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Additional recalls for Simplicity and Infantino baby products

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.

Sited and Related Links:
CPSC | Fisher-Price Recalls Simplicity’s Rainforest™ Portable Play Yards …
Meta-DAD | Simplicity Bassinets Potential Deathtrap for Infants
CPSC | Infantino Expands Recall of Infant Rattles Due to Choking Hazard
Consumer Reports | Third major recall of Simplicity includes 600,000 cribs

Tags: 0-1 year, health alert, kids health, recall

Lethal Snow Globes, Faulty Ski Bindings and Other Holiday Recalls

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 More »

Tags: classic toys, furnishing, health alert, holidays, kids health, kids room, recall, toys

And Now For Your Moment of Zen…

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

Tags: art, fun

The Ebb and Flow of Toxic Toys

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.

Sited Links:
Wikipedia | Phthalates
Wikipedia | Lead Poisoning
Consumer Affairs | Soon-to-be Banned Plastic Toys Flood the Market
CPSC Press Release | Toy Xylophones Recalled by King Import…
CPSC Press Release | OKK Trading Recalls Toy TVs Due to…
Toys R’ Us | Safety Practices

Related Links:
Christian Science Monitor | End of Toy Story: Where do Lead-tainted Toys Go?

Tags: educational, health, kids health, safety

CPSC Offers Recalls and Heeds Warnings for Halloween

At a glance Halloween seems to be a fairly safe and straight forward family affair. Dress the kids up. Let them get a bag or two of candy. Take some snapshots for the family album. Clean up (especially that rotten jack o’lantern on your front step) and move on to Thanksgiving, right?

Well according to the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission there are some safety tips to follow this Trick or Treat Season. I will offer the unabridged version of their tips as they seem to (rightly) focus on a few obvious hazards.

Decorations Safety;

• Whenever possible do not use candles and when you do keep them away from kids, general foot-traffic and their costumes.
• When prepping your house for Trick-or-Treaters, clean the pathway leading up to your front door of all obstacles and make sure it is well lit.
• Don’t overload extension cords and only use healthy UL tested products

Costumes Safety;

• If wearing a mask, make sure they can breath well enough and make sure they can see (including peripheral vision)
• If they are going to be out on the streets Trick or Treating make sure they carry a flashlight and have reflective or light colored fabric or material on their outfit.
• Choose costume that are “flame resistant” which means they will be less likely to catch on fire.
• Weapons (swords, knives, et al.) should be soft and bendable or collapsible in nature.
• Make sure costume is weather appropriate, which may mean additional layers under outfit.

Treats;

• Make sure parent/guardian(s) check all candy, toys or treats (especially for young ones) for tampering or choke hazard

Like most holidays, a few products are being recalled for safety reasons. Crate & Barrel out of Northbrook, IL has recalled thirty thousand Halloween Ghost Tealight Burners for burn and fire hazards. There have been five reports of the tealight holders igniting and one report of the holder becoming excessively hot. Two consumers suffered burns to the hand. Just by looking at this product (above), I can tell you without doubt that many more people have been burned by this product – not necessarily bad ones but burns nonetheless.

Coyne’s & Company, out of Minneapolis MN, is recalling all fourteen thousand of their Casper the Friendly Ghost figurines due to excessive amounts of lead. These figurine stand approximately three inches tall and are made from resin and paper. Please check the original press release for model numbers and additional details as there are many different figurine designs included in this recall.

Sited Links;
Tag Home Decor | Ghost Tealight Recall Information
Halloween Figurines Recalled by Coyne’s & Company for Lead Hazard
Ghost Tealight Holders Recalled by Trade Associates Group and Crate & Barrel…
CPSC 2008 Halloween Safety Tips

Tags: costumes, halloween, kids health, recall, safety

And Now for a Moment of Zen…

During the course of the Great Depression, the market fell from 380 points to 41 points in just under two and a half years. Year-to-date the market has fallen from a high of just over 14,000 to today’s close of 8,500.

Look at the most recent snapshot of the market (above), pay close attention to the right side of the chart, especially the month of October (in the last week it has fallen from 11.4k to 8.5k!). Yes, this is a superficial look at a complex issue but it is still something to marvel at. This is one for the history books!

Sited Links;
Yahoo Finance | Dow Jones Industrial Average

Tags: family finances