled: Here’s What Parents Need to Know