(NEXSTAR) – On Thursday, a luxury highchair was recalled due to a dangerous defect and several reports of significant injuries, as announced by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
According to CPSC officials, the recall occurred after several parents attributed serious accidents to the Bugaboo Giraffe highchair, leading to injuries such as hematomas, facial bruises, scrapes, and temporary unconsciousness.
The problem lies with the screws that secure the chair’s legs, which tend to loosen over time and might even detach completely. The CPSC referred to reports filed on SaferProducts.gov and comments made by parents on Reddit and Amazon.
Under one Reddit post titled “An Unsafe Scam Disguised as a Premium Product,” one parent described what happened after two years of using the highchair, which retails for over $400 on the Bugaboo site:
I went to pick up the highchair to move it—and it crumbled. Just completely fell apart in my hands. I was furious. This was supposed to be a safe, durable, premium product, and instead, it was falling to pieces right in front of me.
The post contains a number of complaints about the customer service process, ranging from hangups to weekslong waits for email replies.
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(Credit: CPSC) -
(Credit: CPSC)
Parents who bought the chair are advised to stop using it immediately and contact Bugaboo for a repair kit. No refunds are currently being offered.
“Safety is paramount to ensure the well-being of our customers and their children,” Bugaboo states on its website. “To decrease the potential for incorrect installation of the screws, we have developed a free Repair Kit.”
The kit apparently includes:
- A redesigned set of screws;
- An improved Allen key for easier installation;
- A step-by-step instruction manual.
“If you have ordered a Bugaboo Giraffe after May 1st, 2025, you will already have the Repair Kit included in your Bugaboo Giraffe box and no further action is needed,” according to Bugaboo. The recall page contains a link for parents who want to check their highchair’s serial number.
The recall comes after Consumer Reports sent a letter to the CPSC earlier in the week urging an investigation into the injury reports.
“While we are glad to see the product being recalled, it is unacceptable that Bugaboo is not offering a refund to consumers who want one,” said Gabe Knight, Senior Policy Analyst at Consumer Reports. “Babies have been injured falling from this high chair, and parents may not feel comfortable using it anymore. We applaud the CPSC for recalling this product and alerting consumers to the potential safety risks, but Bugaboo should let caretakers decide whether they want the free repair kit, or their money back.”
As of Friday, 18,280 highchairs had been recalled in the U.S., with another 2,325 in Canada.
