Parenting Children

Playworld Systems Inc. swingsets have been recalled from the The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. About 17,300 Playground Swing Sets made by Playworld Systems Inc. were recalled due to the clevis bearing on the swing set can wear out and cause the swing to detach, posing a fall hazard to children.

These were sold through authorized dealers nationwide to day care centers and children’s learning centers from January 2007 through February 2008 for between $770 and $3,100. There are seventeen different swings involved in this recall and the model numbers of all of them can be found on this site.

For additional information, contact Playworld Systems at (800) 233-8404 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.playworldsystems.com

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This week New Jersey government voted on a bill to require all children to be vaccinated with the flu vaccine. The bill was approved by the Public Health Council but still needs to be approved by the State Health Commissioner. NJ would be the first state to make this vaccine mandatory. What makes this bill so infuriating to me is that these vaccines contain formaldehyde and 25 micrograms of thimersol (mercury) per dose! The vaccinating of even this small amount of mercury repeatedly year after year from multiple vaccines can cause brain damage.
What happens when there is a flu vaccine “shortage” like they have every year and you can’t get the vaccine for your children? Do they not get enrolled into school?

Now Merck has voluntarily recalled about 1.2 million doses of its Hib (Haemophilus influenzae Type B) vaccines because they may not have been fully sterilized. During testing, Merck found certain bacteria in their vaccine manufacturing equipment, but not in the vaccine themselves. The Hib vaccine is recommended for all children under 5 and is usually given in a three-shot series, starting at 2 months old.

Here is a quote from Dr. Furhman, from the Eat to Live book on these mandatory vaccines that are popping up:
“It seems that lawmakers do not understand that freedom should include freedom from forced medications for ourselves and our children. The fact that we grant religions the right to do anything, but if not under a religious umbrella, those with strong science-based, philosophical-based or strong-personal belief get no such rights, I think this is unconscionable”

Even if you support all vaccines for children, you have to be concerned about the amount of vaccines that are to be administered to children. I would love to hear from you, what do you think about the safety and amount of vaccines required for our children?

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Not surprising, more toys and baby recalls came down today.
Boppy Covers:
About 38,000 Boppy pillow slipcovers imported by The Boppy Company of Golden, Colo. The zipper pull on the slipcovers can break and pose a choking hazard to young children. In addition, paint on the zippers may contain excess levels of lead. The slipcovers were sold nationwide at discount department stores from July 2006 through September 2007. Call the The Boppy Company (888-713-3916) for a free replacement.
Pacifiers:
About 8,000 flashing pacifiers or 2-in-1 flashing pacifiers with whistle necklaces. The nipple of the pacifiers can detach from the base and pose a choking hazard to young children. The pacifiers were sold nationwide in June 2007 for about $5 per dozen. Consumers should throw away the pacifiers or return them to the place of purchase for a refund. For more information, contact Sailing (U.S.) at 800-643-6134.
Bracelets:
About 43,000 Sparkle City charm bracelets and tack pin sets that contain high levels of lead. The charm bracelets and tack pin sets were distributed by Buy-Rite Designs Inc. and sold at Big Lots stores nationwide from August 2005 through April 2007 for about $1. For more information, contact Buy-Rite at 888-777-7952.

There was also a Graco snugride car seat recall the other day. You can read about it here. You can see other recent toy and baby gear recalls in my archives or on www.reviewingbabygear.com.

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I have recently wrote about all the toy and baby gear recalls and how frustrating it has made me, and I am sure I am not the only Mom. When the Fisher Price recalls came out I sat and thought about all the Dora and Diego toys I had that were being recalled, hundreds of dollars worth of toys. I found out later that my toys were not effected because they were purchased before the recall dates. I was not that relieved.
I sat in my children’s playroom and looked at all the toys that could be dangerous for my children; Thomas trains, plastic food for their kitchen, superhero dolls, dress up jewelry and baby dolls.
What was I to do?

