Now, after a the issue being highlighted in the media, Maclaren have said that they will send out free covers to concerned parents.  Maclaren had earlier stated as part of their justification for not sending out free safety kits was because in the UK there were ‘fewer cases’ of childrens fingertips being amputated.

From a personal point of view, exactly how many amputated fingertips does it take to justify something like this? If you know there is a problem then you should put it right, you shouldn’t be counting the amputated fingertips to decide if it is financially right for your balance sheet!  These mothers bought a Maclaren because they thought it was a reputable brand and offered their child a high degree of safety. The mistake is clearly in Maclaren’s design and surely it should be their responsibility to make sure their product is safe.

You can read the full story on the BBC web site here.

While it is great that Maclaren have taken appropriate action to correct the problem, what isn’t so great was Maclaren’s response to the problem in the UK. Not long after the original story was published on the BBC web site they then ran this story which says that while Maclaren will be recalling the strollers in the USA , they will not be recalling them in the UK.  According to the BBC Maclaren’s response was

“As further reassurance we have updated our operating instructions and placed a warning label on the buggy to ensure that customers take care and keep children away from the buggy when it is being folded or unfolded.”

So I just hope that your children can read the operating instructions and warning labels!