STOCKHOLM (AFP) - Swedish furniture maker Ikea on Thursday recalled nearly three million baby bed canopies worldwide due to a potential danger of strangulation.

"We have had some reports of young children getting entangled in these canopies," Ikea spokeswoman Ylva Magnusson said, adding that some children had sustained minor injuries.

"However there is no child that has had permanent injuries ... and as a safety measure we are recalling the products."

The company asked customers who have bought the canopies - which look like mosquito nets draped over a cot or child's bed - to stop using them and return them to Ikea stores around the world for a full refund.

"We apologise for any possible inconvenience this may cause, but safety is always the highest priority for Ikea," the company added in a statement listing eight different canopy models.

The recall concerns more than 2.8 million products sold since 1996.

Ikea gave no explanation as to why the products were on the market for so long before a recall was deemed necessary.