Friday, May 30, 2008

Car Seat Strap Position

When my daughter was a baby, I remember reading about car seat straps and there was a difference in where the strap should be if the car seat was forward facing or rear facing. As my son has now switched from rear facing to forward facing in the car seat, I have been trying to remember what I read all those years ago. Finally I found the information again on the Dorel Juvenille Group (maker of Cosco, Eddie Bauer and Safety 1st Car Seats) website.

Forward Facing Car Seat
For a child that is in the forward facing toddler position, the straps must be even with or above the child's shoulders.
Rear Facing Car Seat
For an infant that is rear facing, the harness straps should be even with or just below the baby's shoulders. If the harness is above the baby's shoulders with the straps in the lowest position, do not use the car seat until the baby grows into it.

SmartToyChoice has expanded its toy recall service to include other children's products including car seats.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

150,000 Remote Control Helicopters Recalled

Over 150,000 Remote Control Helicopters sold at Walgreens were recalled by the CPSC today due to Fire and Burn Hazards from the rechargeable battery. This is proof again of the following SmartToyChoice Ten Toy Recall Myths -

Only parents of preschool children need to worry about toy recalls
Not true. Parents of preschool children must worry about toy recalls, especially if their children are prone to putting toys in their mouths. Yet, not all recalls are for toys that cause problems when ingested. Easy Bake ovens were recalled because children’s hands were trapped and burned in the oven. Remote control airplanes were recalled because the batteries were catching fire or exploding and causing hearing loss.Toys were also recalled for breaking and causing lacerations.

For more of the Ten Toy Recall Myths please click on the following http://www.smarttoychoice.com/dsp/dsp_toy_recall_myths.php

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Over 1 Million Toy Cell Phones Recalled Today Due To Choking Hazard

Over 1 million Little Tikes Chit N Chat Toy Cell Phones were recalled today due to a choking hazard. The CPSC and Little Tikes have received three reports of the toy breaking, including one report of a child beginning to choke on a small part. The affected phones were sold at department, juvenile product and drug stores nationwide from June 2006 to March 2008.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Big Day for Lead Paint Recall in Children’s Products

Today the CPSC issued seven new recalls on children’s toys and other products due to excessive lead. The recalls included the following:

Pirates of the Caribbean Sleeping Bag (sold at Disney Stores)
Tinker Bell Wand (sold at Disney Stores)
Basic Beat Shaker Guiro Instrument (sold by West Music)
Sure Grip Yellow Paint Brush (sold by Early Childhood Resource Distributors and to Teacher Supply Stores)
Floppy Friends Horse Toys
AND
The biggest lead paint recall today included over two million magnet sets by United Scientific sold to schools for use in science classes. These magnets have been sold to schools for the past 12 years (sales started in October 1996). An additioin 87,000 magnets by American Scientific were recalled for lead and these were sold to schools since 2006.

Friday, May 16, 2008

FDA Not Ready To Ban BPA in Children's Products

According to an article in Reuters by Will Dunham, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday it sees no reason to tell consumers to stop using products such as baby bottles made with a controversial chemical found in many plastic items.

WHAT IS BPA?
BPA is used to make polycarbonate plastic, a clear shatter-resistant material in products ranging from baby and water bottles to sports safety equipment and medical devices.
It also is used to make durable epoxy resins used as the coating in most food and beverage cans and in dental fillings.

WHY SHOULD WE BE CONCERNED ABOUT BPA?
People can consume BPA when it leaches out of plastic into liquid such as baby formula, water or food inside a container.
The FDA is looking at a draft report issued in April by the National Toxicology Program, part of the U.S. government's National Institutes of Health, that expressed some concern that BPA had the potential to cause neural and behavioral problems in fetuses, infants and children.
Relying on animal studies, the National Toxicology Program said there was evidence suggesting links between BPA exposure and early puberty and prostate and breast cancer in people, becoming the first federal agency to embrace such concerns.

WHAT IS THE GOVERNEMENT DOING ABOUT BPA?
Norris Alderson, the FDA's associate commissioner for science, said although the regulatory agency is reviewing safety concerns about the chemical bisphenol A, or BPA, "a large body of available evidence" shows that products such as liquid or food containers made with it are safe.
Sen. Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat, said the FDA was "looking the other way" on safety concerns about BPA. "Parents always err on the side of caution when it comes to their kids' health. We think that the law should do the same," he added.
Schumer, Kerry and other Democratic senators in April introduced a bill to ban BPA in children's products. It also would direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study health effects of BPA in children and adults.

WHAT ARE RETAILERS DOING ABOUT BPA?
Some retailers, including Wal-Mart and Toys R Us, are planning to stop selling certain items made with BPA.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Toys Fail Toxic Chemical Test

Yesterday at the Women’s Health Expo in Albany, NY, representatives from the Just Green Partnership used a hand-held device called an Innov-X XRF analyzer to test for heavy metals and chemicals in the Take Your Child’s Toys To Work Day Event. According to an article by JULIE A. VARUGHESE, in the Times Union Newspaper, one little girls necklace tested high for lead.

The partnership wants to see three bills signed into law to oversee toxic chemicals in toys.

One bill requires substitutes for phthalates, which have been associated with disruption of hormonal and endocrine systems and are often found in soft plastic toys, and bisphenol A, often found in plastic baby bottles and other containers.

Another bill restricts the use of flame retardants, linked to neurological problems.

A third would regulate the distribution of items that contain lead, which causes an array of neurological problems including lowered IQ and learning disabilities.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

PlayWorld Systems Recalls Swing Sets Sold to Day Cares

Yesterday, the CPSC issued a recall on Playworld swing sets sold to day cares and early childhood learning centers in the past year. The swing set recall was due to a faulty part (clevis bearing) which can detach and cause the swing to fall. Over 17,000 swing sets are part of this recall.