Boppy Pillow Cover Lead Hazard???

I just got a CSPC Recall list of 10 items, all lead exposure risks. The one that really jumped out at me was a recall on slip covers for the Boppy pillow. Since so many of my readers are advocates of breastfeeding (good for you!), there's a good chance you use or have used Boppy pillows, as I did. The one in question is the plain pillow with a separate slip cover. To check it out, read the CSPC's page on the Boppy recall.

And here's the rest of the list. For more details, visit the CSPC recall page.
1. Metal Jewelry Sold by Family Dollar Stores Recalled Due to Risk of
Lead Exposure to Children
2. Discount School Supply Recalls Paint Brushes Due to Violation of Lead
Paint Standard
3. Pure Allure Recalls Metal Jewelry Sold at Michaels Stores Due to Risk
of Lead Exposure to Children
4. La Femme NY Inc. Recalls Children's Necklace and Earring Sets Due to
Risk of Lead Exposure
5. Children's Metal Jewelry Recalled by Colossal Jewelry & Accessories
Due to Risk of Lead Exposure
6. Cherrydale Fundraising Recalls Bracelets Due to Risk of Lead Exposure
7. Children's Metal Jewelry Recalled by Buy-Rite Due to Risk of Lead
Exposure
8. Children's Pencil Pouches Recalled by Raymond Geddes & Co. Due to
Violation of Lead Paint Standard
9. Slipcovers Used With Boppy Pillows Recalled Due to Choking Hazard and
Risk of Lead Exposure
10. Flashing Pacifiers Recalled By Sailing (U.S.) International Corp.
Due to Choking Hazard

2007 "10 Worst Toys List"

I've just discovered W.A.T.C.H. (World Against Toys Causing Harm). This non-profit corporation was founded by Edward M. Swartz, a lawyer and child safety advocate, who has been warning against dangerous toys since 1968! In fact, the "10 Worst Toys List" has been going since 1973. Of course this year more than ever, parents are being vigilant about the safety of the toys they purchase for Christmas. This is the big year the toy world gets turned on its ear, and it's about time! Check out the "10 Worst Toys List", and for extra help in choosing safe toys, try W.A.T.C.H.'s "Toy Hazards to Watch Out For" list.

Aqua Dots Do WHAT???

Unbelievable! It's not possible for me to comment with fire shooting from the top of my head...
CNN Video HERE.

No Cold Medicine for Children Under 6?

I have a few friends who like to keep an eye out for news stories I can pass along in my blog. Lately I've been receiving email from them with links to articles on the increasing warnings against the usage of cough and cold medicines. One friend sent me links showing the growing possibility that cough and cold medicine is inadvisable for children even older than two. On Friday, another friend sent me an article from CNN stating an FDA panel was insisting these medicines shouldn't be used in children under the age of six. (If you get a chance, watch the video at this link.) Looks like the verdict is out now, according to this article in The Buffalo News. Even more reason in my eyes to be continually on the lookout for natural remedies! I remember when my son was first born, I thought, "Everyone is going to think I'm nuts when they see how I plan on raising him." I had no idea there were so many moms out there that are on the lookout for natural remedies and a chemical-free existence for their families, but not only have I found many of them through this blog, the number is growing by the day as the truth about the products we've taken for granted starts to show. I'm so thankful for the alternatives we're able to share because without it, news stories like this would leave me feeling very helpless. Instead, we're able to bond together to find a better way.

Thanks to all my friends, those of you I've known for a long time and those I may never meet face to face, for sharing your great ideas and knowledge! I'm hoping to keep this blog going for a long time to come, filling it with the helpful information you pass on to me.

Recall Alert

My goodness! Trying to blog lately has been a real challenge. My son decided that sleep is optional and naps are definitely out. I hope it's a passing fad because Mama doesn't look so hot in the glassy-eyed look. In the meantime, I have some recalls to pass on, and I'm trying to pull together some new information on the whole OTC cough and cold med thing, thanks to some info sent to me by a friend. I hope you'll forgive this brief entry - I've typed it one-handed while balancing said tired toddler on my lap. This is not easy. His pants seem to be housing an ant army.

I've gotten email on several recalls from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, most of which deal with lead paint on toys. I think the easiest way to see them is to go to the CPSC website and look at the "Recent Recalls" box at the bottom of the screen. You can hover your cursor over the names of the items recalled and see a quick picture, so you'll easily be able to recognize whether or not you have this item. I think that will be easier to sort through than if I list each recall off, as usual.

If anyone has a favorite toy supplier or online toystore that specializes in natural, safe toys, please leave a comment. I'd love to pull together a nice list for Christmas. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a small marathon runner to chase...

Recall: Pottery Barn Doll Stroller

Another recall to pass on. This time, it's a doll stroller sold by Pottery Barn Kids. This stroller has been reported to have severed the fingertip of a two-year-old. Check it out and pass it on to others who might have one as well!

Recalls!

I haven't been passing all recalls on lately because there are so many, but I feel like I have to. I just received a notice on Kolcraft play yards being recalled after a 10-month-old was strangled to death in one. Please, please check this link and pass it on to anyone you know who may have one.

And I'm sure most of you have heard by now about the various lead paint recalls from yesterday. I believe there were seven separate recalls. For full info, you can check them out at www.cpsc.gov. I encourage everyone to subscribe to their mailing list. You get immediate info on recalls when you sign up.

