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Expansion of second recall for Jardine brand cribs

Meta-Dad — Fri, 08 May 2009 12:30:14 +0000

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has received 31 incident reports of slats breaking, including two reports of children becoming entrapped in the gap created by the broken slat on the crib models identified below. In 10 of these incidents, consumers reported that their child broke the slat while in the crib. There was one report of minor injuries (bumps and abrasions).

This current recall affects 96,000 cribs from Taiwan-based Jardine crib maker that were sold at KidsWorld, Geoffrey Stores, Toys “R” Us, and Babies “R” Us stores nationwide, and at babiesrus.com, from September 2005 through April 2009.

Prior to this recall, Jardine had a similar recall in 2008 affecting 320,000 for similar defects to over a dozen models of cribs and an expansion of this initial recall in 2009 to include an additional three models. Everyone of these recalls has been a byproduct of injuries. It is safe to say, if you have a Jardine brand crib made after 2002, it would be prudent to check them for any type of structural deficiencies, especially the slats.

Sited Articles:
CPSC Press Release | Jardine Announces Second Recall Expansion of Cribs…
CPSC Press Release | Jardine Cribs Sold by Babies”R”Us Recalled Due to…
CPSC Press Release | Jardine Expands Recall of Cribs Sold by…

Other recent crib recalls:
Simplicity play yard recalled
Additional recalls for Simplicity and Infantino baby products

Simplicity play yard recalled

Meta-Dad — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 12:40:14 +0000

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has received at least five reports of one or more rails on the Simplicity Travel Tender Play Yards can collapse unexpectedly, posing a fall or entrapment hazard to young children. These were sold at the Burlington Coat Factory stores nationwide and online at Babiesrus.com, Target.com and Kohls.com from March 2005 through January 2009. The recalled play yards are portable and were sold with a bassinet, changing table and mobile features.

In the past year there have been a number of recalls for the now defunct Simplicity brand. In August 2008, a five month old Kansas child was strangled to death by the space between the metal bar and the bed of a 3-in-1 and 4-in-1 Convertible “Close Sleepers”. In 2007, another four month old died after being entrapped in the metal bars of the bassinet.

What compounds matters is that the company that now owns all Simplicity products, SFCA Inc., (an affiliate of Bethesda, MD based Blackstreet Capital Partners, LLC) refuses to take action. Evidently, SFCA purchased all Simplicity products in public auction back in April of 2008. According to the most recent CPSC Press Release, SFCA has ceased day-to-day operations, which means those of us stuck with faulty products have no action to take other than to stop using the product in question, contact the store it was purchased at for a refund and of course spread the word to other parents, friends and people in the community with small children.

In January of 2009, the Simplicity Rainforest™ Portable Play Yards with the Fisher-Price logo on it has one or more faulty rails which can collapse unexpectedly, posing a fall or entrapment hazard to young children.

Sited Articles:
CPSC | Simplicity Play Yards Recalled by Various Retailers Due to Fall and Entrapment Hazards

Meta-DAD | Simplicity Bassinets Potential Deathtrap for Infants
Consumer Reports | Third major recall of Simplicity includes 600,000 cribs
CPSC | Fisher-Price Recalls Simplicity’s Rainforest™ Portable Play Yards …
Meta-DAD | Additional recalls for Simplicity and Infantino baby products

OKK Trading pacifiers recalled

Meta-Dad — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 11:30:12 +0000

I don’t have a lot of faith in products coming from LA-based OKK Trading. I have been following toy and baby product recalls for a couple of years now and their name pops up a couple times a year. This time there is a voluntary recall of there “Baby Necessities” 4-pack of pacifiers, they have a blue heart-shaped mouth guard .

If you are interested in tracking their sorted history look what comes up when you do a search for their name at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s website. I think there must be some type of federal law stating that companies must post recall information for up to one full year from recall date because their website seems to be suffering from short term memory. In the future, if you find youself giving in to the bargain bin and find yourself with something from OKK Trading, toss it back – you’ll thank me later.

Fisher Price 3-in-1 high chairs recalled

Meta-Dad — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 11:30:47 +0000

There has been one report of a seat back detaching and child falling out, resulting in a skull fracture with the Fisher Price 3-in-1 High Chair to Booster™ Seat. A recall does not get more dire than this, additionally, the seat back can detach if not fully snapped in place, posing a fall hazard and risk of serious injury to young children.

It seems if the size of the recall is big enough (this recall is for 24,000 units) it is deemed press worthy while other seemingly smaller ones fall under the news industry radar, except for some of the smaller newspapers and news outlets. This means that word-of-mouth becomes vital to getting the word out to people who may have recalled products in their possession, tell a neighbor, bring it up at the park or mommy and me class – you may prevent an accident from happening.

These highchairs were sold at Target from 2008-2009 for about a $100 bucks. Look for product number (P5369) on the side of the seat.

