Graco recalls 2 million baby strollers after four infants die of strangulation

Graco Children’s Products Inc., a unit of Newell Rubbermaid Inc., is recalling about 2 million baby strollers sold before 2008 at major U.S. retailers after four infants died of strangulation.

The news of the recall of the China-made strollers comes less than three weeks after Mattel Inc.’s Fisher-Price recalled some 10 million toys and other items, renewing concerns about safety standards of infant products, many of which are made in low-cost centers like China.

“We have taken appropriate reserves and do not expect a material impact on the company,” Newell Rubbermaid spokesman David Doolittle said.

The latest recall, made along with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, applies to Graco Quattro Tour and MetroLite strollers sold at retailers including Babies R Us, Sears, Target and Wal-Mart from November 2000 to December 2007.

In addition to the four deaths, the safety commission said it was also aware of reports of five infants becoming entrapped, resulting in cuts and bruises, and one having difficulty breathing.

“This recall involves strollers sold as long as 10 years ago, demonstrating the ongoing need for families to remain vigilant about hazardous products lurking in their homes,” said Dan Verakis, founder and chief executive of SafetyBook.org, which runs a recall-monitoring service for consumers.

Earlier this year Graco recalled 1.5 million strollers after the safety commission received reports of children’s fingertips being amputated.

“We take this issue very seriously,” Doolittle said, adding, “This is a product category that is heavily regulated and therefore subject to a higher number of recalls.”