To the Survivors

This email was sent to me by a dear friend this morning. I thought I'd share with you on my blog today.  I do not know the author, so if anyone knows who wrote this...leave me a comment so I can credit it properly.  Life used to be less complicated, and so much more fun.  

Those of You Born
1930 - 1979

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED THE
1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's! 

Photo:archives.toys.oneofakindantiques.com

First, we survived being born to mothers 
Who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant. 

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing,
Tuna from a can and didn't get tested for diabetes. 

Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-base paints. 

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles,
Locks on doors or cabinets and when we rode
Our bikes, we had baseball caps not helmets on our heads. 

As infants & children,
We would ride in cars with no car seats,
No booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, 

bald tires and sometimes no brakes. 

Riding in the back of a pick-up truck on a warm day
was always a special treat. 

We drank water
from the garden hose and not from a bottle. 

We shared one soft drink with four friends, 
from one bottle and no one actually died from this. 

We ate cupcakes, white bread, real butter and bacon.
We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar.
And, we weren't overweight.
WHY? 

Because we were
Always outside playing...that's why! 

We would leave home in the morning and play all day,
As long as we were back when the streetlights came on. 

No one was able to reach us all day. And, we were O.K. 

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps
and then ride them down the hill, only to find out
we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes 
a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's and X-boxes. 
There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable, 
no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's,
no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet and no chat rooms. 

WE HAD FRIENDS  and we went outside and found them! 

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth 
and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. 

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt,
and the worms did not live in us forever. 

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays,
made up games with sticks and tennis balls and,
although we were told it would happen,
we did not put out very many eyes. 

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and
knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just
walked in and talked to them. 

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team.
Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. 
Imagine that!! 

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law
was unheard of. They actually sided with the law! 

These generations have produced some of the best
risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever. 

The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation 

and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success 

and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all. 

If YOU are one of them?
CONGRATULATIONS!

You are among those that had the luck to grow up as kids, 

before the lawyers and government regulated so much of 

our lives for our own good. 
Kind of makes you want to run through the house
with scissors, doesn't it ? 

The quote of the
month is by Jay Leno: 
"With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, 
mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms
tearing up the country from one end to another, 
and with the threat of swine flu and terrorist attacks. 
Are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the 

Pledge of Allegiance?' 

Improved Crib Safety Rules Start June 28, 2011

     It’s June, and that means that the new federal crib regulations will be enforced in just a few weeks.  As of June 28, 2011, all infant cribs manufactured to be sold in the USA, must meet the new stricter federal safety standards. All infant cribs sold, or resold, in the USA must also comply with the new regulations as of this June deadline. If you are in the market for an infant crib, you’ll want to make sure that you ask the right questions before you make the purchase.   

     The new regulations also effect cribs used in childcare and hotel facilities (private, corporate and in-home), although the timeline for compliance differs.  By December 28, 2012, these types of facilities must use only compliant cribs that meet the new standards. 

Full-size Poster found at:  CPSC

     The heftier standards were developed in response to increasing reports of infant deaths and serious injuries that could be directly connected to a defective or incorrectly assembled crib. In addition to more intense compliance testing steps, sturdier manufacturing requirements were also set in place for crib slats, mattress support systems, and crib hardware.  Both drop-side and stationary, full and non-full size cribs are included in these new standards. 

     You won’t be able tell if the crib is compliant just by looking at it, so you’ll want to be equipped with the right questions to ask before you purchase, or before you leave your infant in the hands of a caregiver. Do the cribs they use comply with 16CFR1219 (full-size crib), or 16CFR1220 (non-full size) federal safety regulations?  You may want to ask them the date that their cribs were purchased, since this could also give you an idea of the likelihood of their compliance.  If they were purchased prior to April or May 2011, you might have some cause for concern.  It would be wise to ask them to show you the test report, or manufacturer Certificate of Conformity, that shows that the cribs comply with either of the federal regs mentioned above.  

     As a consumer who may already have a drop-side crib in your home, you can check the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recall site to be sure that your crib has not already specifically been recalled due to a known defect.  The CPSC website will provide you with instructions for replacement of those cribs.

     Very few companies have drop-side crib retrofit kits approved by CPSC, but you can check here to see if your crib’s manufacturer is among them.  However, one important note, even adding this retrofit kit to your crib does not bring it into full compliance with the new regulations. Therefore, if you decide to continue to use this crib, be sure to check the crib regularly.

