When pregnant with my second child, I was excited to know that the one thing I didn’t have to worry about was gear. I had the infant car seat, strollers, ergo/insert, co-sleeper, bouncer, high chair, Bumbo and everything in-between. Since only a few years had gone by, I thought that I would have known or heard about a recall on a car seat or something I owned. I don’t know why I just assumed the news would let me know…somehow they would find me.
I recently decided to take a more proactive approach. In doing some online research, I found a site called www.wemakeitsafer.com which provides a FREE service to consumers to make them aware if products they own are recalled and/or unsafe.
I decided to look up our Graco Snug Ride car seat that we bought in 2007 that we used for both daughters and now passed along to a friend who is having twins. I was surprised to learn that an infant could remove pieces of fiber fill and put it in their mouth creating a choking hazard. Although this specific announcement did not alarm me, it did make me aware. I realized it could have been something much worse.
At this point in time, we have passed on most of our gear to friends. If you do plan on selling your used gear, you must make sure it has not been recalled. It is actually illegal to sell something that has been recalled and it is your responsibility as the seller…whether consumer or resale store… to know this information and disclose it.
This site is simple to use. I thought I would need all the details of what I own but after filling out the brand name and product type, a list of various products with photo’s appeared. It is easy and not very time intensive. I figure that for 5-10 minutes of my time now, it can be a life saver in the future. Check it out!