Choking Hazard Prompts Skip Hop Recall of Elmo Silicone Teethers 2026

If your baby has been teething on an Elmo-shaped silicone toy from Skip Hop, stop and check it now. The black eyes on the recalled teether can detach if the product is frozen, creating a choking hazard that carries a risk of serious injury or death for infants. Skip Hop Inc., working with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, has issued a recall covering roughly 22,660 units sold in the United States, with an additional 3,177 sold in Canada.

The company has already received four consumer reports of the eyes coming loose from the teether. No injuries have been reported so far, but the potential severity of a small part lodging in an infant’s airway is why regulators moved quickly on this one.

Products Affected by This Recall

The recall covers the Skip Hop Baby Sesame Street Elmo Silicone Teether, model number 9R263210. The toy is shaped like Elmo’s face in red, orange and white with black eyes, and it comes bundled with a textured blue key and a fabric crayon box in beige, blue, green, yellow, orange and red. A red tag bearing the Skip Hop brand name and the teether’s model number is attached to the side of the crayon box, which is the easiest way for parents to confirm whether they have the recalled item.

The teethers were sold at Carter’s retail stores nationwide, as well as online at www.carters.com and www.skiphop.com, from January 2025 through March 2026. They retailed for about $12.

Why Was This Recall Issued?

According to CPSC, the black eyes on the teether can detach if the product is frozen. Many parents chill teethers intentionally, since the cold helps soothe sore gums, but that same practice is what triggers this defect. Once an eye separates from the toy, it becomes a small, hard object that a baby could easily put in their mouth, posing a choking hazard serious enough that CPSC classifies the risk as one of ‘serious injury or death.’

Who Should Be Concerned

Anyone who purchased the Baby Sesame Street Elmo Silicone Teether from Carter’s stores or its online outlets between January 2025 and March 2026 should consider their teether potentially affected. Because the product was also distributed in Canada, where about 3,177 units were sold, Canadian families should check the Health Canada recall notice as well, since this action was issued jointly with Canadian authorities.

The teether was imported by The William Carter Company of Atlanta, Georgia, distributed by Skip Hop Inc. of New York, and manufactured in China.

What Should You Do?

• Stop using the teether immediately and take it away from children.
• Do not freeze or continue chilling the product under any circumstances.
• Contact Skip Hop Inc. at www.skiphoprecall.com for a refund and disposal instructions.
• Alternatively, call Skip Hop’s toll-free line at 800-692-4674, available 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday.

Consumers who complete the recall process will receive a refund in the form of a gift card, which can be redeemed at any store operated by The William Carter Company’s family of brands, including Carter’s, Skip Hop, OshKosh B’gosh and Little Planet. Parents can also visit www.skiphop.com and click ‘Product Recalls’ at the bottom of the page for more details.

Official Statement

CPSC notes that federal law bars anyone from selling a product once it has been subject to a Commission-ordered recall or a voluntary recall carried out in cooperation with the agency. This recall has been designated a Fast Track Recall, a process CPSC uses when a firm agrees to act quickly in coordination with the agency’s staff. The recall was announced on September 3, 2026, and is listed under CPSC recall number 26-739.

Parents are also encouraged to report any incidents involving the product, or any other consumer product, at www.SaferProducts.gov, or by calling CPSC’s consumer hotline at 800-638-2772.