When most Connecticut residents look around their homes and think about the sheer number of products they own and use on a daily basis, it’s fairly amazing. From the shampoo you use to wash our hair with in the morning to the car you drive to work, all of the products we use have undergone extensive testing to ensure that they are effective and safe.

U.S. consumer product safety laws exist to ensure that the products we purchase and use have been tested and declared safe for use. However, despite laws like the Consumer Product Safety Act and Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, annually thousands of U.S. products are recalled due to reported defects and safety concerns.

While it’s imperative that product manufacturers and regulatory agencies ensure that all products that are marketed and sold to U.S. consumers are safe, this is especially true of children’s toys and products.

Not only must a children’s toy or product work as intended, but it must also be able to endure the varied and often unorthodox ways a baby or child uses them. For example, a toy rattle must not only live up to the products claims of being colorful and making stimulating sounds, but must also be safe for a baby to chew and slobber on and sturdy enough to endure a baby pounding it against a hard surface.

Unfortunately, some products that are made for and marketed towards babies, children and parents prove to be unsafe and result in unintended injuries and deaths. From tainted baby food to defective baby slings, parents who have a child that suffers injury due to a defective product may choose to take legal action.

Source: FindLaw.com, “Dangerous Baby & Kids’ Products,” Oct. 13, 2015