Now that Christmas is coming up I am really reevaluating what I have in my house already and what I need. I am compiling lists of websites that only sell toys made in the USA. I am suggesting clothes, books or savings bonds instead of toys for family to give them. I am trying to buy handmade items for people on my list.
With a new baby on the way I have thrown out my Avent bottles and I am researching safer bottles, bibs and baby gear.

Maybe this was my wakeup call that my kids have too much, that we all have too much. The simple toys, blocks, puzzles books, arts & crafts and games are usually the best anyway. Does my daughter really need a life size Barbie? Does my son need 1000 Thomas trains?
The answer is no.

I hope you will join me in the fight to make our children’s toys safer, you can start here.
I hope you will try to buy handmade items or make them yourself this holiday season. I hope that someday soon I can buy something for my baby or preschoolers and not have to research it for weeks first, or find out it was recalled a week later.
I hope all of our children are safe.

What are you doing to keep your kids safe this holiday season?

This post was for a Parent Bloggers Network blog blast “get the lead out”.
Check out the Consumers Union to learn more and take action!

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I am really about to take all of my children’s toys away and give them cardboard boxes to play with, after all of these toy/baby gear and clothing recalls. Cardboard boxes are probably toxic anyway!
Now, a Chinese-made toy was ordered off store shelves in Australia after tests showed that had a chemical that converts into the “date rape” drug, gamma hydroxy butyrate (GHB) when ingested.

Over the past two weeks, three children in Australia had to be hospitalized after they swallowed beads from Bindeez. Bindeez are a very popular toy in Australia and they are beads that can be arranged into designs and then fused together by spraying water on them. However, scientists found that the beads contain a chemical that humans metabolize into GHB, which can cause drowsiness, unconsciousness, seizures, coma and death!
Now aquadots a popular toy here in North America, is also being recalled. This was a toy my daughter was asking for Christmas! This is the same toy just manufactured under a different name in Australia.
What are you doing about all of these recalls?

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Last week I wrote about how medicines for children under 2 may not only not be helpful but can be deadly. Although the makers of these medicines insist they are not harmful if used as directed they are voluntarily withdrawing products sold for infants, the Consumer Healthcare Products Association said Thursday.

If you pick up any over the counter medicine, on the product under recommended doses it will say “for children under 2 consult a doctor”. In some cases parents are not doing so and children have been affected.
Instead of giving children medicine you can use a vaporizer, saline nasal drops, and make sure your child is well hydrated.

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The CPSC reports that Kolcraft is voluntarily recalling about 425,000 infant play yards following the death of a child.

Twelve different Kolcraft play yards are included in this recall. All of the play yards have raised changing tables with a restraint strap that forms a loop beneath the changing table, posing a strangulation hazard to a child in the play yard. They all come in different patterns and types. They were sold at retail stores nationwide from January 2001 through September 2007 for between $50 and $130.

If you want to see if your playyard was included in this recall or if you need more information, call Kolcraft at (888) 655-8484, or visit the web site at www.kolcraft.com.

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Mattel is recalling more then 800,000 toys in the third recall in a little over a month. Again these are Chinese made toys containing high counts of lead paint.

The recall includes Barbie accessories sold between October 2006 and August of this year, 90,000 units of Mattel’s GeoTrax locomotive line and about 8,900 Big Big World 6-in-1 Bongo Band toys, both from the company’s Fisher-Price brand. The Big Big World products were sold in the U.S. from July through August of this year, while the GeoTrax toys were sold from September 2006 through August of this year.

For information about these latest recalls, you should call Mattel at 888-496-8330 or visit the company’s Web site at http://www.service.mattel.com.

Tell me what are you doing now that all these toys are recalled? Are you OK with buying toys from China?

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Mattel is recalling more toys today due to lead in the paint on the toys and expanding another recall they have of “magnet” dolls.
The first is the car “Sarge” from the movie Cars.

The magnet toys include “certain dolls, figures, play sets and accessories that may release small, powerful magnets.” The majority of the 18.2 million magnetic toys subject to the recall are no longer on store shelves, the company said, and newer toys have been designed to retain their magnets.

You can find all the information on these recalls on Mattel’s site.

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