A recall only protects your child if you hear about it. The good news is that checking takes a few minutes and costs nothing. This guide walks you through the official places to look in the United States and Canada, what to write down from the product before you search, and what the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says to do if something you own has been recalled. Every step below links to the agency or retailer page we checked on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026.
Step 1: Write down what is on the product (1 minute)
Before you search, turn the toy or baby product over and look for its labels. Recall notices often name a model number, a date code or a batch number, so having these in hand makes it much easier to tell whether your item is the one recalled.
- Toys and other children's products: CPSC says children's products must carry permanent "tracking labels" on the product and its packaging, to the extent practicable. Those marks must make it possible to find the manufacturer, importer or private labeler name, the location and date of production, and details such as a batch or run number. CPSC says the information may be in code form, as long as you know whom to contact to interpret it. (CPSC: Tracking Label FAQ)
- Small toys and sets: CPSC notes that some products are too small to mark, so the information may be on the packaging instead, and for sets with a reusable storage box or bag, that container counts as part of the product. Keep the box or bag if you can.
- Cribs, high chairs, strollers and other nursery gear: Under federal rules, each "durable infant or toddler product" must be permanently marked with the manufacturer's name and contact information, the model name and number, and the date of manufacture. (16 CFR Part 1130)
- Bought online? Note the store, the order date and any listing number. Health Canada's incident form, for example, asks for the web address and identifying numbers such as the Amazon Standard Identification Number (ASIN) and purchase order number for products bought online.
Some recalled products have no model number at all. In that case, compare your item with the photos and package wording on the recall notice.
Step 2: Search the CPSC recall list (1 minute)
Go to cpsc.gov/Recalls and search by the brand, the product name or the type of product (for example, "finger light" or "high chair"). Open any match and read the "how to identify" details, the hazard, where and when it was sold, and the remedy. CPSC's own buying-and-selling FAQ answers "How do I know if a product is recalled?" with: "Search for recalls at https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/." (CPSC FAQ)
The same page lists CPSC product safety warnings. A warning is different from a recall: CPSC issues one when, for example, a company has not agreed to a recall or offered a remedy. Treat a warning just as seriously.
Step 3: Search SaferProducts.gov reports and recalls (1 minute)
SaferProducts.gov is CPSC's public database, where, in CPSC's words, "the public can file and read complaints about thousands of types of consumer products." On its search page you can search by keyword, product, brand or company, and model, and filter results by type ("Reports" or "Recalls/Repairs"), injury information, the victim's age and date.
A report on SaferProducts.gov is something a person submitted. It is not a recall or a CPSC finding. It can still tell you whether other families have described a similar problem with the same product.
Step 4: Report a problem you have had (optional, about 10 minutes)
If a toy or baby product hurt your child, nearly did, or did not work the way it should, you can report it to CPSC on SaferProducts.gov's report page. CPSC says reports are reviewed by its staff and that a report "could provide information that may contribute to CPSC's decision to seek a product recall, seek penalties against any person or firm, or create new safety regulations or take other action authorized by law." The report page says your name and contact information will not be released, whether or not you allow your report to be published. You can also report by calling CPSC's hotline at 800-638-2772 (TTY 800-638-8270), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET.
If you see a recalled product for sale online, CPSC says to report the sale through SaferProducts.gov and, if you can, include a screenshot and a link to the exact page.
Step 5: Check your retailer's recall page (1 minute)
Big retailers post recalls for items they sold. These pages are a quick second check, especially for things you bought in store:
- Target: Target's product recalls page lists recent recalls and lets you search by category.
- Walmart and Sam's Club: Walmart's product recalls page links to the manufacturer and agency notices for products sold at Walmart, Walmart.com, Sam's Club and SamsClub.com. Walmart also warns about scam texts that pretend to be recall notices and says it "does not send text messages about product recalls."
- Amazon: Amazon's "Product Safety and Recalls" help page says it informs customers about recalls and points to two pages: a public "Recalls and Product Safety Alerts" list for products sold on Amazon, and a "Your Recalls and Product Safety Alerts" page that shows recalls for items you bought in Amazon's store. You can find both in Amazon's Customer Service help by searching "recalls." Amazon says questions about a specific recall should go to the product manufacturer first, then the seller.
A retailer's list is not complete for every product, so always check the CPSC list too.
Step 6: Canadian readers: check Health Canada
Health Canada publishes consumer product recalls on recalls-rappels.canada.ca, the Government of Canada's site for recalls, advisories and safety alerts. You can sign up there for email notices, sent either as a single daily digest or as soon as each notice is posted. To report a problem with a consumer product, use Health Canada's consumer incident report. Health Canada notes that you do not need to report a recall it has already published.
Stay ahead of the next recall
- Sign up for CPSC recall emails: The CPSC recall page says "Never miss a recall – subscribe for recall emails." You can do that on CPSC's subscriptions page.
- Mail in or go online with the registration card on baby gear: Federal rules require makers of durable infant and toddler products, including cribs, toddler beds, high chairs, booster seats, bath seats, gates, play yards, strollers, walkers, swings, bassinets, infant carriers and infant bouncers, to include a postage-paid registration card with each product and to offer online registration. (16 CFR Part 1130) CPSC says the company may use what you give it only to tell you about a safety alert or recall, not for marketing. (CPSC: Registration Forms FAQ) The rule does not cover car seats that are covered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's own registration program.
If your product has been recalled
- Stop using it. Take it away from children right away.
- Follow the remedy on the notice exactly. Remedies differ. Some companies offer a refund, others a repair kit, a replacement or new instructions, and many ask you to mark, photograph or dispose of the product before they pay. On CPSC's recall page, refunds were the most common remedy in the past five years, at 54.7% of the remedies CPSC counted, followed by repairs at 26.3% and replacements at 16.9% (CPSC figures as shown on Oct. 27, 2026; CPSC says this data may change daily and counts recalls with more than one remedy under each). Contact the company the way the notice says to.
- Do not sell it or give it away. CPSC says "it is illegal to sell any recalled product" and that "It is unlawful to offer recalled products for sale under Section 19 of the Consumer Product Safety Act (15 U.S.C. § 2068)." (CPSC: Stopping the Online Sale of Recalled Products) CPSC's FAQ adds that a recalled product may be sold once the remedy in the recall notice has been applied, and that the listing should make clear the remedy is included. CPSC product safety warnings typically say: "Do not sell or give away these hazardous products."
- Check secondhand finds before you buy. CPSC says that "Taking five extra minutes to check cpsc.gov/recalls before buying or selling a used product could save a life," and it singles out infant sleep products, baby loungers, toy chests, cribs, bassinets and strollers as commonly resold recalled items.
Spotted an error or have a question about this guide? Write to [email protected].
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Writer's Bio: Driven by a fascination with how young people learn, grow, and connect, Laura N. Larsson has spent years researching the role of play and social media in child and adolescent development. Since 2012, she has combined her ecommerce background with in-depth interviews of children and teenagers, producing insightful articles that explore the evolving interplay between play, communication, and online interaction. 
