Faulty toys spotted in Kela maternity package

Product advisory for the 2021 edition of the maternity package: Customers are asked to check the Laiskiainen sloth-shaped cuddly toy for possible defects

Manufacturing defects have been detected in a small number of Laiskiainen cuddly toys included in the 2021 edition of the Kela maternity package, said the national social insurance institution- Kela in a press release on Tuesday.

The defects could potentially make the toy unsafe to use and the product is being removed from the market and other distribution channels following the decision of the Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency Tukes.

The decision applies to a single batch of the product. Any defective products will be replaced by another comforter toy.

Normal use of the toy may in isolated cases cause its seams to unravel, allowing the child to reach the stuffing inside the toy.

The defects affect a small number of the toys produced by Tactic Games Oy and a single batch delivered to Kela. No more Laiskiainen toys will be distributed to customers.

Customers who have received the toy are asked to check the toy for possible defects. The affected batch is identified on the care label at the side of the toy as 56798/09-2020.

Customers who discover that they have a defective product are invited to contact Suomen kirjastopalvelu Oy, the distributor of the Kela maternity package, to receive a replacement product.

According to Veera Petäjä, coordinator for family products at Kela, Kela works closely with other government agencies to make sure that products meet the required standards and requires bidders to provide test reports. Safety of use is of paramount importance with products such as these.

“Unfortunately, a small number of products contain a manufacturing defect which was not identified in spot checks or when packaging the products for delivery to customers,” Petäjä said.

As is standard for all products, test reports were required, but they failed to pick up the defect.

Suppliers sign a written agreement with Kela which commits them to product safety. All products and their materials must meet the requirements of EU and Finnish law.

Kela distributes about 30,000 maternity packages every year, containing a total of more than one million products.