Skip Hop is recalling about 22,660 Baby Sesame Street Elmo Silicone Teethers sold at Carter's stores nationwide after four consumer reports that the toy's black eyes can come off. The hazard carries one specific condition that most recall notices do not, and it is the detail parents need first.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recall notice, posted Sept. 3, 2026, states that the eyes can detach from the teether "if frozen," creating a choking risk for infants. That wording matters for households. Chilling a teether is common advice for sore gums, and many parents put silicone teethers in the freezer as a matter of routine.
No injuries have been reported. Skip Hop received four consumer reports of the eyes detaching, and none involved a child being hurt. That is an important boundary on the story, and it should shape how alarmed a parent needs to be while still acting on the notice.
The Freezer Condition That Defines This Hazard
Silicone teethers are marketed for chilling because cold pressure on inflamed gums is soothing. The recalled product pairs a soft silicone Elmo face in red, orange, and white with a textured blue key and a fabric crayon box, and the two black eyes are the components that can separate.
CPSC ties the failure specifically to freezing rather than to normal use, and the notice does not describe why the parts come loose under those conditions. What the agency does say is enough to act on: a teether that has been in the freezer is the one at issue, and the instruction to stop using it applies to every unit regardless.
The practical takeaway is narrower than a general warning about teethers. Any teether with a separate applied feature, whether eyes, a nose, or a decorative dot, deserves a look before it goes into a freezer. Solid, one-piece silicone teethers do not carry this particular failure mode.
Four Reports and a Two-Country Pull
The recalled item is model number 9R263210, identified on a red tag with the Skip Hop brand name attached to the side of the fabric crayon box. The crayon box itself comes in beige, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red.
It sold at Carter's retail stores nationwide and online at carters.com and skiphop.com from January 2025 through March 2026 for about $12. Another 3,177 units were sold in Canada, and the Canadian recall notice was issued in conjunction with the U.S. action.
The importer is The William Carter Company of Atlanta, Georgia. Skip Hop Inc. of New York is the distributor, and the product was manufactured in China. The recall was processed through CPSC's Fast Track program, which lets a company begin a corrective action before the agency completes a full hazard determination. That means the notice reflects the company's own reports rather than a completed federal investigation into how the failure occurred.
CPSC tells consumers to stop using the recalled teether immediately, take it away from children, and contact the company for a refund and disposal instructions.
Refunds Arrive as Gift Cards Rather Than Cash
The remedy is a refund in the form of a gift card, not a cash return. The card can be used at any William Carter Company brand store, which includes Carter's, Skip Hop, OshKosh B'gosh, and Little Planet.
For a $12 item, that difference is small in dollars, but it is worth knowing before a parent starts the process, because store credit is only useful to households that shop those brands. Families register at skiphoprecall.com and receive disposal instructions there. Skip Hop can also be reached at 800-692-4674 on weekdays.
Parents who bought the teether as a gift or received one at a shower face a harder problem, since there may be no purchase record and no brand memory. The red tag with the model number is the reliable identifier, and it is attached to the crayon box rather than the Elmo face itself. If the tag was cut off, the shape and the black eyes are the visual cue.
This is a recurring gap in children's product recalls. MedicalDaily has reported repeatedly this year on teething toys pulled under different brand names, where the identification step defeats parents more often than the remedy does. Registering baby gear with the manufacturer when it arrives is the single step that puts a household on the notification list.
Teething Relief Without the Recalled Item
Parents who remove the toy still have a fussy baby. Cold remains a reasonable approach, and a chilled, one-piece silicone or solid rubber teether with no applied parts serves the same purpose. A clean, damp washcloth chilled in the refrigerator is another option that has no detachable components at all.
Pediatric guidance generally advises against freezing teethers until they are rock hard, since a very hard surface can bruise gums. Refrigerating rather than freezing achieves most of the soothing effect. Parents with questions about a specific product or about pain relief for an infant should speak with their child's clinician rather than relying on product marketing.
Any toy in the house should be checked for parts that have loosened, regardless of brand or recall status. Small parts that a young child can put in the mouth are a recognized choking hazard, which is why federal rules include a ban on small parts in toys intended for children under three.
Households can report a product problem or an injury to CPSC at SaferProducts.gov, which is how many recalls begin, and can sign up for free CPSC recall alerts so notices arrive by email. New notices are also posted to the agency's recalls and safety warnings index. CPSC has not indicated whether additional models will be added. MedicalDaily will report any expansion of this recall.
Key Questions Answered
What exactly was recalled? About 22,660 Skip Hop Baby Sesame Street Elmo Silicone Teethers, model 9R263210, sold in the United States, plus about 3,177 sold in Canada.
What is the hazard? The black eyes can detach from the teether if the product is frozen, creating a choking risk for an infant.
Has any child been hurt? No. Skip Hop received four consumer reports of the eyes detaching. No injuries have been reported.
Where and when was it sold? At Carter's retail stores nationwide and online at carters.com and skiphop.com from January 2025 through March 2026, for about $12.
How do I identify mine? Look for a red tag with the Skip Hop name and model number 9R263210 attached to the side of the fabric crayon box.
What is the refund? A refund in the form of a gift card usable at Carter's, Skip Hop, OshKosh B'gosh, and Little Planet stores. Register at skiphoprecall.com.
What should I do with the toy? Take it away from children immediately and follow the disposal instructions the company provides. Do not resell or donate it.
