Sling Safety Warning

WASHINGTON, D.C.- The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is advising parents and caregivers to be cautious when using infant slings for babies younger than four months of age. In researching incident reports from the past 20 years, CPSC identified and is investigating at least 14 deaths associated with sling-style infant carriers, including three in 2009. Twelve of the deaths involved babies younger than four months of age.

Slings can pose two different types of suffocation hazards to babies. In the first few months of life, babies cannot control their heads because of weak neck muscles. The sling’s fabric can press against an infant’s nose and mouth, blocking the baby’s breathing and rapidly suffocating a baby within a minute or two. Additionally, where a sling keeps the infant in a curled position bending the chin toward the chest, the airways can be restricted, limiting the oxygen supply. The baby will not be able to cry for help and can slowly suffocate.

Click here to read the entire warning

Storkcraft recalls 2.1 million drop-side cribs

VANCOUVER — More than 2.1 million Canadian-made drop-side cribs have been recalled in Canada and the United States after more than 100 cases of injuries, including four deaths were reported, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Monday.

The manufacturer, British Columbia-based Stork Craft Manufacturing Inc., announced the voluntary recall of approximately 1,2 million drop-side cribs distributed in the U.S. and 968,000 distributed in Canada, the CPSC said in a news release.

Nearly 150,000 of the cribs on recall carry the Fisher-Price logo.

Health Canada, the U.S. agency and the company are aware of 110 incidents of drop-side detachment -- 67 incidents in the United States and 43 in Canada, the U.S. agency said.

Three entrapments were reported in Canada and 12 in the United States, four of them resulting in the suffocation and death of four young children.

Fall injuries ranged from concussion to bumps and bruises.

The CPSC said the cribs involved in these incidents had plastic drop-side hardware that had broken, missing, or deformed claws, connectors, tracks, or flexible tab stops; loose or missing metal spring clips; stripped screws; and/or drop-sides installed upside-down.

The recall includes Stork Craft cribs with manufacturing and distribution dates between January 1993 and October 2009.

It also includes Stork Craft cribs with the Fisher-Price logo hat have manufacturing dates between October 1997 and December 2004.

The Stork Craft cribs with the Fisher-Price logo were first sold in the U.S. in July 1998 and in Canada in September 1998.

It called on parents and caregivers to immediately stop using the recalled cribs, and contact the company -- at 1-877-274-0277 -- to receive a free repair kit.

The recalled cribs were sold at major retailers in the United States and Canada, including BJ's Wholesale Club, J.C. Penney, Kmart, Meijer, Sears, USA Baby, and Wal-Mart stores and online at Amazon.com, Babiesrus.com, Costco.com, Target.com, and Walmart.com from January 1993 through October 2009 for between $100 and $400.

The cribs were manufactured in Canada, China and Indonesia.

Maclaren announces recall in US

from Maclaren website

Recall

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Consistent with our unwavering commitment to child safety we are providing U.S. consumers notice of a voluntary recall of all Maclaren umbrella strollers sold in the U.S. In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, we are providing free of charge to all affected consumers and retailers a kit to cover the stroller's hinge mechanism, which poses a fingertip amputation and laceration hazard to the child when the consumer is unfolding/opening the stroller. The affected models include Volo, Triumph, Quest Sport, Quest Mod, Techno XT, Techno XLR, Twin Triumph, Twin Techno and Easy Traveller.

Maclaren USA's Umbrella Strollers meet all U.S. ASTM & JPMA compliance standards. These certifications guarantee our umbrella strollers meet the maximum safety standards available. The voluntary recall is to alert the operator when opening or closing the stroller of the possible risk of injury.

Safety is our first priority and through this voluntary effort we urge consumers to contact us immediately to obtain the kit which consists of hinge covers designed specifically to fit all Maclaren strollers.

Maclaren stresses all operators read the instruction manual prior to use which contains valuable safety tips and service recommendations.

Link to CPSC Joint Press Release