ALEX Toys baby play centers

The reports, as CPSC published them

1. Hurt, no treatment

   Made Aug 30, 2015 · , sent to the company Nov 16, 2015 · , published by CPSC Dec 1, 2015

   The product, in the report: ALEX Toys ALEX Jr. Rolling Busy Bus; wooden toy bus with wires and sliding beads on top, rotating wooden pieces on one side, sliding wooden windows on the other side

   Noticed my 12 month old digging inside the wooden toy bus & chewing something while playing in his play yard. Picked up the bus and discovered that the wire rods that hold the beads on top had popped through the wood & the baby was eating the splintered pieces. We received the toy as a gift less than a month ago; it was brand new. It has only been played with by the baby and has not been subject to unusually rough play.

   Model

   Alex 25513-P0005416

   UPC

   Unknown

   Bought from

   Gift

   Where

   Nashville, Tennessee: Home/Apartment/Condominium

   Who was involved

   Age 1, Male

   The reporter’s relation to them

   My Child

   As this report names them

   Brand Alex Toys ALEX Jr, made or sold by ALEX BY PANLINE

   How badly, in CPSC’s words

   Injury, No First Aid or Medical Attention Received

2. Hurt, no treatment

   Made Mar 11, 2012 · , sent to the company Mar 16, 2012 · , published by CPSC Apr 6, 2012

   The product, in the report: “My Busy World” by ALEX Toys is a wooden cube, with sides approximate 14” X 14”. Five sides of the cube have different activities to promote learning and manual dexterity. The top of the cube consists of a maze of beads. The side which caused the problem consisted of rotating rectangular blocks with pictures of animal parts on the sides of the rectangles. The intent is to rotate the blocks so that the pictures line up and depict the entire animal. On the ALEX web site, “My Busy World” cube may have been replaced by “My Busy Town” cube, but “My Busy World” is still available in stores. Laura Brown from ALEX Toys said that there are different versions of this toy, but the construction is the same, even though the pictures may vary.

   In mid December 2011, I gave my grandson the “My Busy World” cube by ALEX Toys for his first birthday. On 1/31/12, he was playing with this toy, rotating the rectangular blocks on one side of this cube. This particular side of the the cube is designed to encourage children to match the pictures of animal parts on the the sides of the blocks to form a complete picture of the animal. As he was pushing one of the blocks to rotate it, his hand slipped down into the space between the block and the frame of the cube. His hand went down into the space up to his wrist, and he was unable to pull it out as it became trapped in the space. His mother immediately tried to ease it out, but was unable to do so. She then coated his hand and the block first with soap and then with vaseline, and was finally able to slide his hand out. By this time, my grandson was crying and was extremely upset. His hand was very red. My grandson was 13 months old at the time and was of average size for a toddler his age. There is nothing unusual about his build that would contribute to his hand being caught in the space. I returned the “My Busy World” cube to Buy Buy Baby, the store where it was purchased and received a refund. On 2/2/12, I contacted ALEX Toys by email and reported the incident in detail and expressed my concern that this toy was dangerous. I suggested that it be recalled. I was promptly contacted by [REDACTED] Accounts & Customer Relations for ALEX Toys. She stated that she had forwarded my report to their Safe and Compliance team for review. She also assured me that their products endure rigorous testing and meet all applicable regulatory standards around the world. She advised me to visit their web site and select another item free of charge. On 2/3/12, I received an email from [REDACTED] Safety & Compliance at ALEX Toys. She informed me that they had reviewed the design of the cube and safety testing reports from their third party testing laboratories, and the cube passed all safety testing. However, they would review for possible modification of the side of the cube in question. She also advised that I should select another small toy from their web site. I never accepted the offer of another toy since this was not my goal in contacting ALEX Toys. My only concern is the safety of children On 2/8/12, [REDACTED] reported that the product was being re-examined at a third party laboratory for evaluation. On 3/7/12, I again contacted [REDACTED] since I had not heard any update in a month’s time. She replied that the laboratory did not make any adjustment recommendations during their evaluation, and she “confirmed” that the product was safe. I find this to be totally unacceptable, and cannot understand how they can CONFIRM that the product is safe if a small child’s hand can become trapped in it. I think that it should be recalled and removed from shelves.

   Model

   “My Busy World”

   UPC

   73134600044

   Bought from

   BuyBuy Baby

   Bought

   Nov 21, 2011

   Where

   Huntington, New York: Home/Apartment/Condominium

   Who was involved

   Age 1, Male

   The reporter’s relation to them

   Other Relative

   As this report names them

   Brand ALEX Toys, made or sold by ALEX BY PANLINE

   How badly, in CPSC’s words

   Injury, No First Aid or Medical Attention Received

CPSC’s disclaimer

Sources