Articles By: Jennifer P. Toney
Crib Recalls FAQs, Crib Recall List
New safety standards for cribs went into effect on June 28, 2011. In addition to a ban on the traditional drop-side, there are new requirements for stronger slats, hardware and mattress supports, as well as new rules for more rigorous testing. We previously wrote about what to do if you own a drop-side crib that [...]
Protecting Yourself from Recalled Products – How Much Risk Can You Bear?
Thousands of consumer products, accounting for hundreds-of-millions of items, are recalled each year for safety hazards that put their owners at increased risk of injury or death. Over the past five years alone, we have seen more than 150 million children’s items, 110 million household goods and 9 million pieces of sporting equipment recalled by [...]
CPR has Changed: What you Need to Know
In last week’s guest post on safe swimming , Melina Druga recommended learning CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation). We agree. Learning CPR is a good idea – even if you have already taken a CPR course in the past. Why re-learn? Because what you were taught before may no longer be the best advice. As medical science [...]
‘Melissa & Doug’ Scores High Marks in Toy Safety
A couple of weeks ago we asked a question on our facebook page: “In your opinion, which brand makes the safest toys?” Admittedly, it was not a very scientific survey, but there was a clear winner – Melissa & Doug. We decided to take a closer look at this toy company to find out more [...]
Simply Check: A Long Awaited Solution to Recalled Products in the Secondary Market
When we read about product recalls in the news, the focus is nearly always on manufacturers, retailers and consumers – what the brand is doing, how stores are responding and how many people were hurt by the product. However, there is another industry that is severely impacted by recalled products that rarely gets any attention. [...]
Safety Beats out Price and Convenience for Cribs
With the recent ban on drop side cribs, many parents, especially those who may be a tad bit on the shorter side, have wondered how in the world we are going to get baby in and out of the crib without hurling her over the side? There is no doubt that we will begin to [...]
My drop-side crib has NOT been recalled. Is it safe?
07/11/2011 Editor’s Note: This post was written in response to questions specifically regarding drop-sides. However, the CPSC has asked that we add a note to emphasize that the new standards, which went into effect on June 28, 2011, cover several improved safety features, beyond just the ban on traditional drop-sides. The new standards also include [...]
The Number of Children Falling from Windows is Alarming
This week is National Window Safety Week. We join the National Safety Council (NSC) and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in urging you to please take a few moments this weekend to learn about window safety and secure your homes and childcare facilities. Video Source: CPSC The information below was originally published in InformMe, [...]
How Many Pacifier Recalls?
There have been relatively few pacifiers recalled over the past several years, approximately 21 since 2003. While that may seem like a lot, considering the pacifiers’ frequency of use and intimate contact with the youngest of babies, along with the fact that there have been more than 1,100 recalls of children’s products over the same [...]
Should Brands be Responsible for Products they DON’T Make?
Today’s recall of Pampers branded pacifiers raises some interesting questions. Pampers was neither the importer nor the manufacturer, but licensed their brand to Key Baby, LLC to be placed on the pacifiers. Key Baby imported the pacifiers from Chinese manufacturer, Tahoe Enterprises. Because Pampers is the most recognizable name involved, Pampers, a Procter & [...]
A New Era for Product Recalls. Or is it?
When the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) was passed in 2008, we predicted that the more stringent safety requirements would result in a higher number of product recalls. Were we wrong? Consumer product recalls in the United States have steadily increased over the past twelve years with nearly 400 recalls announced in 2010 versus [...]
WeMakeItSafer 2010: Year in Review
As 2010 comes to a close, all of us at WeMakeItSafer want to take this opportunity to say thank you for the incredible support we have received. It has been a busy and productive year that has served to lay the foundation for great things to come in 2011. What follows is a recap of [...]
Best, Least-Obvious Holiday Safety Tips
From cooking to travel, our inboxes have been teeming with hundreds of holiday safety tips ranging from the blatantly obvious (e.g., Never use lighted candles to decorate a tree.) to the “Wow, I didn’t know that!” Steering toward the latter, we have compiled a list of the best holiday safety tips that you may not [...]
Overpublicizing Product Recalls Hurts Consumers
It’s a bold statement that needs some qualifying, but the evidence is mounting – over-coverage of product recalls may damage recall effectiveness, putting consumers at greater risk for injury. It is a problem referred to as “recall fatigue,” and it occurs when a consumer quite literally gets tired of hearing about recalls. With the passing [...]
October 17-24 is National Teen Driver Safety Week
Chart Source: NHTSA Vehicle accidents are the number one cause of death for teenagers in the United States, killing more than 5,000 youth aged 16 to 20 each year. Alcohol and not using seat belts are both large contributors to the high number of fatalities. Cell phone use and being distracted by other youth in [...]
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