Skip Hop and federal safety regulators have recalled about 22,660 Baby Sesame Street Elmo silicone teethers in the United States after finding that the toy’s small black eyes can pop off if the teether is frozen first, a common way parents try to soothe a baby’s sore gums. Another 3,177 units were sold in Canada under a parallel recall. No injuries have been reported, but the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission classified the defect as a choking hazard serious enough to warrant an immediate stop-use notice dated September 3, 2026.
Why Freezing the Teether Triggers the Defect
Putting a silicone teether in the freezer before handing it to a baby is a routine trick parents use to numb sore or swollen gums during teething, since the cold silicone provides extra relief on inflamed skin. According to the CPSC’s recall notice, doing exactly that with the recalled Elmo teether can cause its small black eyes to detach from the silicone face once it thaws and is chewed. A detached eye is small enough for an infant to put in their mouth, creating a choking hazard that the agency says carries a risk of serious injury or death rather than a minor scare.
Four Reports Filed, No Injuries So Far
Skip Hop Inc. told regulators it has received four consumer reports describing the eyes coming loose from the teether. The company has not disclosed whether those reports involved a child putting the detached piece in their mouth or simply a caregiver noticing the defect during routine use and setting the toy aside. Despite the four reports, no injuries have been logged in connection with the product, which is part of why the recall was processed through the CPSC’s expedited Fast Track Recall program rather than a longer investigation into the failure rate across the full run of 22,660 units.
Identifying the Recalled Model 9R263210
The recalled product is shaped like Elmo’s face, molded in red, orange and white silicone with the character’s signature black eyes. It ships as a set with a textured blue teething key and a soft fabric crayon box in beige, blue, green, yellow, orange and red, so a parent checking a diaper bag needs to look for all three pieces together rather than a lone teether. A red tag bearing the Skip Hop brand name and the model number, 9R263210, is attached to the side of the crayon box, giving parents a quick way to confirm whether a set already in circulation matches the recall before deciding whether to keep freezing and using it.
Sold at Carter’s Stores for About $12
The teether was sold at Carter’s retail stores nationwide and online at carters.com and skiphop.com from January 2025 through March 2026 for around $12. Skip Hop Inc., based in New York, distributed the product, while The William Carter Company of Atlanta, Georgia, imported it; the teether itself was manufactured in China. The relatively short, fifteen-month sales window means the recall is aimed largely at parents of infants and toddlers who are still in an active teething stage rather than families who bought the toy years earlier and may have already retired it to a toy bin.
The Refund Comes as a Carter’s Family Gift Card
Rather than a cash refund, Skip Hop is directing owners to its dedicated recall site to receive a gift card usable at any store under The William Carter Company umbrella, including Carter’s, Skip Hop, OshKosh B’gosh and Little Planet. The same site provides instructions for disposing of the recalled teether once a replacement or refund has been arranged, since the company wants the defective units taken out of circulation rather than passed along secondhand at a yard sale or resale app. Owners can also reach the company by phone toll-free, with representatives available from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Eastern time on weekdays for anyone who prefers not to file the claim online, and the gift-card option means the refund is tied to future purchases at Carter’s-family stores rather than cash back to the original payment method.
A Fast Track Recall Coordinated With Canada
The U.S. action was filed jointly with Health Canada, which issued a matching notice covering the roughly 3,177 units sold north of the border through its own recall listing. Because Skip Hop and the CPSC agreed on the hazard and remedy without a lengthy back-and-forth, the case qualified as a Fast Track Recall, the designation the agency reserves for straightforward defects a manufacturer voluntarily addresses soon after they surface. Consumers are told to stop using the recalled teether immediately, take it away from children entirely rather than simply avoid freezing it, and keep it out of reach while they arrange for the gift-card refund. The parallel U.S. and Canadian notices also mean a family that received the teether as a gift from across the border, or bought it while traveling, can check either country’s listing to confirm the model number and sales window match.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.
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