Is your baby's pushchair safe? Parents are being warned that their babies are at risk if they own a model of buggy that has been linked with four baby strangulation deaths.
The manufacturer, Graco, has issued a safety notice affecting two of its older buggies that sold 3,700 units in the UK before 2008: the Graco Quattro Tour and MetroLite, which was sold through retailers including Mothercare and Toys R Us.
The buggy has not been recalled, but parents who are concerned about their child's safety can request a free modification kit from the manufacturer.
The babies all died in the US between 2003 and 2005, all in incidents involving strangulation that was linked to their push chairs.The alert has been issued by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission following reports of at least four strangulation deaths between 2003 and 2005 that were linked to the devices.
Five children were reported to have been left with cuts and bruises, and another child had difficulty breathing after becoming trapped.
If a child isn't harnessed into the dangerous models, they can pass throught he opening between the buggy tray and seat botton, but their head and neck can become entrapped in the tray, risking strangulation.
Babies under 12 months are particularly at risk because of their size.The manufacturer says that the four incidents that occurred in the US happened in cases where children were left unattended for in their pushchairs for long periods and were not harnessed in.
The safety notice affects Graco travel systems sold in the US between November 2000 and December 2007. They were manufactured in China.
This includes the Graco Quattro Tour manufactured before November 2006 and the MetroLite from before July 2007. In January 2008 a voulantary industry standard addressed the size of the opening between the buggy's tray and the seat bottom.