News Moms Need

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is recalling nearly 2 million Summer Infant Baby Bathers because of falling and head injury risks. When the bather is lifted or carried with a baby in it, its folding wire frame can suddenly become unfastened from the side hinge, dropping the baby out of the bather. CPSC has received reports of babies who suffered head injury from falling out of these bathers.

The bathers were sold in stores nationwide from September 2004 through November 2011. If you have any of the recalled Summer Infant Baby Bathers, CPSC urges that you stop using the bathers immediately and contact Summer Infant for a free repair kit at (800) 426-8627 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. EST Monday through Friday or visit summerinfant.com/batherrepairkit. Do not return baby bathers to stores as the retailers will not have the repair kit.

The repair kit includes a locking strap and instructions. However, even with the new locking strap, never lift or carry the baby bather with a baby in it. To learn more about this recall, please visit cpsc.gov. Learn more about bath tubs and other bath products.

If you’ve been to a baby shower recently or visited a baby registry list, then you’ve probably seen the Bumbo infant seat. These baby seats, made of molded foam, are hugely popular in families with infants. But if you’re one of the millions of people who have a Bumbo, beware.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Bumbo International are recalling over 4 million Bumbo infant seats because several babies have fallen or gotten themselves out of their seats. This happened when the Bumbo was placed either on a raised surface or used on the floor. The CPSC has gotten reports of babies who suffered skull fractures, bumps, bruising and other injuries.

If you have a Bumbo seat for your baby, the CPSC urges you to stop using the seat right away until you get and install a free repair kit, which includes a safety belt. To order the repair kit, visit recall.bumbousa.com or call (866) 898-4999 between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m EST Monday through Thursday, and between 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. EST on Friday.

The Bumbo seats were sold in stores nationwide and online, including Sears, Target, Toys R Us (including Babies R Us), USA Babies, Walmart, and other toy and children’s stores from August 2003 through August 2012.

To learn more about this and other recalls, visit cpsc.gov. Visit marchofdimes.com for more information about baby gear.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is recalling nearly 1 million Safety 1st Push ‘N Snap Cabinet Locks with model numbers 48391 and 48442. CPSC found that young children can unlock the cabinet locks, giving children access to unsafe items moms and dads keep in cabinets. This can put your child at risk of getting hurt from these unsafe items.

The child safety locks were sold at Bed Bath & Beyond and other retail stores nationwide as well as at Amazon.com from January 2004 through February 2012 for between $2 and $4.

If you have any of the recalled child safety locks, CPSC urges you to remove the locks from the cabinets right away and store dangerous items out of reach of children. For a free replacement Push ‘N Snap lock, contact Dorel Juvenile Group (DJG), Inc. (the company that imports these child safety locks) at (866) 762-3212 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. EST Monday through Friday or visit the firm’s website at www.djgusa.com.

For more information on the child safety lock recall, please visit the CPSC website. Learn more about keeping your baby’s environment safe.

You may have heard recent news about cantaloupes being recalled because they may be linked to listeriosis, a kind of food poisoning. The cantaloupes are Rocky Ford cantaloupes and were shipped nationwide by Jensen Farms.

Listeriosis is a serious infection caused by bacteria called listeria. Listeriosis most often happens from being in contact with foods that have listeria. While anyone can get listeriosis, pregnant women are about 20 times more likely than other healthy adults to get listeriosis. In fact, about 1 in 6 cases of listeriosis happens during pregnancy.

Listeriosis is very harmful to women during pregnancy. A pregnant woman who gets listeriosis is at risk for miscarriage, premature birth and stillbirth. Listeriosis is also very harmful, even deadly, to newborn babies. Older adults and people with weakened immune systems are at increased risk of listeriosis, too.
 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises everyone not to eat Rocky Ford cantaloupes shipped by Jensen Farms. While most grocery stores have removed the cantaloupes from their shelves, some people may still have them in their homes. At least 18 states have reported cases of listeriosis from cantaloupes, including California, Montana, Kansas, Florida and Maryland.

To learn more about the recalled cantaloupes, visit the CDC website.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is recalling more than 2 million strollers and traveler systems. The CPSC is recalling these strollers because babies may be at risk of getting trapped in the strollers.

The recall is for Graco Quattro Tour strollers made before November 2006 and Graco MetroLite strollers made before July 2007. These strollers and traveler systems were sold in stores nationwide between 2000 and 2007. Newer versions of these strollers aren’t part of this recall because they include safety measures that were updated in 2008.

Babies, especially those younger than 12 months, can get trapped if they aren’t strapped in properly. A baby can pass through the opening between the stroller tray and seat bottom, but his head and neck can become trapped by the tray. This can lead to injury, or in some cases, strangulation.

Earlier this year, CPSC recalled other Graco strollers and traveler systems because babies were at risk of injuring their fingers. 