Tips for in-home crib maintenance might include:

·  All hardware is secure and tight (check the bottom of the crib as well)

·  All connections/joints are secure (including the crib bottom, rails, sides & ends)

·  The drop-side rail works smoothly & locks easily in place when pulled up

·  No chipping or cracking seen on teething rail

·  No cracks or splinters on any of the wood surfaces (accessible or not)

·  Plastic tracks are not be damaged in any way

·  No holes or cracks appear in the mattress or the mattress support board

·  If the crib has see-through end panels, no cracks are present

  

     In the past most cribs were handed down though the generations, or from friend to friend. It has become apparent that this is a very dangerous tradition that should stop! The older the crib is, the more likely it will not meet even the minimal crib safety regulations that are in force today.

 Caregiver vigilance and knowledge about crib safety are both critical factors in keeping infants safe and healthy.

The Hannibal Lecter Baby Wear Line Meets Resistance

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.

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.

Cars and Strollers: Safety Belts Save Lives

illo from www.vote29.com

Here in Utah, seat belts are a big deal.  Lately the “Click it or Ticket” logo can be seen almost daily on billboards, in the news, and in television ads.  It’s a good law.  It saves lives, and it’s pretty obvious that when you get behind the wheel of an automobile, your life is in the balance.  So buckling up seems to be the smart choice.

But when it comes to infant strollers, those safety belts and harnesses are all too often left un-connected.  There is an arsenal of excuses for this, like “I just set him in the stroller for a minute while I was chatting with my neighbor,” or “I was only walking down to the mailbox, it’s not far,” or “I was in a hurry to get inside for that awesome one-day sale.”  Is it ever safe to deposit an infant in a stroller without engaging the seat belts and/or safety harnesses?  The simple answer is “No!”  

illo from www.cpsc.gov

Infants can surprise you.  You never really know when they are going to discover that if they wiggle to the left and then squiggle to the right they can inch their chubby little bodies right through one of those leg holes.  The problem is that their heads are almost always chubbier than their bodies, so while their body many slide through the hole, their heads can become stuck.  Dangling with body on one side of the opening, and their head and neck on the other side can result in strangulation and death. It can happen in only minutes, and it is totally preventable.

Most stroller manufacturers design strollers to minimize or eliminate this strangulation hazard, but it can happen even on fully compliant strollers.  In the case of four models of Lan Enterprises’ Zooper Strollers, manufactured between February 2009 and June 2010, the leg opening between the seat bottom and the front and side bars was found large enough for this hazard to occur.  These four models were sold nationwide  from May 2009 through May 2011. Although no injuries have been reported, Lan Enterprises is recalling the strollers and providing repair kits as a solution starting on July 1, 2011.

For details of the strollers recalled, click here.

For stroller safety tips from CPSC, click here.

Children's Product or Home Decor?

Sometimes I am truly amazed that I am still alive!  Growing up, I played on fallen trees in the forest behind our Pennsylvania home; I was carted around the county fair on a flimsy folding stroller; My favorite game included marbles; I drank out of plastic baby bottles probably laden with BPA; I know I chewed on the lead paint in my brothers die cast cars; and as a teenager, my bedroom door was decorated with a hippie–inspired pink and purple bead curtain.  Any one of those things alone would send CPSC, Consumer Reports and many Prop 65 prosecutors into a feeding frenzy!

Today the Consumer Product Safety Commission essentially told Target stores that they can’t market bead door curtains to children under 12 years of age. 

The strands of beads can be unintentionally manipulated during normal use to form a loop that could entangle or strangle a child.  There have been no deaths, but Target has received three customer reports of endangerment. The youngsters were 6, 9 and an unknown age, and all three suffered scratches and cuts from the beads grabbing onto their necks as they walked through the curtains.

The real problem was with how the door curtains were marketed.  The packaging demonstrated that there clearly was a known hazard.  The label reads: "Not for use in areas with children under 5 years of age. Plastic ornaments may pose strangulation or entanglement hazard. Not for use near cribs or playpens." The assembly guide also warned customers not to tie the bottom of the beaded curtains into loops.  The artwork on the packaging shows the curtains being used on a doorway that obviously was decorated like a young girl’s bedroom.

There is a lesson to be learned here.  If the beaded curtains had been clearly marketed for adults, and it was the parent who decided to put the beads over their child’s door – would a recall have been required in the event that scrapes and cuts had occurred on the children?  It was the manufacturer’s presentation of intended use in a child’s doorway that was at issue here.

