The number of crib deaths from a Simplicity cribs defect has risen to 11. NBC4i says the CPSC is also aware of 25 other incidents with the cribs.
CPSC has recently been made aware of an additional death which occurred in September 2009 involving a 7-month-old child from Princeton, Kentucky who became entrapped in the crib when a part of it broke. On July 2, 2009, CPSC issued a recall describing the death of an 8-month-old child from Houston, Texas who became entrapped and suffocated between the drop side and the crib mattress when a plastic connector on the drop side broke. CPSC also is aware of an additional 25 incidents involving the drop side detaching from the crib.
There was a major recall issued by the CPSC in July. There have also been several other recalls of Simplicity cribs as noted here by Consumer Reports.
A company called CodeGoo has created an iPhone app that acts like a baby monitor. The listing on CodeGoo's website for the app can be found here.
Monitor your sleeping baby with this iPhone app. Simply place the iPhone near your sleeping baby, if it detects noise, it places a phone call to the number of your choice, you can then listen in for activity from your baby. Great for when you are on the go or traveling, no need to pack your regular baby monitor. One feature that makes this application exceptional is that the monitor has unlimited range!
Even use it to monitor when older kids arrive home from school, etc. The applications are unlimited. It also will detect if your baby picks up the phone. Great for curious toddlers that wake up from their nap without making noise. A fantastic value at only $4.99 cents.
Listening is not the same as seeing but it is still a neat idea. The cost is $4.99. More discussion of this iPhone app can be found here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
The Washington Post reports that the recent recall of Delta cribs has the Consumer Product Safety Commission planning to issue new regulations dealing with crib hardware problems.
After two infant deaths triggered the recall of 1.6 million cribs Monday, federal safety regulators are moving to address a longstanding gap in crib safety regulations: durability standards.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission plans to issue new regulations that deal with the hardware problems that have been at the center of five recent crib recalls and contributed to the deaths of at least two other children.
Details of the Delta crib recall can be found here. The CSPC also has a page that provides safety tips for all cribs. Here's an AP video that talks about the recalled cribs. It explains how with these cribs the drop-side can disengage and a hazardous gap can be created where a baby can become entrapped and possibly suffocate.
The interesting CBS video report below talks about the improvements that have been made in nanny cams. There are some very stealthy nanny cams available. Some can even be disquised as a book, clock, pencil sharpener or an iPod docking station. The sharpener and docking station are also functioning so if the babysitter or nanny came and sharpened a pencil they wouldn't know it was a camera. Some of the more expensive nanny cams let you see video over the Internet. The CBS report also mentions a website called HowsMyNanny.com where parents can purchase a purchase a license plate for their stroller.
Can infants swim? No, but they can be trained to turn over and float on their backs according Infant Swimming Resource. Infant Swimming Resource offers aquatic survival classes that train infants so they might be able to survive something like an accidental plunge into a pool. The courses were developed by Dr. Harvey Barnett, a behavioral psychologist and former lifeguard. Of course, the training is no substitute for fences, gates and keeping a very close eye on infants that are anywhere near a pool or a body of a water. The American Academy of Pediatrics says that babies are generally not ready to learn how to swim until age four. They also say that "parents should be reminded that swimming lessons will not provide 'drown proofing' for children of any age."
A shocking national study has found that 1 in 50 U.S. infants have been the victims of abuse and neglect. In 30,000 of the 91,000 the infants were aged just one week or younger. MSNBC reports the news in this article.
The researchers counted more than 91,000 infant victims of abuse and neglect in the period Oct. 1, 2005 to Sept. 30, 2006.
The information came from a national data base of cases verified by protective services agencies in 45 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
Other studies have looked at national child abuse and neglect cases, but this is believed to be the first to focus on infants, said Leeb, a CDC epidemiologist.
The 91,000 infants were age 1 year or younger. About 30,000 of those cases were infants aged one week or younger. About 68 percent of those cases were attributed to neglect.
The article says federal officials define neglect as "a failure to meet a child's basic needs including housing, clothing, feeding and access to medical care." So the study did not include mistakes made by new parents as they are trying to learn the process of raising and taking care of a newborn.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission says kids pajamas have to be made out of a flame resistant material. However, this is not always the case. There have been recalls of children's pajamas such as this recall from April. On this MSNBC video Rosemary Ellis from Good Housekeeping magazine says some manufacturers are circumventing this rule by misnaming the garments. They are not calling the products kids pajamas in order to avoid the rule. They might even have a label that says the item is not intended as sleepwear. However, these same garments are still being marketing for kids. Good Housekeeping also tested a number of kids pajamas to see if they are flame resistant.