Child Poison Prevention Week

Meta-Dad — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 11:30:52 +0000

They say, education is the best prevention. I think you’ll be surprised to find some of the real hazards in you cupboard and closets, even over-the-counter products, household plants and crafting supplies. There are hidden dangers in some of the most common household items such as baby oils and sunscreens are listed as oily hydrocarbon products which can suffocate children if drawn into the lungs when ingested, who knew? Now you know.

Each year, poison control centers receive more than 1.1 million calls about accidental poisonings among children ages 5 and under.
Only 30 percent of caregivers are able to accurately measure a correct dosage of over-the-counter medications to their children.
More than 90 percent of poisonings in children occur in the home.
In children, approximately 60 percent of poisonings involve products other than medicines such as plants, cleaning products, cosmetics, pesticides, paints, and solvents; 40 percent of poisonings involve medications. [*MUSC Children’s Hospital, Common Childhood Injuries and Poisonings]

A chilling fact, between 4 and 10 p.m. is known as the “arsenic hour” at most poison control centers because that is when call volume peaks. They attribute it to the fact that the parents tend to be distracted by dinner and other end-of-day tasks that leave their young ones unsupervised more than any other time of the day.

Two kids cosmetics recalled due to excessive lead

Meta-Dad — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 13:00:31 +0000

The High School Musical Manicure Kits and Lip Gloss Keychains have were recalled due to excessive levels of lead in these products.

This recall involves the pouch that contains the “High School Musical” manicure kit. The 7-1/2 inch by 4-3/4 inch plastic see-through pouch has a pink zipper with “High School Musical” printed in yellow gold with glitter and “Sharpay” printed in dark red on one side. Consumers should immediately take the recalled pouch used with the manicure kit away from children and mail it to Fantas-Eyes for a free replacement plus postage.

Fantas-Eyes
1 West 37th Street
New York, NY 10018

The metal clasp attached to the Lip Gloss Keychains contains high levels of lead. Lead is toxic if ingested by young children and can cause adverse health effects. This recall involves lip gloss with a metal clasp keychain attached to the cap by a chain. Markings on the lip gloss container read, “Lip Gloss,” “Brillant á lèvres,” “Fantasy Makers®” and “from the creators of Wet n Wild.”

Sited Links:
CPSC | High School Musical Manicure Kits Recalled by Fantas-Eyes
CPSC | Lip Gloss Keychains Recalled By Markwins Beauty Products

Additional recalls for Simplicity and Infantino baby products

Meta-Dad — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 13:00:36 +0000

This is not the first time a Simplicity product has been recalled. Back in August ’08, their 3-in-1 and 4-in-1 Convertible “Close Sleepers” were recalled after a five month old Kansas girl was strangled to death by the space between the metal bar and the bed. In 2007, another four month old died after being entrapped in the metal bars of the bassinet.

Evidently, Simplicity went out of business and various companies bought up their inventory. In the current round of recalls, the Rainforest™ Portable Play Yards with the Fisher-Price logo on it (model numbers are 5310 RNF, 5310RNFC, and 5310RNFW) has one or more faulty rails which can collapse unexpectedly, posing a fall or entrapment hazard to young children.

Also, Infantino has expanded its original recall for their Infantino Lion and Lamb Grabby Rattles™ after receiving close to a dozen reports of the rattles tail falling off, thus posing a choking hazard to infants and young children. This recall represents around 131,000 rattles.

Although it did not manufacture or sell the play yards, Fisher-Price has voluntarily agreed to assist any consumers who own any of the 200k play yards in this recall. Regardless, it is most important for all consumers to share this safety warning with day care centers, consignment stores, family and friends to ensure that no child is placed to sleep in a Simplicity play yards covered by this recall.

Lethal Snow Globes, Faulty Ski Bindings and Other Holiday Recalls

Meta-Dad — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 13:00:54 +0000

Now that the gift wrap has been thrown away and hopefully those sugar “highs” have passed, you think you have a moment to kick back on the couch and watch the kids fight over play with their new toys – wrong. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a six pack of recalls on items that may have sitting under your tree or in your kid’s room, so please read on.

Regarding Christmas decorations, there are two recalls – one with an obvious design flaw and the other one maybe not so obvious. We should all know this from 9th grade Science class, if you have a big enough snow globe in the sun for too long it will magnify the sun’s rays and potentially ignite a fire. Hallmark’s Jumbo Snowman Snow Globe (Stock #1XAG5093, measuring 11 by 12 by 17 inches) for a suggested retail price of $99.95, has been recalled due to a potential risk of fire.

Gardner’s Supply Company has voluntarily recalled their Candle Powered Christmas Pyramid (*pictured above). The candle carousels generate heat which rotate the fan blade and can cause the center platform to spin. The candle holder placement on the base of the carousels is too close to the structure, allowing the candle flame to come in contact and ignite different parts of the carousel, including the fans, trees and deer, posing a fire hazard.

