Wednesday November 25, 2009
I'm a fan of the one-deal-per-day shopping sites like Woot.com, so I was excited to see that there's a baby-specific deals site - BabySteals.com. Every day, one product goes up for sale on the site at a great price (yesterday's deal - Robeez holiday shoes for $15). That product sells until they run out, and the whole thing repeats the next day.
Popular items can run out very quickly, so you sometimes have to be quick! If you haven't checked it out yet, and you enjoy the thrill of fast shopping, visit the site and sign up for their alerts so you'll be notified when they put up a new product.
Tuesday November 24, 2009
New crib safety standards are on their way in the U.S. and worldwide. The new standards are expected to ban the manufacture of drop-side cribs due to problems with hardware and mis-assembly that can lead to injuries or death when the drop side detaches and creates a gap between the mattress and crib. Many crib manufacturers have already started phasing drop-side cribs out of their lines, and some retailers, such as Toys R Us, have stopped ordering them to sell in stores.
According to the Associated Press, CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum said the agency has not moved as fast as it should have on new crib safety standards, but "the commission will write regulations in the next few months." She indicated that drop-side cribs would not be allowed in the new standards.
ASTM, the group that creates worldwide voluntary safety standards, is also expected to release new crib safety standards very soon. ASTM's Len Morrissey told Canada.com that the group's latest crib safety standard "no longer contains provisions that allow movable side rails on full-sized cribs."
Monday November 23, 2009
Problems with plastic hardware are the culprit in yet another drop-side crib recall, this time affecting about 2.1 million Stork Craft cribs in the U.S. and Canada. It's not just one problem that lead to the Stork Craft crib recall, though. The plastic hardware can break or warp over time, or could get lost. Some people have accidentally installed the drop side upside-down, which also causes hardware problems. All of these issues can lead to part of the crib's drop side detaching, allowing enough space between the crib and mattress for a baby to become entrapped and suffocate.
According to CPSC, there have been 15 reports of entrapment, including four cases of suffocation. Another 20 kids have fallen from the cribs, which is a risk when the drop side detaches entirely.
This Stork Craft recall affects more than 1.2 million cribs in the U.S. and another 968,000 cribs in Canada. All Stork Craft drop-side cribs manufactured between Jan. 1993 and Oct. 2009 with plastic trigger and one-hand-system drop-side hardware are recalled. Also included in this recall are Fisher Price brand drop-side cribs manufactured between Oct. 1997 and Dec. 2004. You can find the manufacturer name and date of manufacture on the assembly instruction sheet, which is attached to the mattress support board.
If you have a Stork Craft crib that is included in this recall, you should stop using it immediately. Stork Craft will send free repair kits to crib owners, but you should find a different spot for baby to sleep in the meantime. To order your repair kit, call 877-274-0277 or visit storkcraft.com.
Note: The repair kit is designed to fix the drop side into place permanently so it does not move. CPSC has included a specific warning about trying to repair the crib on your own, in any way. Please wait for the repair kit. According to the Associated Press, when speaking about the Stork Craft recall, CPSC chairman Inez Tenenbaum suggested that parents should consider abandoning the recalled cribs entirely.
Photo credit: Stork Craft drop-side crib and label courtesy of CPSC.gov.
Monday November 23, 2009
Kids in New York will now need to remain in an appropriate car seat or booster seat until their eighth birthday, thanks to a new car seat law that goes into effect on Nov. 24, 2009. The previous state law required car seat or booster use through age six.
According to New York's Governor's Traffic Safety Committee, an appropriate car seat or booster seat meets the the child's height and weight according to the manufacturer's instructions. Children under age four are still required to ride in a federally approved car seat, and all children under age 16 are still required to wear a seatbelt.
Unlike many states that have passed booster laws recently, New York did not add any height and weight requirements to their law, instead opting to only recommend that parents choose to keep kids in boosters until they are 4'9" and 100 lbs. Parents of petite kids should strongly consider that recommendation until your child can meet the requirements for safely using a seat belt.
