In the market for a stroller? Before you hit the stores, a new Consumer Reports stroller test is out, along with a warning for parents. The consumer advocate group has rated a number of Graco strollers a "don't buy; safety risk" in its latest assessment.
So what does that mean for parents?
According to Consumer Reports, the Graco Ready2Grow Classic Connect LX and similar Classic Connect, Click Connect LX, and Click Connect double strollers -- made to carry two kids at once -- have unreliable brakes that allow the popular baby item "to roll and potentially put both children at risk."
Consumer Reports put the strollers up on a tilted table with a 20-degree incline to test the brakes, which is more than the 12-degree incline required by federal safety standards. Their findings showed bending and stress marks on the brakes, and the Ready2Grow Classic Connect LX, in particular, started rolling at 18 degrees. The safety group is urging parents not to buy the strollers and, if they already own one, to contact Graco for a refund.
Graco, for its part, has reportedly said it will work with parents on a case-by-case basis, but parents should be aware that the company has reportedly refuted the risk and is standing behind its strollers. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has not released any sort of recall or warning.
It's certainly something for parents to think about -- this test exceeded federal safety guidelines. Are those enough for parents? Or should the tests be more hardcore?
Either way, parents who are on the market for a stroller have other options -- including Graco's FastAction Fold Duo Click Connect -- that did get good ratings from Consumer Reports this year, and the more information parents have, the better off they are to make a good choice for baby.
Do you feel the federal standards are enough? Do you follow Consumer Reports' guidelines when shopping for your baby?
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