Munire Furniture Company is in trouble again this year, they had a sizable recall a few months ago for there Majestic, Flat Top, Essex, Brighton/Sussex, and Captiva Cribs. Now it is there 4-in-1 Newport Rubbed Black Convertible Crib and matching furniture. The red paint beneath the black rubbed paint has been found to have excessive amounts of lead in it. There has been one report of a child ingesting the paint and being diagnosed with lead poisoning. The combined number of units involved in the two sets of Munire recalls is 34,000 so if you have anything with the Munire name on it in you nursery or kid’s room, please read this twice.

In the sports arena there are two additional recalls. Foursquare Outerwear, of Irvine, CA, made a classic fashion faux pas by selling hooded jackets with drawstrings in boys and girls sizes XS, S, M, L, and XL.

Drawstrings have been a fatal design flaw over the years because of the potential strangulation hazard to children (most victims generally 2-8 years). The lesson here parents, avoid buying hooded sweatshirts, jackets or any other garments for youngsters.

Atomic Skis USA has announced a major recall for a number of their ski binding lines due to a design flaw on the heel housing of the bindings. The affects bindings are Race 310, Race 412, RaceRace 310, RaceRace 412, Xentrix 310, Xentrix 311, Xentrix 412, C310, C311, C412, CR 310, CR 412, R 310, R 412, SX 310, SX 412, Device 311, Device 412, Centro 310, Centro 412, and Dynamic ADX 312, RD10, X412, Centro 412. There have been a number of reported injuries and concussions due to falls when these binding prematurely release. This recall alone affects over one million units worldwide, so if you notice someone wearing Atomic bindings while waiting for the lift you may want to give them the “heads up” on this recall.

Woodstock Percussion Inc. has 2.8k Steel Drums sold with massive amounts of lead paint on them, so the aspiring calypso musicians in the family, please take note.

CPSC | Hallmark Recalls Jumbo Snow Globes Due to Fire Hazard
CPSC | Gardener’s Supply Company Recalls Candle-Powered Carousels Due to Fire Hazard
CPSC | Woodstock Percussion Inc. Recalls Toy Drums Due to…
CPSC | Foursquare Recalls Hooded Youth Jackets with Drawstrings
CPSC | Munire Recalls “Newport Rubbed Black” Cribs and Matching Furniture…
CPSC | Munire Furniture Recalls Cribs Due to Fall Hazard
CPSC | Atomic Skis USA Recalls Ski Bindings Due to Unexpected Release

And Now For Your Moment of Zen…

Meta-Dad — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 14:30:12 +0000

Photographer Joshua Hoffline has breathed life into all of the classic childrens’ nightmares in our culture. His work licks sweet like candy and has all the production value of Disneyland, enjoy.

Via Joshua Hoffine

The Ebb and Flow of Toxic Toys

Meta-Dad — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 18:28:19 +0000

Have you noticed the number of toy recalls in the news has declined? Should we trust the issue has been handled and we can do our holiday toy shopping with ease? Perhaps these recalls are still out there but have been downgraded by the news industry because of the hubbub of the recent elections. Or perhaps there has been less toxic toys put on the shelves. The answer to all of these questions is most definitely a resounding, “no.”

Legislation has made efforts to put bans in place to prevent toys with heavy amounts of lead and other toxins from being sold. Washington, Vermont and California have already put laws in place banning the sale of toys containing phthalates.

Consumer advocates and some members of Congress are outraged that toymakers and retailers are rushing to sell the contaminated toys rather than destroy them.” ~ Consumer Affairs Article, Oct. 2008

Phthalates is the chemical additive in plastic (toys) to make them soft, and pliable. Arguments against this chemical have been mounting for years (European countries placed bans on it years ago) because medical studies show it to be an endocrine disruptor, affecting the hormones and reproductive organs of children. Think of that soft squishy rubber duckie in the tub. It is fair to say unless it has a big sticker on it saying, “non-toxic,” it is probably filled with phthalates.

Phthalates is not the only dangerous substance, as we already know. There is still an active concern about dangerous levels of lead in toys. Lead poisoning is especially harsh on the developing bodies of our children. Think that toy manufacturers have learned their lesson in lieu of the massive recalls of yester-year, no. Within the last month there were two recalls that I know of for toys laden with dangerous levels of lead filled paint [*see the CPSC Recall Press Releases below].

So what are we (the Consumer) supposed to do or look for this holiday season? Toy manufacturers are not required to list ingredients of their toys and it is fair to say most Retailers don’t have a clue what is in them. Large toy stores have begun to put corporate policies in place to do third party testing and other quality assurance standards in place.

Regardless, the most prudent thing for parents to do this holiday season is to assume that if squishy toy in your hand has not been labeled non-toxic by the manufacturer, there may be (even the slight) possibility there is toxins in it. And those cheap toys in the bargain bin? There is a reason why they are so cheap and it is not because they are eco-friendly or non-toxic. So when in doubt, shop at the retailers that explicitly have strong safety practices in place or (of course), buy them a sweater.