Baby beds seized over safety concerns
Lu Wei, a Shanghai Quality and Technical Supervision Bureau inspector, examines one of the cots, 13 of which were seized.
Thirteen baby beds were seized on Tuesday by the city’s quality watchdog over safety concerns.
An inspection of the beds being sold at No. 1 Yaohan Department Store in the Pudong New Area revealed problems. One of them, a bed carrying the Labi Baby brand for children aged under 3, was found to be a safety risk.
Usually, there’s one side on a baby bed that can be opened to enable parents to put the baby in. It is required to close automatically after parents lift it up and push it. But the Labi Baby bed failed the requirement, said Lu Wei, furniture inspector of Shanghai Quality and Technical Supervision Bureau.
In the warehouse in Zhoupu area, inspectors confiscated 13 beds of the same batch, all made by Jinfa Labi Maternity and Baby Articles Co based in Guangdong Province.
“We will send for further quality test. If they fail the test, we will order the manufacturer to stop selling and recall the products,” said another bureau inspector Ling Yun.
He said the beds are sold in more than 10 shopping malls across Shanghai. There have been no reports of any injuries to babies.
Inspectors seize the unsafe beds
China's laws regarding the safety of baby’s beds stipulates that no sharp edges are allowed and the gap between the rails should be between 45 and 65 millimeters.
Lu suggested parents should avoid buying baby beds with complex patterns as the infant might get a body part stuck in a hollowed-out decoration. He also warned that if extremely bright colors are used, they may contain heavy metals and excessive formaldehyde.
According to a recent CCTV report, Jiangsu's provincial quality watchdog tested 150 items of children’s furniture, and nearly half failed test. Structural faults like sharp edges and dangerous designs were reported.
Meanwhile, according to The Beijing News, a market watchdog from Nanjing City has reported that the parents of a 7-month girl, who suffocated and died after getting her head stuck in the railings of a baby bed, plan to sue the store involved.
The seller, Desa Maternity and Baby Store, which sells German-made Myoshin products, has stopped selling the product.
