Holiday Decorations Recalled Today

The CPSC recalled two holiday decorations today. Included in the recalls are the Jumbo Snowman Snow Globes sold by Hallmark from October to November of 2008 and the Candle Powered Carousels sold at Gardener's Supply retail stores and website from September to November of 2008. Both decorations were recalled due to fire hazards.

Concerns about Safety of Second Hand Toy Purchases

Government safety officials are concerned that money-conscious parents will purchase holiday gifts from secondhand, online sellers, who may not be aware of safety issues.

In a study published in the journal Injury Prevention, many products recalled years ago including bassinets, strollers, play yards, and various toys are for sale on eBay. Study authors randomly selected about 150 items that were recalled by the CPSC between 1992 and 2004. After tracking them for a month on eBay, researchers found that nearly 70 percent of the goods were eventually sold (despite the site's policy prohibiting the sale of recalled products). It does not appear the sellers are purposely trying to unload dangerous items, says study author Keri Brown Kirschman, PhD, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Dayton. "They're just parents trying to recycle old children's stuff and are probably completely unaware that these items have been found to be dangerous."

In 2008, the recalled products included cribs sold as far back as 1995 and toys as old as 1999. Most parents either don't hear about the recalls or don't have the information necessary to know if their products are part of the recall (purchase date, product number, etc.)

Before purchasing from eBay or after purchasing from a second hand store, be sure to enter the purchase in your SmartToyChoice account to check for a previous recall.

http://injuryprevention.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/13/4/228
http://www.parents.com/baby/safety/other-issues/recalled-baby-products/?sssdmh=dm17.344268&esrc=nwpce19_09&email=763132636

Delta Enterprises Recalls Over 50 Different Drop Side Cribs Manufactured Since 1995

Today, the CPSC and Delta Enterprises recalled 1.5 million cribs sold from 1995 to 2007 due to missing or defective pegs in the legs of the cribs. There are over 50 different models included in the recall which can be found in your SmartToyChoice.com Recall Alert. The CPSC is aware of the death of an 8 month old, two children who became entrapped and nine disengagement incidents in the cribs where the safety pegs were missing or faulty. These cribs were sold at major retailers, including Walmart,Kmart and Target. These cribs have also been found to be sold secondhand. Parents and Caregivers should immediately stop using the cribs and contact Delta for a repair kit at www.cribrecallcenter.com or 800-816-5304.

New York Children's Product Safety and Recall Effectiveness Act of 2008

Earlier this month, New York Governor, David Patterson, signed into law the Children’s Product Safety and Recall Effectiveness Act of 2008. This law prevents recalled and defective toys and juvenile products from sitting on store shelves and will keep potentially dangerous products out of children’s hands. With all the CPSC recalls being voluntary, the stores are not required to stop selling the product. While the larger name store (Toys”R”Us , Target, Wal-Mart, etc) stop selling the products recalled by the CPSC, smaller, independent stores do not necessarily, possibly due to not hearing about the recall. Last summer, while shopping at a beach side souvenir store, I spotted Curious George Tin Pails that had been previously recalled sitting on the shelves to be sold.

Another Crib Recall From Simplicity For a Total of 2.5 Million Simplicity Cribs Recalled in Last Year

According to a washingtonpost.com article, another 600,000 cribs made by Simplicity are being recalled because the drop side can come off, creating a gap where infants can become trapped and strangled.

Simplicity also made the 900,000 bassinets that retailers recalled nearly three weeks ago after a second infant died in one. The company recalled 1 million cribs in September 2007 because of similar problems with the drop side detaching. That recall was prompted by three deaths.

The models recalled today include the Aspen and Crib N Changer Combo, Gabrielle, Camille, Providence and Shenandoah models sold between January 2005 and August 2008.

The now-defunct Simplicity is owned by SFCA which continues to sell cribs and other children's furniture under the Simplicity name. In August, the CPSC issued a warning about the Simplicity bassinets because SFCA refused to do a recall. The company has said it did not assume legal responsibility for products made previously by Simplicity when it purchased the firm's assets in April. Retailers later agreed to carry out the bassinet recall and agreed to do today's recall as well. SFCA is cooperating with retailers in carrying out today's recall.

Consumers should return their cribs to the store where they bought them to receive a refund or store credit.

Click below for a link to the original washington post article.

