Recalled due to Fall Hazard

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Safety 1st SmartLight Stair Gates

Units: About 31,500 (100,000 units were previously recalled in February 2009)

Importer: Dorel Juvenile Group USA, of Columbus, Ind.

Hazard: The hinges that hold the stair gate in place can break, posing a fall hazard to children if the gate is placed at the top of the stairs.

Incidents/Injuries: None reported.

Description: The recall involves the Safety 1st SmartLight Stair Gate with model number 42111, which is printed on a sticker under the handle panel. The gates, which were manufactured before December 20, 2008, are white metal with a gray handle and a motion sensor nightlight that illuminates on approach. The manufacture date is located below the gate’s handle as a date wheel imprinted in the plastic; an arrow indicates the month, and the year is stamped inside the circle. The manufacture date is also printed on a sticker inside the battery door.

Sold at: Mass merchandise and juvenile product stores nationwide, including Babies R Us, Toys R Us, Wal-Mart.com and other online retailers from January 2005 through July 2009 for about $60.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should stop using the recalled gate and contact the company to obtain a free repair kit.

Consumer Contact: Consumers can call Dorel Juvenile Group toll-free at (866) 690-2540 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET; complete an online order form on the Dorel Juvenile Group Web site at www.djgusa.com/safety_notice/ to obtain their free repair kit; email the company at Smartlightgate@djgusa.com, or send a fax to (800) 207-8182. Consumers should not return the stair gates to retail stores.

CPSC is still interested in receiving incident or injury reports that are either directly related to this product recall or involve a different hazard with the same product. Please report incidents here.

Okay, so you have already installed the gates and the proper latches. You’ve purchased a hearth pad, the toilet bowl has a lid lock, the detergents and other household chemicals are all in cabinets not within the baby’s reach. More so, furnitures’ edges have been cushioned and mats have been lined with non-skid material.

You are all set!

Oh no, actually, not yet… unless you have crawled your way around your home.

Though the other measures you have already implemented are not without their merit, most parents usually forget that they are baby proofing their homes (or the hotel room, or grandma’s home) for people coming from a totally different perspective. We tend to protect them from what we can anticipate with our five-to-six feet frame, and yet these kids will spend at least three years on all fours, depending on how soon they learn to walk and how soon they cease from lying on the floor or playing under tables.

So crawl your way around your home and see it from a two-foot perspective. Things like a splinter of wood or a nail hanging out, or a bunch of rope that hasn’t seen the light of day for years under a cabinet can all pose serious dangers to your child. Attend to these to truly have a childproofed home.

Sure, accidents will still happen but at least you can rest easy letting your baby crawl around because you know you’ve given baby proofing your best shot.