For more information about this latest stroller recall, please visit the CPSC Web site. Learn more about stroller safety.

We’ve posted about cribs being recalled several times in the last few months (post 1, post 2, post 3). This time, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is recalling over 2 million cribs, both drop side and fixed side, made by 7 different companies. These cribs pose a safety risk to your baby such as falling, getting stuck or suffocating. The cribs being recalled were sold between 2000 and 2009 and were made by the following companies:

• Child Craft (now know as Foundations Worldwide): 866-614-0557 or cribsafetyinfo.com
• Delta Enterprise Corp.: 877-342-3418 or cribrecallcenter.com
• Evenflo: 800-356-2229 or safety.evenflo.com
• Jardine Enterprises: 800-295-1980 or jdservice.biz/Safety-Notices
• LaJobi: 888-738-5676 or safetyinfo.lajobi.com
• Million Dollar Baby: 888-673-6488 or themdbfamily.com/safety
• Simmons Juvenile Products Inc. (SJP): 877-342-3439 or cribrecallcenter.com

If you have a crib made by any of these companies, contact the company for a free repair kit. In the meantime, the CPSC asks that these cribs not be used until you receive the free repair kit. Visit the CPSC Web site for more information. Learn more about buying a safe crib for your baby.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is recalling over 3 million Ikea blinds because they pose a strangulation risk to children. Three kinds of Ikea blinds are being recalled including roller, roll-up and Roman blinds. The blinds were sold at Ikea stores nationwide from January 1998 through June 2009 for between $5 and $55.

The CPSC asks that consumers immediately stop using all Roman and roll-up blinds. The organization also urges consumers to stop using roller blinds that don’t have a tension device (which is attached to the bead chain) installed into the wall or floor. If you have difficulty installing the tension device on the roller blinds, contact IKEA at (888) 966-4532 or visit www.ikea-usa.com. The recalled blinds can be returned to any IKEA store for a full refund.

For more information, visit the CPSC Web site.

So many of my girlfriends are pregnant and everyone’s excited! One of my friends and her husband are in the process of turning their spare bedroom into a baby room. They’ve been clearing out the extra furniture and are ready to buy some new baby furniture. If you’re in the market for new baby furniture, it’s important to pick something that not only looks good, but is safe.

Cribs, for example, are an essential purchase. Baby is going to be spending lots of time getting her zzzz’s, so it’s important her sleeping area is safe. In the last year, there’ve been many recalls on drop side cribs (cribs with sides that go down). Another recall was just issued yesterday by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) because the drop side can become loose, leaving baby to be stuck between the mattress and the drop side. This can cause baby to suffocate. When buying a crib, try for one with sides that don’t move. They’re more stable than drop side cribs.

If you’re looking at car seats, try to buy a new one if you can. That way, you’re sure that it’s never been in a car crash. You also want to look for a model with a five-point harness (two shoulder straps, two leg straps, and one crotch strap). It’s the safest for baby.

To learn more about buying other safe baby products (like play yards, strollers, bathtubs and more) read our Safety for Baby articles.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is recalling over 1 million Graco Harmony high chairs. The organization found that screws can loosen, making the high chair unstable and causing baby to tip over unexpectedly. These high chairs were sold between December 2003 and March 2010 at stores across the country including Burlington Coat Factory, Babies “R” Us, Toys “R” Us, Sears, Target, Walmart and other retailers nationwide.

CPSC urges parents to immediately stop using the Graco Harmony high chairs and contact Graco for a free repair kit at (877) 842-3206 or visit www.gracobaby.com. Visit the CPSC Web site for more information about the Graco High Chair recall. Get more safety tips for baby.

Image Credit: GracoBaby.com

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is recalling millions of Roman blinds and roll-up shades because they pose a risk of strangulation in small children. The blinds were sold between January 1998 and October 2009 in a wide range of stores across the country including Walmart, Pottery Barn, J.C. Penny, Ace Hardware, Big Lots and other specialty window covering dealers. Consumers should stop using these shades and blinds immediately. If you have Roman or roll-up shades, contact the Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC) for a free repair kit at (800) 506-4636 anytime or visit www.windowcoverings.org.

To help prevent child strangulation in window coverings, the CPSC and WCSC urge parents and caregivers to follow these guidelines:

• Examine all shades and blinds in the home. Make sure there are no accessible cords on the front, side, or back of the product. The CPSC and WCSC recommend the use of cordless window coverings in all homes where children live or visit.

• Do not place cribs, beds, and furniture close to the windows because children can climb on them and gain access to the cords.

• Make loose cords inaccessible.

• If the window shade has looped bead chains or nylon cords, install tension devices to keep the cord taut.

Visit the CPSC Web site for more information about the recalls affecting specific window blinds and shades. Get more safety tips for baby.