Mattel Recalls My Sanity

So you may be wondering why two days have passed since the massive Mattel recall, and you have heard nothing from me on the subject. I, who pass along info of toy recalls, I, queen of the anti-chemical baby world. Because I have been sickened to a level that sucks the words right off my keyboard. There was nothing I could say but unintelligible grunting sounds and maybe an occasional muttered epithet. Now I'm a little more composed. But only a little.

Since the birth of our son, I've been more than concerned with the quality of baby toys. How do I know they're safe? Am I to trust any little company that manages to get a toy on the shelves? I marked my paranoia up partially to that overprotective nature that plagues most new mommies. When choosing a toy for our son, I'd pick it up in the store, furtively look up and down the aisle to make sure I was alone, and then sniff the toy. Aha! I knew it! This one stinks. Put it back. My guess was that if it stinks, something is in there I don't want a baby chewing on. Other than smell, I didn't have much to go on.

Now I'm even more in an upset. Getting all these recalls sent to my email, I was perfectly aware there was lead poisoning being pumped into our toy stores via China. But buying a toy that isn't made in China? Next to impossible. And what makes it even worse is knowing a mega toy producer like Mattel wouldn't even bother to do recurring quality assurance checks on what is being made in their name, thousands of miles away. How hard can it be to scrape a little paint off a toy and run a quick check? Mattel and Fisher-Price have built a business out of bringing pleasure to children, and their lack of concern for these children, their lack of foresight, shocks me.

Three children had to go through the pain of perforated intestines after swallowing the magnets out of some of the toys before Mattel saw fit to do a recall. Add to this recall, toys decorated in lead. Which issue did they know of first? Why did they wait to collect two recall issues before letting us know?

Bob Eckert, Chairman and CEO of Mattel, assures us in his press interviews that Mattel has the strongest safety standards IN THE INDUSTRY. I am not reassured. In fact, if that's true, we're all in trouble. I'll be searching for more natural toys for Christmas. Or I'll make them myself if I have to. I suspect that's how most of you feel too, and that's good. That means our toy dollars will go where we feel safe, and that will speak volumes to the toy industries. Maybe after all this, we'll start to see more visible reassurances that our children's toys are safe, and maybe then my sanity can be restored to be used for other worries. After all, driver's training starts in a mere 15 years...

For another article from a concerned mom, check out imperfect mommy's post. It was very well said, and I couldn't agree with her more!

Major Sesame Street/Fisher-Price Recall!

This is a quick notice to check your Fisher-Price toys, in particular Sesame Street items. Fisher-Price is recalling a million toys! The link to click on for the full list of recall items is HERE. It's ironic that today of all days, I was working on a blog entry on toy recalls when my mom called to tell me to check my son's toys. The list of recalled toys on the above link iis large, and the reason they state is this: "Surface paints on the toys could contain excessive levels of lead. Lead is toxic if ingested by young children and can cause adverse health effects." I'm sickened by the amount of recalls I've been seeing due to lead paint in children's toys, so I'm passing these links to you.

If you want recall information sent right to your email, sign up here. The CSPC also offers podcast updates on their recalls, if you prefer.

Keep informed! Unsafe items manufactured in China have been a big concern these days, and we need to stay on top of what's happening. Please pass this information on to all your family and friends.

Children's Toy Recalls

Here are the latest recalls from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The first are some toys from Tri-Star which are posing choking hazards, and the other is a toy set from the Army & Air Force Exchange Service. Yes, more lead poisoning!

Evenflo Carseat and Chinese Jewelry Recalls

A few recall notices for you. For all the info on the carseat, click here. For jewelry info and pictures, click here and here.

New Recalls on Babies' and Children's Products

As promised, I'm passing along to you any recall information I get on babies' and children's items. I have a whole list of them for you today, so onward!

The first is a set of blocks on a Baby Einstein activity center.

Next are a couple of children's rings, found here. These are a lead poisoning hazard.

Another item showing up as a lead poisoning hazard is an Anima Bamboo game. For more information, you can read about it here.

My gosh, all the lead hazards coming out! I've heard about it on the news lately, and it's certainly showing up. Here's another for children's necklaces.

And finally, there is a recall on some Payless Shoe Source children's clogs. Apparently these have a small piece causing a choking hazard.

So that's it for now. If you don't have any of these items floating around your house, maybe you know someone who does. Ask around or email this article on. For updates, subscribe to my blog in the box on the right.

Earth's Best Baby Food Recall

I recently came across a recall on the FDA website for Earth's Best baby food. I never heard about it on the news, never saw signs up in the store. Fortunately, no one reported their babies affected by the tainted baby food, but maybe this is the reason it never made it into the news. Nevertheless, the report states the tainted food could cause botulism - reason enough to make the news in my book!

People ask me all the time why I don't just buy organic baby food and skip the trouble of making it myself. After the recent pet food scandals, I've been saying how this could easily happen in the baby food industry as well. I've been making food for my dogs for three years now, so we had no worries when the news of pet food recalls hit. Makes me glad I make baby food as well!

I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for more baby food and product recalls, and when I find them, I'll be posting them here on The Mommy Spot. So sign in to subscribe for The Mommy Spot (in the right hand side bar), and you'll find out about future recalls as soon as I do.

Here are the links for the Earth's Best baby food recall:

http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2007/NEW01566.html
http://earthsbest.com/press/20070216-recall-notice.php