Now personally I would never have considered door curtains as a children’s product, but the CPSC has been broadening their definition of what constitutes a children’s product since publishing their final interpretive rule for defining a children’s product.  These guidelines were created as a result of the total confusion caused by the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA). They were meant to clear the gray haze left by the CPSIA, in which a children’s product was defined broadly as “a consumer product designed or intended primarily for children 12 years of age or younger.”  In fact it created more questions than providing answers.  

What do you think?  

• When does home decor become a "children's product?'  
• What totally unsafe, but completely carefree activity did you participate in as a child, and live to tell about? 

Product Safety from Both Sides of the Product

In 2007, Mattel Toy Company and their Chinese sub-suppliers made a $2.3 million mistake. They didn't follow their own in-house quality assurance steps.  They failed to check  the lead levels in the paint used on some toys they produced in China and sold in the USA.  The result was a recall of millions of toys with lead levels above the allowable limits.  Some say they got arrogant, others say they got lazy, still others were sympathetic to the monumental task of product testing and supply chain documentation. Whatever you believe, it happened.  But the ensuing tsunami effect of that mistake is really quite amazing.  If this can happen to a giant like Mattel, what about the smaller companies importing toys and children products for sale in the states?  And so the witch hunt began. Instantly, all China toy manufacturers were labeled as sub-par.  All toy suppliers and manufacturers became villains of the worst kind.  Trust had been broken and accusations were flying around like a leaves in a wind storm.  


Enticed by the low costs, toy manufacturers dove head first into China without really understanding the intricacies or consequences of the cultural differences. Assumptions of understanding each other were made, and in the end - those assumptions became weapons of destruction for many USA toy companies and their Chinese manufacturers. To avoid the stigma of the "Made in China" label, many manufacturers are looking for new suppliers in Malaysia, Indonesia or VietNam. However, many of these factories are just learning the ropes in toy production and USA consumer/retailer expectations. As in China, the pressure to produce the very best quality goods for the very lowest US dollar puts any factory at risk of succumbing to corner cutting.  If history tells us anything,  it's that the learning curve in any new factory is long and while they are learning,  product safety issues could begin to surface here in the USA.  

In response to this perceived invasion of unsafe toys, Congress passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) in August 2008.  This historic new law carried inside it so many new regulations, testing and certification requirements that over two years later we are still weeding through the details.  


New lower lead limits for paint and substrates were mandated on all toys, children's products and furniture.  Restrictions on the amount of specific chemical softeners (phthalates) that could be used in PVC and other plastics were called out. The once voluntary toy safety testing (ASTM F963) became a federal requirement for all toys intended for children under 12 years old.  Tracking marks are now required on products and their packaging. For each product they produce, manufacturers will be required to maintain documentation on the design, materials, risk assessment, testing, suppliers and sub-suppliers.  In-house Reasonable Product Testing Programs must be documented and maintained. 


The CPSIA was vague and inclusive.  In fact it was so inclusive that sadly many small businesses that could not afford the extensive new processes and additional testing costs have succumbed to its effects.  Hand-crafters, stationary & art material suppliers, small toy retailers, and publishers have all been added to the obituary list.  Testing labs and manufacturers of all sizes were scrambling to figure out how to meet the February 2011 testing & certification deadline set by CPSC last year.  

On February 1, 2011, CPSC voted to extend the Stay of Enforcement on testing and certification for CPSIA lead in paint and substrates.  The new December 2011 deadline gives manufacturers one quick breath of relief, but the pressure is still on the have these tests completed and documented within the next 10 months.


For consumers it likely feels as if the implementation of this new law is taking too long.  From the outside it appears that manufacturers have been given one extension after another, and very little is being done to improve the safety of the toys on the store shelves.  But from inside the walls of a manufacturer, there have been daily discussions & changes over the past two years geared toward implementing the CPSIA requirements.  Hundreds of thousands of dollars are being spent in labor, process designs, testing, documenting, developing product history files and auditing supply chains.  Keep in mind that the great majority to toy manufacturers already have quality control processes in place. The CPSIA meant that they needed to redesign many of their internal systems to meet the new requirements.


At the risk of sounding dismissive, I am not really convinced that all this has resulted in safer toys overall. I definitely think it has raised the expectation of the consumer, and the responsibility of the manufacturers to be vigilant about testing their products and auditing their supply chains. Providing the safest products possible for our children is without a doubt the end goal.  But some consumer advocacy groups use media frenzy to build up unrealistic consumer expectations of safety.  Where a child plays with a toy or a stick or a cardboard box - the potential for injury is present. Parental responsibility and supervision has been eliminated from the equation in so many cases.  


