Infant Toy and Product Safety

Author: Babies 411

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/pregnancy-articles/infant-toy-and-product-safety-1416045.html

About the Author

For More Baby Related Information:

Visit Us At: http://www.Babies411.com

Diba Tillery RN, BSN,… Babies 411 is an on-line information and resource center for parents. It has been developed by Diba, a neonatal intensive care nurse, with the sole purpose of promoting the health, safety, and well-being of all babies.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. QUESTION:
   Any baby / infant safety guides or products to recommend?
   I got a friend just become mom, any sites, products, guides or tips you can recommend or share?

   • ANSWER:
     hi there, u may refer to this link for infant safety products, you can read some reviews of the items too, which is very helpful:

     http://www.infantsafetyguide.com

2. QUESTION:
   How concerned are you about the safety of products made in China in light of the China milk scandal?
   With nearly 53,000 infants downed by melamine-contaminated dairy products, China’s milk scandal could very well be just the tip of the iceberg. Philippine Health Secretary Francisco Duque III announced that all milk products from China will be tested, and banned if found contaminated with melamine. But how guaranteed are we that other China-made products are safe and reliable? Share your thoughts and tell the community what you think.

   • ANSWER:
     Extremely concerned would be an understatement. It’s a known fact that not all products in the market have passed quality standards for safety and health issues, and we can’t ignore that a large number of them come from China, which according to many critics and agencies have a really low standard of monitoring their safety and quality- all in the pursuit of profit. Now, in my case, being in a country that has known lapses in some government agencies and corruption is pretty high – not to mention the fact the majority of the population believe that foreign goods are better- this leads to all sorts of god-know-what type of substandard products come in. Also, the fact that there has been no high profile case involving foods or products that have entered the country where those responsible have been caught and brought to justice… let us not forget the issue of low quality chinese products coming into the country and are all over Divisoria. Such is that I feel we have become the dumping ground of any substandard product that was banned in other parts of the world. And when (and believe me when I say when!) a scandal relating to a banned substandard product enters the country and our kids or adults start dying- finger pointing, senate inquiries, state witnesses and every politician jumping on the band wagon, all of this will be swept away by the next “high profile” news. For those who can afford quality, good for them. But sadly, many of us cannot- and the breeding ground for low quality stuff that are dangerous is magnified. We just have to trust our own judgement when buying products made from China or for that matter anywhere else. Knowing the origin of a certain product and its tract record is already a winning combination to avoid the same fate of those babies. But seriously, compromising quality of milk for babies?!? Little ones who have no way of choosing their path yet? All for profit? That’s really low.

3. QUESTION:
   Is everyone aware of the infant sling carrier recall?
   Infantino is recalling about 100,000 of its SlingRider Infant Carriers in cooperation with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

   The plastic slider on the carrier’s fabric strap can break. This can cause the strap supporting the carrier to release and infants to fall out of the carrier. The manufacturer has received 10 reports of the plastic sliders breaking, including eight reports of babies falling out of the carriers. Four children were taken to the emergency room due to their injuries, and one of these children fractured her skull.

   This recall involves the Infantino SlingRider carriers with item numbers: 141-210; 151-210; 151-528; and 151-534. The carriers are sold in black or khaki. “Infantino” is printed on the plastic slider located on the strap. The item number is printed on a label inside the SlingRider. Products labeled “Made in Thailand” or “New 2007 Design” are not included in the recall.

   The carriers were sold from July 2006 through February 2007.
   if you have the effected models (like i do) go to www.infantino.com and they give you a free shipping label to send it back and they will send you a free replacement item
   I never use mine (thank god) because my daughter hates it… every time i put her in it she starts to scream…

   • ANSWER:
     OFFICIAL RECALL NOTICE: U.S. CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION

     Name of product: SlingRider Infant Carriers

     Units: About 100,000

     Manufacturer: Infantino LLC, of San Diego, Calif.

     Hazard: The plastic slider on the fabric strap can break. This can cause the strap supporting the carrier to release and infants to fall out of the carrier.

     Incidents/Injuries: Infantino has received 10 reports of plastic sliders breaking, including eight reports of babies falling out of the carriers. There were four reports of impact injuries where the child was taken to the emergency room. One of these children fractured her skull.

     Description: This recall involves the Infantino SlingRiderTM carriers with item numbers: 141-210; 151-210; 151-528; and 151-534. The SlingRiderTM consists of a fabric carrier with a strap attached that is worn by the user to carry an infant up to 20 pounds. The carriers are sold in black or khaki. “Infantino” is printed on the plastic slider located on the strap. The item number is printed on a label inside the SlingRider.TM Products labeled “Made in Thailand” or “New 2007 Design” are not included in the recall.

     Sold at: Target Stores, Babies R Us, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Modecraft and other retailers nationwide, by catalog and online from July 2006 through February 2007 for about .

     Manufactured in: China

     Remedy: Consumers should stop using these carriers immediately and contact Infantino to return them and receive a free replacement product.

     Consumer Contact: For more information, contact Infantino toll-free at (888) 808-3111 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. PT Monday through Friday or go to the firm’s Web site at at http://service.infantino.com

4. QUESTION:
   Can Children Become Proactive in their own Safety?
   I’m always looking for ways to make my children’s life safer, but with more than half the products I have in my house that says, “Keep out of reach of Children it’s hard to keep them safe. I have all the safety gadgets but they get into everything. I was reading a parent magazine and read a write-up called “Mr. No-No Saves Children’s Lives”. Read your kids the book then put stickers of Mr. No-No on things you don’t want your children to touch. It says they did a case study on infants to preteens and they documented a one-year-old baby would not touch anything Mr. No-No was on including his stuffed bear. So I went on line, I noticed there are a couple other safety characters, but they are stupid. Looks like allot of time and effort went into Mr. No-No. Some characters were just outright pathetic. Would it be easier for children to learn to stay away from Mr. No-No or just try to keep teaching them all places & things not to touch? Check it out www.mrnono.com let me know what you think.

