WARNING – This is not an impartial blog entry. I had a very visceral reaction to seeing this recall announcement, so I threw away any journalistic ethics and wrote from the gut.
I admit, there are times when my imagination goes to dreaming of a child muzzle after hearing John Jacob Jingle Heimer Schmidt sung by my grandkids for the fourteenth millionth time in a row. However, common sense told me that a child muzzle would have some safety (and probably legal) issues. But apparently one company felt it was actually a good idea to put a muzzle on a crying infant. Kahn Enterprises LLC, of Mendota Heights, Minnesota actually marketed the Beeni Baby Hat. (shown below). Fortunately they have only sold 35 of them, so not too many of our sweet, innocent babies have been forced to wear this Hannibal Lecter style pacifier enforcer.
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| Photo: CPSC |
I dare say that even a new mother, with minimal experience, would know that when a baby throws up, the pacifier is the first thing to pop out, sometimes in a projectile manner that in itself can present a hazard to anyone standing in it’s path! Seriously though, to restrain a baby from normal bodily functions by plugging them with a pacifier that has no release pathway comes close to torture in my mind. I’m pretty sure that forcing one to choke on their own vomit would make it on the list of unacceptable interrogation techniques even for the most ardent CIA hostage negotiator.
Fortunately it appears that some safety advocate may have seen this and had a similar mind-blowing response as I did, and a recall has been issued for all thirty five sold from January 2009 through May 2011. Even more fortunate is that no injuries have been reported. Amazing! The beanies were sold on Beeni Baby’s website, but are no longer offered for sale, and Kahn Enterprises is offering a full refund. I was unable to find either website, but you can view Beeni Baby's recall here.
If you were one of those 35 consumers who actually thought this was a good idea, might I suggest you take a good Parenting 101 class before you choose any more clothing options for your child.
Questions can be addressed to Kahn Enterprises via at info@beeni-kids.com, or call them at (612) 310-4053. The official CPSC recall details are found here.
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