I am a parent, and a grandparent.  I want my kids to grow up healthy without hidden mechanical or chemical hazards putting them at risk.  Chemical hazards, like lead, need to be regulated and carefully managed at all levels of manufacturing.  But adding layer after layer of testing, documentation, and certification regulations does not necessarily serve to make a safer product. Providing clear expectations and guidance to manufacturers is critical. 


Some in the product safety industry fear that our regulatory system is so broken, repair seems impossible.   Parents want safe toys.  Manufacturers want clear guidelines that help them assure the safety of the products they produce without driving up the cost to the consumer.  Importers/Retailers want a testing program with which they can comply without going bankrupt.  President Obama's direction on regulatory reform asked our US government agencies to look at our systems to see where we can avoid excessive, inconsistent and unnecessary regulations.  Perhaps that is a first glimpse at recognizing the mess we've made, and the first small step toward finding a solution.

For an excellent look at the challenges of manufacturing in China, read Angela Valdez's article on The Impact of Economic Slowdown on US Supply Chains.

Safe Use of Infant Slings

Baby slings have been used for generations all over the world.  I know I used one with my kids. If used properly, a baby sling can be a lifesaver for a busy mom (or dad) who needs both hands free to get chores done while keeping baby close. They can create a wonderful bonding time between baby and caregiver. However, remember that babies must be carefully positioned in the sling to avoid suffocation or bodily harm to the child.  Suffocation can occur in as little as one-two minutes!

Do not use a sling with babies under 4 months old, pre-mature or low-weight babies or infants with respiratory problems (cold, asthma, etc.)  CPSC issued a a safety alert last year emphasizing the proper use of slings.  This alert was based on reports of 14 infant deaths (since 1990) that can be directly attributed to the use of an infant sling. Most of these deaths occurred with infants in fragile conditions as mentioned earlier. 

If you are selecting a sling for an older baby (over 4 months old and between 7 to 25 lbs), consider your child’s size and the size of the sling. If the child is small and the sling is large – the child could settle too far down into the sling and suffocate. Don’t allow baby’s chin to drop too far toward to his/her chest.  This too could make breathing difficult for baby. If the sling is too tight, this could also make it hard for the child to breathe.

Be sure baby is strong and healthy when using a sling, keep baby’s face uncovered at all times while in the sling, and check baby’s position frequently.

Infant slings currently have no mandatory safety regulations, but I recommend that you look for slings that meet the current voluntary standard - ASTM F 2236-10 Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Soft Infant Carriers.  There will likely be new federal requirements for these slings in the near future.

Bike Helmet Safety

Last week I took my grandson into the local bike shop to purchase his first bike helmet. He is four years old and his Auntie had just given him his first bike for Christmas.  He was anxious to start practicing, but that would need to wait until a proper fitting helmet was covering his little noggin.  

Many reliable studies show that appropriate bicycle helmets worn by young children significantly reduce the risk of head injury in case of fall. There is no federal law in the United States that requires a child to wear bicycle helmets, but many individual states have passed laws to address this hazard. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) does regulate the performance requirements for bike helmets (16 CFR 1203), so when you choose a helmet for your youngster, you’ll want to be sure that it is labeled for compliance to this 16 CFR 1203 standard. Every bicycle helmet must come with instructions explaining how to assure a proper fit and how to wear it properly. The instructions should have a picture showing the correct way to wear the helmet. When in doubt, take your child and the helmet to the local bike shop and ask them to show you exactly how to adjust the helmet to best fit your child. 


 Proper Helmet Fit

Toddler Bike Helmets (for children under 5 years old) should include extended coverage, as specified by the 16 CFR1203 CPSC Bike Helmet Safety regulation.  Extended coverage is an extension of the thick foam inside the hard shell, that covers the ears and vulnerable back of neck of a toddler.


Toddler Bike Helmets

While CPSC strongly urges the use of bike helmets while riding a bike, they also warn that children should NOT wear bike helmets when playing off the bike, particularly on playgrounds. Sadly, there have been strangulation deaths, injuries and child-related incidents involving bike helmets used on climbing playground equipment and trees.

It’s best to sit down with your young child and talk about why the helmet is important, and when it is important to take the helmet off.  Children as young as four years old can begin to understand this. Starting these safe riding habits early will help reduce the risk of injury later.