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32,000 Of These High Chairs Have Been Recalled & Here's What Parents Need To Know

The latest recall in the childcare marketplace comes from Skip Hop, a baby and toddler item manufacturer. On Dec. 6, Skip Hop issued a recall on 32,000 high chairs in the United States, due to a safety issue. If you happen to own this high chair, fear not — the company is making it very easy to get a refund on the product and here's everything you need to know.

UPDATE: After publication, SkipHop issued a statement to Romper regarding the recall: "...Our products are rigorously tested to ensure we provide our consumers with safe products to make their jobs as parents easier," the statement read. "After receiving feedback from a small number of parents, we discovered that the TUO Convertible High Chair could pose a potential fall risk if the leg or legs become detached from the seat." SkipHop also noted that they're "working closely with the CPSC" regarding the voluntary product recall on TUO High Chairs.

The statement continued, "In the interest of safety, we are encouraging consumers who purchased this affected product to immediately stop using the high chair. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused our consumers and appreciate their understanding in this matter. For additional information, please visit: www.skiphoprecall.com."

EARLIER: The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Health Canada (Canada's equivalent website) announced a joint recall on Skip Hop's Tuo convertible high chairs last week, following 17 customers claiming that their chair's legs detached. Fortunately, none of the faulty chairs resulted in any injuries.

"This recall involves Skip Hop’s Tuo convertible high chairs with charcoal gray or silver/white with clouds fabric," the CPSC's recall statement read. "They have a reversible seat pad, removable tray, 5-point harness, beechwood footrest and legs. The high chairs can be converted into a toddler chair."

The CPSC also provided a list of the date codes for the style numbers of the two chairs (304200 and 304201) that are being recalled:

  • HH5/2017
  • HH6/2017
  • HH7/2017
  • HH8/2017
  • HH9/2017
  • HH092717
  • HH030518
  • HH05182018
  • HH05312018
  • HH092917
  • HH010518.

Additionally, all chairs being recalled would have been purchased between December 2016 and September 2018 in the United States, Canada, Australia, and Mexico.

For those in possession of one of these chairs, Skip Hope detailed the recall process on the recall page of its website, which involves taking two photos.

First, take a photo of the date code, which can be found on the back of the chair. Then, visibly destroy the chair by cutting the crotch strap, cutting the fabric around the crotch strap, removing the piece of fabric, and writing your name and today's date on the chair. Take a photo of the chair after destroying it.

This not only renders the chair unusable (should someone find the chair in the trash, etc.) but also ensures that only one recall is issued per product.

Lastly, fill out Skip Hop's Product Refund Form on the company's website, follow the instructions, and upload both photos you took.

According to the above tweet, Skip Hop first issued a voluntary recall on the model back in January. Now, 11 months later, this new recall is technically an expansion of the previous one.

In a statement on the recall page, Skip Hop made it clear that its products all go through thorough testing, and that this is an anomaly for the company. The statement reads:

Since our founding, Skip Hop’s operations have been guided by a strong commitment to producing quality products. As such, our products are rigorously tested to ensure we provide our consumers with safe products to make their jobs as parents easier ... We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused our consumers and appreciate their understanding in this matter.

It's always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to child safety, so Skip Hop issuing a recall is definitely the right move. The idea of a high chair that transitions into a toddler chair sounds pretty innovative, so hopefully Skip Hop is able to ensure the product is 100 percent safe should the company make more batches in the future.