Stroller Safety Alert
Pushing one child in a stroller is enough work, but what if you have two little ones to worry about? Consumer Reports’ latest tests of double strollers found one with a potential safety risk.
Consumer Reports tested 12 double strollers to see how they handle real-life challenges and if they meet voluntary safety standards.
The Bumbleride Indie Twin costs almost 700 dollars and can be used with an infant car seat. When children sit in the stroller, you're supposed to raise this bumper bar.
With the bar in the upper position, the stroller passed an important safety test. This ball — the dimensions of a young child's head — slides easily under the bar — as it should. But when the bar is in the lower position the child's head can get trapped.
Consumer reports says parents may not raise the bar and if a child isn't strapped in, he or she could slide under the bar and get his or her head stuck.
The instruction manual for the Bumbleride has the warning: “When child is seated in stroller, only use bumper bar in upright position. Child can slide forward and strangle."
But Consumer Reports is afraid parents won't necessarily read the instructions and may miss the small warning tag on a cover that zips over the bar with the same caution.
Consumer Reports does not know of any deaths or injuries associated with this stroller. Still it is rating the Bumbleride Indie Twin a “Don't Buy: Safety Risk” because of the potential danger.
None of the other double strollers Consumer Reports tested had serious safety issues. But some proved tough to maneuver,, including this Safety 1st Two Ways Tandem Stroller.
Far better was the Maclaren Twin Triumph stroller for 265 dollars, which proved very easy to use and maneuver.
Consumer Reports also rates the single stroller version of the Bumbleride Indie a “Don't Buy: Safety Risk” due to the same problem.*
The manufacturer has issued an alert regarding the bumper bar. And this afternoon the manufacturer and the CPSC recalled both strollers because of an unrelated problem with the front wheel.
If you own ones of these strollers, Consumer Reports says stop using the bumper bar altogether. To address the front wheel problem, go to support.bumbleride.com to get a free retrofit kit.