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a voluntary recall of 1 million cribs from Simplicity Inc. You can view the recall information here. A drop-side installation error may create a gap where a baby can become entrapped in the crib.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is announcing today a voluntary recall with Simplicity Inc., of Reading, Pa., of about 1 million cribs. The drop-side can detach from the crib, which can create a dangerous gap and lead to the entrapment and suffocation of infants. CPSC is aware of two deaths in Simplicity manufactured cribs with older style hardware, including a 9-month-old child and a 6-month-old child, where the drop-side was installed upside down. CPSC is also aware of seven infant entrapments and 55 incidents in these cribs.
CPSC is also investigating the death of a 1-year-old child in a Simplicity crib with newer style hardware, in which the drop-side was installed upside down. CPSC is warning parents and caregivers to check all Simplicity cribs to make sure the drop-side is installed right side up.
The drop-side failures result from both the hardware and crib design, which allow consumers to unintentionally install the drop-side upside down. This, in turn, can weaken the hardware and cause the drop-side to detach from the crib. When the drop-side detaches, it creates a gap in which infants can become entrapped.
CPSC is also aware of two incidents that occurred when the drop-side was correctly installed with older style hardware, though the upside down installation greatly increases the risk of failure.
The recalled Simplicity crib models include: Aspen 3 in 1, Aspen 4 in 1, Nursery-in-a-Box, Crib N Changer Combo, Chelsea and Pooh 4 in 1. The recall also involves the following Simplicity cribs that used the Graco logo: Aspen 3 in 1, Ultra 3 in 1, Ultra 4 in1, Ultra 5 in 1, Whitney and the Trio.
The recalled cribs have one of the following model numbers, which can be found on the envelope attached to the mattress support and on the label attached to the headboard: 4600, 4605, 4705, 5000, 8000, 8324, 8800, 8740, 8910, 8994, 8050, 8750, 8760, and 8996.
Simplicity also has information here on its website. Here is how they describe the risk from the recalled cribs.
The drop-side can detach from the crib, which can create a dangerous gap and lead to entrapment and suffocation of infants. The drop-side failures result from both the hardware and crib design, which allow consumers unintentionally to install the drop-side upside down. This, in turn, can weaken the hardware and lead to the drop-side separating from the crib. When the drop-side separates or detaches, it creates a gap in which infants can become entrapped. While CPSC is aware of two separation incidents that occurred when the drop side was correctly installed, the upside down installation greatly increases the risk of failure.
The Chicago Tribunecalls this the largest recall ever of full-size cribs.
Updated 9-24-07.
ABC News reports that the recalls came years after reports of infant deaths.
A million cribs with a design flaw so serious, the Consumer Products Safety Commission said children should not be allowed to sleep in them for another night.
But, for the past two-and-a-half years, the CPSC allowed children to sleep in those same Simplicity cribs - even though it knew that incorrectly installed drop rails had led to three infant deaths.
Chad and Nicola Johns' son Liam was just 9 months old when he died in a Simplicity-manufactured crib, back in April 2005. His mother went into his room in the morning, and found him hanging in a gap between the drop rail and the mattress. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
"That was the worst day ever," said Nicola. "There's nothing that can describe how we were feeling that day."
The Johns sued Simplicity. But, while the CPSC investigated the matter, they didn't inspect the crib, and the investigator's report failed to identify the crib's manufacturer or model.
The recall didn't come until two-and-a-half years later after the infant death incident described by ABC News. The cribs were made in China by a Kansas City Stararticle says consumer experts are downplaying the China link because "the crib recall appeared to result more from poor design than from manufacturing errors."
The New York Times is reporting that some vinyl bibs sold at Toys "R" Us stores appear to be contaminated with lead when lab tested. The bibs were made in China. The lead is in the vinyl part of the bibs that have illustrations or pictures of characters like Winnie Winnie the Pooh. The cheap bibs sell for $5 or less.
Certain vinyl baby bibs sold at Toys "R" Us stores appear to be contaminated with lead, laboratory tests have shown, making the inexpensive bibs another example of a made-in-China product that may be a health hazard to children.
The vinyl bibs, which feature illustrations of baseball bats and soccer balls and Disney's Winnie the Pooh characters, are sold for less than $5 each under store brand labels, including Especially for Baby and Koala Baby.
Tests this summer, financed by the Center for Environmental Health of Oakland, Calif., found lead as high as three times the level allowed in paint in several styles of the bibs purchased from both Toys "R" Us and Babies "R" Us stores in California.
A separate test by a laboratory hired by The New York Times of the same Toys "R" Us bibs, purchased in Maryland, found a similar level of contamination.
"These bibs are exposing children to lead in an unnecessary way," said Caroline Cox, research director at the Center for Environmental Health, a nonprofit agency that for the last decade has been testing consumer products for lead, in an effort to remove them from the market.
The amount of problem Chinese products has been causing lately with toothpase, pet food and toy scandals has been ridiculous. Until China can prove they make safe products U.S. companies should refrain from buying them. U.S. companies should also have rigorous testing procedures so unsafe products don't go out into the marketplace.
A company called CodeGoo has created an iPhone app that acts like a baby monitor. The listing on CodeGoo's website for the app can be found 