   • ANSWER:
     I think the Mr. No No thing will work! I would be willing to try it!! They should start it in daycares! It should be universal so that in hospitals and other places a toddler goes they will know not to touch things!

5. QUESTION:
   important info re: infantino brand slings!!!?
   (CBS) The popularity of baby slings has been on the rise over the past four years.

   But, reports “Early Show” Consumer Correspondent Susan Koeppen, the Consumer Product Safety Commission says two slings are considered so dangerous they’re being pulled from the market, and parents are being told to stop using them.

   Earlier this month, “The Early Show” broke the news that federal regulators were warning of possible suffocation hazards posed by baby slings — which parents put around their necks and carry their babies in.

   Now, the CPSC has announced the voluntary recall of one million slings made by Infantino.

   The Sling Rider and the Wendy Bellissimo are being pulled because they pose a suffocation risk, Koeppen says.

   Asked by Koeppen how quickly a child could suffocate in “one these slings,” CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum responded, “In a matter of minutes.”

   Tenenbaum says three children died in Infantino slings last year alone.

   “You might have your baby in a sling next to you and not notice that the baby has gone into (a) position (in which he or she) cannot breathe” until it’s too late, Tenenbaum added.

   That, notes Koeppen, is exactly what happened to seven-day-old Derrik Fowler during a shopping trip with his mother, Lisa Cochran.

   She’d been carrying her newborn in a sling made by Infantino. “By the time I got to the car and pulled him out of the sling to put him in his car seat, he was no longer of normal color,” Cochran recalls.

   Infants younger than four months are at greatest risk in slings, Koeppen points out, because their weak neck muscles mean they have no head control. An infant can curl into a “C”-shape, with the chin falling into the chest — restricting the baby’s airway.

   There are no federal or voluntary safety standards for infant slings.

   In a statement, Infantino says, “Safety is our No. 1 concern,” adding it “has also been working closely with the CPSC and other agencies … to develop safety standards for baby slings.”

   But, observes Koeppen, that’s of little consolation to mothers such as Cochran, who says, “As a first-time mom, I had no clue I could walk into a store and pick something off the shelf that wasn’t safe.”

   Consumers are being advised to stop using the recalled Infantino baby slings immediately and contact the company for a free replacement product.

   To get it, take the tags off your recalled sling and send the tags to Infantiono, Koeppen says, adding, “There are three different products that you could get in return. You have a choice. There is a shopping cart carrier. There is a different type of baby carrier. There’s also an activity gym that you can receive for free.”

   As for baby slings not included in the recall, Koeppen repeated parent sholdn’t use them if their infant is less than four months old.

   The CPSC, Koeppen says, is also looking at all baby slings, investigating them — the ones that are on the market currently — and will be working toward mandatory federal safety standards.

   http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/03/24/earlyshow/living/ConsumerWatch/main6328292.shtml

   • ANSWER:
     What I find amazing is the fact that they were saying this 2 years ago and it took this long for the companies to get in trouble with it and have to recall them. When I looked into infant carriers for my daughter in 2008 they had this information out THEN.

     There are so many other warnings that people ignore right now. Don’t use a car seat on a shopping cart. Don’t use a car seat as anything BUT a car seat (don’t use it on strollers, don’t use it as a feeding chair, a rocker…) and don’t let the baby sleep in it. Lay newborn – 4 month olds flat in their stroller (and make sure the stroller can lay flat.)

     Meanwhile I’m just waiting for someone to look at my baby Ergo carrier and say “You know, they say those are dangerous” because they’ll think sling = any baby carrying device.

6. QUESTION:
   did you know about Infant tylenol recall?

   http://www.babyzone.com/safety/recalls/article/tylenol-liquid-products-recall

   • ANSWER:

7. QUESTION:
   please help: Has anyone used the Safety 1st Two-way Tandem Stroller?

   http://www.overstock.com/Baby/Safety-1st-Two-way-Tandem-Stroller/3235713/product.html

   Pros? Cons?

   and some stupid questions: where do I put the newborn? rear/front?

   does the infant car seat face forward or toward you?

   Where do i put my 2yr old? rear/front? will she face me or face outward?

   Is the storage good? I am a neat freak and OCD when it comes to storing/organizing items.

   what is the “parent tray” like?

   is this stroller really heavy….will it fit in a small car (pontiac vibe)??

   I am really interested in this stroller and I hope to hear good reviews from all you experienced moms/dads/babysitters/nannies/grandparents out there.

   • ANSWER:
     No, sorry, I have not..

     Look it up on amazon.com, usually people have great reviews there on baby products…

8. QUESTION:
   Assume that you are suing the manufacturer. Discuss for which tort you would sue: negligence, strict liability?
   Product: Arizona Newborn and Infant Denim Pants

   According to the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission(CPSC). A product recall had been released on November 25, 2008, Release #09-056 that a recall on J C Penney Co Arizona Newborn and Infant Denim Pants manufactured in Bangladesh in sizes from 0-9 months were found to be hazardous because the metal snap at the waist could detach posing a choking hazard to infants. The recall involves Arizona brand newborn and infant girls and boy’s denim pants. Only those pants made in Bangladesh are affected; pants made in China are not included in the recall. There have not been any Incidents/Injuries reported thus far

   • ANSWER:
     Neither they spotted the problem before it became an issue and have tried to correct it.I see no basis for a law suit.