aPARENTly Speaking » Health & Safety

WARNING Coming on Baby Slings & Suffocation Deaths

jburrell — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:45:34 +0000

You know those trendy baby slings, the soft fabric hammock/sash that lets you wear your little one across your chest? Apparently babies have died in them, when their body positions constricted their airways and they suffocated. Now the federal government is preparing to issue an official warning to parents, probably later this week. Consumer Reports began raising concerns about the slings in 2008, first because of serious injuries suffered by two dozen babies who fell out of them. Then, about the suffocation risk, which has been linked to the deaths of at least seven babies. The brand Consumer Reports named was the “SlingRider” by Infantino.

I know a lot of you have used these baby slings or know someone who has. What was your experience?

RECALL: 127,000 Kiddie Forks

jburrell — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 20:43:23 +0000

If you’ve got one of these kiddie fork/spoon sets, purchased from the Dollar Tree and Deals stores for a buck, take them away from your child at once. The Consumer Product Safety Commission just recalled 127,000 of these sets because the middle prongs of the fork can come off, which poses a choking hazard. The affected sets include Scooby Doo, Tweety and Batman designs (pictured).

Um, is anyone actually giving their toddler a Joker spoon? I’d have thought a Joker knife would be more appropriate, considering the character is a psychopathic mass murderer. I’m just saying…

RECALLS: Baby Food, Tinker Bell Bracelets

jburrell — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 20:47:42 +0000

Not to be an all-recall, all-the-time kinda gal, but here’s what’s been recalled this week:

The FDA just announced a recall on some varieties of HAPPYTOT and HAPPYBABY Pouch Meals, due to a packaging defect that could cause bacterial contamination. You’re looking for pouches with plastic caps and an expiration date between Nov. 2010 and January 2011. Follow the link for specifics.

CPSC just pulled the plug on 174,000 Papyrus children’s cards ($7, pictured) with little wooden bracelets. Super cute, but unfortunately, the beads on the bracelets have excessive amounts of lead.

And they also recalled 252,000 Tiny Tink and Friends Children’s Toy Jewelry Sets, because the connectors that hold the charms contain lead. The recalled jewely includes two varieties of Tinker Bell’s Lil’ Tinker Bracelet, Rosetta’s
Rosebud Key Chain and Silvermist’s Water Lily Necklace. And if you’re a Tinker Bell aficionado, you’ll know that Tink, Rosebud and Silvermist are all Disney fairies. Again, follow the links for pics and instructions on what to do next.

RECALL: Princess & Frog Jewelry for Cadmium

jburrell — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 01:30:46 +0000

Remember the worries about children’s jewelry carrying toxic loads of cadmium? Well, federal watchdogs and FAF Inc. just recalled 55,000 “Princess & the Frog” necklaces (photo, left) sold at Walmart stores, because of high levels of the potent carcinogen. If your child has one of these, take it away immediately. If you’re not sure if what you’ve got is one of these, follow this link to see model numbers and UPC coding. Take the jewelry back to any Walmart for a full refund or free replacement.

RECALL: Flammable Helicopter Toys

jburrell — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 20:04:14 +0000

It’s episode number 4,624 in the “Toy Helicopters Erupt Into Flames” saga – or it feels that way anyway. RadioShack and the Consumer Product Safety people just recalled 6,000 Danbar Knight Hawk Toy Helicopters, after a store demo model caught fire while it was charging. Ahem. Some 971,000 toy helicopters were recalled in 2008 after they burrrrst into flames too. I think there’s a message here …

In other recall news, some 9,600 baby Santa suits were recalled because the buttons pop off and pose a choking hazard. And 15,000 Blip horsie toys have lead in their paint.

STROLLER Recall: 1.5 Million Graco Strollers

jburrell — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 22:55:54 +0000

Graco and the federal consumer product safety folks just recalled 1.5 million Graco strollers (pictured at left), including the Passage, Alano and Spree models. Seems the hinges on the stroller’s canopy can cut or amputate babies’ fingertips. There have been five fingertip amputations and two lacerations because of the faulty hinge, to date. And yes, this isn’t the first stroller company whose products have caused this type of injury. McLaren recalled a million strollers in November, after faulty hinge mechanisms on the stroller itself, not the canopy, amputated 12 children’s fingertips.

Click here for details on the Graco models involved and information on how to get a free protective hinge cover kit.

AUTISM Clusters in the South Bay

jburrell — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 18:09:50 +0000

So bizarre: UC Davis researchers have found 10 clusters of autism cases in California – including three clusters, where autism rates are almost double the norm, in the Bay Area – and they’re predominantly in areas where parents are white, well-educated and a little older. The three Bay Area clusters are in Redwood City, San Carlos and Belmont; areas of Sunnyvale and Santa Clara; and Western San Francisco.

Why? It’s not because of toxic waste or pollutant issues, the Davis team said, but it may be linked to household products or lifestyle factors associated with more educated families. (Um, like, parents with graduate degrees use more air freshener?) Or, the research team director said, these families may be more likely to have their children diagnosed.

Read the rest of the story here…, then click “comments” and tell us what you think.

RECALL: 447,000 Baby Car Seats

jburrell — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 23:54:26 +0000

Yikes. Some 447,000 infant car seats have been recalled by not just the manufacturer – Dorel – but the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration too. Problem is, these car seats are meant to double as an infant carrier but the child restraint handle can loosen and come off. Some 77 families have reported incidents in which the handle came off – in three cases, babies actually fell and incurred bumps, bruises and a head injury. It’s a Dorel car seat, but it’s sold under the Safety 1st, Cosco, Eddie Bauer and Disney brands, so you’ll need to match your model number and manufacturing date against the master list.

In other recall news, 700,000 packages of DayQuil were recalled because they lack child-resistant packaging.

SWINE Flu Vaccines Recalled

jburrell — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:41:42 +0000

Oh lovely. Some 800,000 pre-filled swine flu vaccine syringes, destined for babies and tots’ chubby little shoulders, have been recalled. Don’t get too worried. There’s nothing wrong or harmful about them, but federal health officials say they’re issuing the recall because the vaccine is not retaining its full strength – they think perhaps the active agent in them is sticking to the inside of the syringe. Read the full story here…

RECALL: 24K Baby Hammocks

jburrell — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 20:30:54 +0000

The federal consumer protection folks just recalled 24,000 of these Amby Baby Motion Beds after two babies suffocated – a Georgia 4-month-old in June 2009 and an Oregon 5-month-old in August. The hammock design means babies can roll and become wedged against the fabric and/or mattress pad. If you’ve got one of these, purchased at Ambybaby.com and other online retailers between 2003 and this fall, find a different sleeping arrangement for your baby and contact the company at once.