LL Bean Faux-Shearling Infant Booties

What went wrong

The notice saysA small metal zipper tab on the infant booties can detach, posing a choking hazard to young children.

Here the loose piece is a working part of the shoe, not an add-on decoration. Fasteners such as snaps, rivets, zipper tabs and tags are pressed or sewn in at the factory, and when that attachment is weak they can work free with ordinary flexing. Because the part looks like it belongs there, parents rarely think to test it; a firm pull with your fingers is the quickest check.

How to tell if your pair is affected

Product description in the noticeThe booties are sold in infant sizes 1-6. The booties were sold in a tan or pink suede. They have rubber soles and a zipper closure at the ankle. The booties are lined with creme-colored faux shearling acrylic/polyester fleece. "L.L. Bean" is printed in white letters on the soles of the booties. The size and stock #BNK1 are printed on a tag inside the booties.

The notice gives no style numbers or barcodes, so you match on what it does give: the brand and style (Faux-Shearling Infant Booties), the sizes (infant sizes 1-6), the sale period (July 2006 to December 2006), the store (L.L. Bean) and the “made in” label (China). If a detail does not line up, the recall contact below can confirm.

What the notice tells you to do

RemedyConsumers should take the recalled booties away from children immediately and contact L.L. Bean to receive a full refund.

Recall contact, as printed in the notice: For more information, contact L.L. Bean at (800) 555-9717 any time, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.llbean.com

The recall is 19 years old, and the last pairs were sold about 19 years ago. Children outgrow shoes fast, so pairs like these now turn up mainly as hand-me-downs or in resale, where the recall still applies. The notice gives a phone number and a website for the firm; details that old may have changed, and the CPSC notice stays online as the record.

How this recall compares

• With about 4,400 units, this is the 61st largest of the 95 footwear recalls in our archive that give a U.S. unit count. The median recall in the archive covers about 7,200 units, so this one is below typical size.
• 41 other footwear recalls in the archive cite the same kind of hazard (choking), 41 of them in children’s footwear. The earliest in this group dates from 1993.
• The notice puts the sales window at about 6 months (July 2006 to December 2006), against a median of 7 months across recalls that state one. The recall came 2 months after the last sale date.
• The notice gives a price of $16.50. For slippers and booties in the archive the typical stated price is about $13, so this pair sat at the pricier end of its group.
• The notice cites 6 reports before the recall. 36 of the 95 detailed notices in the archive cite no incidents at all.

Year, part, store and origin

• 2007 brought 8 footwear recalls in our archive, covering about 1,262,600 units in all. This was the 1st of the year by date and the 6th largest by units.
• The notice names the zipper pull as the part that fails. 2 other footwear recalls in the archive name the same part in their hazard statement; the most recent is Cha Cha and Cha Cha 2 girls' boots (2013).
• Sold at L.L. Bean. 1 other footwear recall in the archive also list L.L. Bean as a seller; the most recent is Children’s Snuggle-Up slippers (2000).
• Made in China. 61 of the 91 notices in the archive that name a country list China (67%).
• 6 reports on about 4,400 units works out to roughly 136 reports per 100,000 units. The median across the 55 recalls that give both figures is 16, so this recall drew more reports per pair than most.
• At the stated price, the 4,400 units come to roughly $73,000 of retail sales.

Comparisons use the 103 footwear recalls in our archive, read from the CPSC recall database on October 20, 2026. See data and methods.