Last week, in cooperation with IKEA North America Services, LLC, of Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recalled 169,000 children's high chairs because "the high chair's restraint buckle can open unexpectedly, posing a fall hazard to the child." IKEA has received eight reports of the buckle opening unexpectedly and three reports of "minor injuries" to children due to their falling from the Antilop high chair.

The high chair was sold nationwide by IKEA for several years from August 2006 through January 2010, for about $20 and came in different colors, red, blue and white, and had detachable metal legs. Model numbers affected by this recall include: 701.467.92 (blue), 501.467.93 (red), and 300.697.24 (white). These high chairs were manufactured in China between June 2006 and November 2009 from supplier number 17389. The production date (in the Year/Month format) and supplier number are molded into the underside of the seat.

Consumers should immediately stop using these high chairs and contact IKEA to obtain a free replacement seat restraint. Consumers may contact IKEA toll-free for repair instructions at (866) 966-4532 anytime, or visit the firm's website at www.ikea-usa.com. For photos of the recalled high chair, please visit the CPSC website at: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml12/12079.html.

Granted, the price of the high chair is affordable for most families with young children, and IKEA does have a reputation for selling reliable furniture. And, IKEA is making good on providing consumers a new seat restraint. But perhaps it's time for American consumers to ask, do we really want to continue risking our children's safety on imported Chinese products? And, Why are these products getting to the marketplace and remaining for such a long time before incident reports are made known? We need to be scrutinizing Chinese imports for safety, quality and fitness for use. Our future, our children's future, may depend upon it!

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