SINGAPORE - Swedish furniture giant Ikea is urging customers to return a children's clothing item to stores, after safety issues with the product arose overseas.

It is recalling its Lattjo Bat cape, a black toy cape worn around the neck, after reports of three children in Austria, Sweden and Canada getting "marks and scratches on the neck" while using the capes, it said in a statement on Wednesday (April 6).

Sales of the cape began in November last year and stopped on Feb 10 here, after the company recieved reports about the injured children .

An internal investigation found that the fastening of the cape was hard to detach from children's necks and got stuck easily.

Customers who own a cape should stop children from playing with it immediately "due to the risk of strangulation or injuries to the neck," Ikea said in a press release.

Customers will receive a full refund and a receipt is not required.