(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/16/AR2008091603282.html?hpid=topnews)

We Have Crossed the Million Mark for Remote Controlled Helicopter Toys Recalled in 2008

Today the CPSC added another 78,000 Remote Controlled Helicopters to the 2008 toy recall list making the total remote controlled helicopters recalled for 2008 over 1 MILLION!

Today the Protocol Remote Controlled Mini Helicopter made in China was recalled due to reports of the rechargeable battery overheating and causing the helicopter to melt. The reports included one consumer whose fingertip was burned in the overheating.

These helicopters were sold in retail stores nationwide from October to December 2007.

I don't know about you but my son will NOT be receiving a remote controlled helicopter for Christmas!

Infants Strangled to Death in Simplicity Bassinets: CPSC Urges Consumers To Stop

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is urging parents and caregivers to stop using convertible “close-sleeper/bedside sleeper”bassinets manufactured by Simplicity Inc., of Reading, Pa. CPSC has learned thaton August 21, 2008, a 5-month-old girl from Shawnee, Kan. was strangled to deathwhen she became entrapped between the bassinet’s metal bars. This is the second strangulation death CPSC has learned of in the co-sleeper bassinets. On September29, 2007, a 4-month-old girl from Noel, Mo. became entrapped in the metal bars ofthe bassinet and died.

CPSC is issuing this safety alert because SFCA Inc., the company which purchasedall of Simplicity Inc.’s assets at public auction in April 2008, has refused to cooperate with the government and recall the products. SFCA maintains that it isnot responsible for products previously manufactured by Simplicity Inc.The Simplicity 3-in-1 and 4-in-1 convertible bassinets contain metal bars spacedfarther apart than 2 3/8 inches, which is the maximum distance allowed under thefederal crib safety standard. The metal bars are covered by an adjustable fabricflap which is attached by velcro. The fabric is folded down when the bassinet isconverted into a bed-side co-sleeping position. If the velcro is not properly re-securedwhen the flap is adjusted, an infant can slip through the opening and become entrappedin the metal bars and suffocate. This warning does not cover bassinets produced in recent months that have fabric permanently attached over the lower bar.

Due to the serious hazard these bassinets pose to babies, CPSC urges all consumersto share this safety warning with day care centers, consignment stores, family andfriends to ensure that no child is placed to sleep in a Simplicity convertible bassinetcovered by this warning.The Commission voted, using its new authorities in the Consumer Product Safety ImprovementAct, to release this warning upon making a finding that the health and safety ofthe public require immediate notice.

Today, CPSC is announcing that the following retailers havevoluntarily agreed to recall the product and provide a refund or store credit toconsumers who return the product to the store where purchased:
Wal-Mart Stores Inc., of Bentonville, Ark. – (800) 925-6278 or www.walmart.com
Toys "R" Us Inc., of Wayne, N.J. - (800) 869-7787 or www.toysrus.com orwww.babiesrus.com
Kmart Corp., of Hoffman Estates, Ill. – (800) 659-7026 or www.kmart.com
Big Lots!, of Columbus, Ohio – (866) 244-5687 or www.biglots.com
Target of Minneapolis, Minnesota sold at www.target.com
onlyJ.C. Penney, of Plano, Texas – (888) 333-6063 or www.jcp.com

Below is a listing of Simplicity 3-in-1 and 4-in-1 Convertible "Close-Sleeper"model bassinets that are included in this recall. The model number can be found on a label on the underside of the bassinet.RECALLED Model Numbers:
3000CL
3112DOH
63011WHE
9250A
3016LAU
3046GTM
3010BIJ
3112DOH
73011WHK
3012SOM
3016MIR
3046HAN
3010HAV
3122BAN
3012BIJ
5750SAR
3017NCB
3047MON
3010NGS
3122TGC
3012OXF
3012TGT
3020SFB
3050LIL
3010TGT
3010BIJC
3012SFD
3013PRO
3025BER
3050SAR
3010WHE
343-8363
3040SAR
9250B
3025C
3060GFS
3040LAU
343-8399
3040SPR
3014LOL
3026CRT
3060TFS
TD2500
3045FEL
3050SWT
3014NGS
3027MIS
8393
3040WDS
3111DPC
3060BTL
3015GFR
3030SAR
3040SPRC
3045DRM
3012LLTC
3112BDY
3070MAN
3040CLA
3040LAC
3111ZOL
3050SWTC
3045OXFC
3112DOH
5730FKB
3045DRMC