0 Summer Infant bath seats recalled due to fall danger

More than 2,000,000 Summer Infant baby bath seats are being recalled in North America, warn the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada. The company's Mother's Touch and Deluxe Baby Bathers can suddenly collapse when parents lift them, dropping the baby out of the bather, posing a fall hazard and a risk of serious head injury.

The CPSC and Summer Infant have received seven reports of incidents in the U.S., including five instances of infants suffering a head injury after a fall from the bather. Four children between two weeks and two months old suffered a skull fracture, including one who required intensive care for bleeding on the brain. The fifth child received a bump to the head requiring emergency-room treatment.

This recall involves Summer Infant baby bathers with the following model numbers, located either on the side of the baby bather near the warning label at the base of the unit or on the front near the wash instructions:

Recalled Summer Infant Baby Bathers Model Numbers
08020, 08050, 08054, 08070, 08401, 08409, 08404, 08405, 08650, 08655, 08659, 08754, 08940, 08944
18004, 18040, 18049, 18050, 18120, 18125, 18129, 18254, 18360, 18375, 18379, 18390, 18394, 18440, 18445, 18449, 18470, 18475, 18479
38510, 38515, 38750, 38755

Some units have multiple model numbers. Bathers with an additional letter at the end of the model number are also included in this recall.

If you own a recalled bather, stop using it immediately and contact Summer Infant (800-426-8627; www.summerinfant.com/batherrepairkit) for a free repair kit, which includes a locking strap and installation instructions.

Consumer Reports believes that an infant bathtub is the best place to bathe your baby. Be careful when bathing your baby; for instance, you should always keep one hand on your child at all times. For more information, find out how to safely bath your baby.

The recalled Summer Infant bathers have side hinges (with five rivets) that can "suddenly disengage."

Sources:
Summer Infant Recalls to Repair Baby Bathers Due to Fall and Head Injury Hazard [CPSC]
Consumer Product Recall: Mother's Touch Baby Bather and Deluxe Baby Bather
Small Baby Bather- Voluntary Recall to Repair with Free Locking Strap and Instructions [Summer Infant]

Paul Eng

More About: Baby bathtubs Summer Infant Babies & Kids Babies & Kids Recalls Safety & Recalls All Baby News

0 School bus tips for motorists

Riding the big yellow school bus is a safer mode of transportation for children than driving or walking to school, but the real risk for injury is from motorists who do not follow the proper laws and procedures when driving near a bus.

Putting figures to the obvious risks, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports there is an average of 139 fatalities per year involving school transportation-related crashes. Most of these fatalities aren't to the children on the buses, but rather to occupants of other vehicles involved in the crashes (72 percent) or to other non-occupants of the buses, such as those who are walking and biking to school (20 percent).

And the dangers aren't just in the morning going to school. In fact, NHTSA points out that more school-age pedestrians have been killed between the hours of 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. than any other time of day.

As a driver, it is crucial for the community to be extra cautious during the school pick-up and drop-off hours, and to treat school buses as something best seen from a distance, rather than up close.

Here are some rules to make sharing the road with buses safe for everyone:

• Never pass a school bus that is stopped to load or unload children. It is illegal in all 50 states. Also, never pass a school bus on the right -- it is illegal and dangerous.
• If you are traveling in the same direction as a stopped school bus, you must stop as well.
• Yellow flashing lights indicate that the bus is preparing to stop to pickup or drop off children. If you are driving, slow down and prepare to stop. Red flashing lights and an extended stop arm indicate that the bus is stopped, and that children are getting on or off. This, of course, means that you have to stop as well.
• When waiting with your own child, teach them to wait until the stop arm is fully extended and the bus door opens before moving toward the bus.
• The area ten feet around a school bus is at the highest risk for child being hit, so stop your car further than that to allow space for children to enter or exit. Most states have distance requirements, and they may be much further away than you may think.
• When backing out of a driveway or leaving a garage, watch out for children walking or bicycling to school. Better yet, walk around your car or out to the sidewalk to check for any children walking in your path before you get in.
• Be aware that roads that pass close schools may have slower speed limits during arrival and dismissal times than during non-school hours and that those limits are often more strictly enforced.
• Drive slowly and watch for children walking in the street, especially if there are no sidewalks. Also be aware of children playing or waiting around bus stops.
• Be alert and aware on the road. While children are typically taught about looking both ways, they could dart into the street without looking if they are late or distracted.

For more on child safety, see our kids and car safety guide.

Related:
Back-to-school transportation safety for children
School bus safety tips for drivers and children

0 CareBear baby pacifiers recalled due to choking hazard

More that 119,000 CareBear Pacifiers are being recalled by importer IDM Group LLC, of New York for failing to meet federal safety standards. The silicon nipples of the recalled baby pacifiers can separate and pose a choking hazard to infants, said the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The CPSC says the sub-standard pacifiers, which bear the trademarked cartoon CareBear characters, were sold at various discount and dollar stores nationwide from October 2009 through June 2012 for about $1.

The recalled pacifiers, which bear the trademarked CareBear cartoon characters, failed the CPSC's extensive "pull test" said Consumer Reports safety experts. And while shoppers can often get great deals at dollar stores, consumers should take be cautious when buying items. For some tips, see Consumer Reports' free buying guide to baby pacifiers.

The CPSC warns parents to immediately take the recalled pacifiers away from infants and contact the IDM Group LLC (collect calls: 212-686-5221 website: www.pacifierrecall.net) for instructions for a full refund.

Source:
CareBears Pacifier Recalled by IDM Group Due to Choking Hazard [CPSC]

0 Bumbo Baby Seats recalled due to fall hazard

A safety recall warning for about 4 million Bumbo Baby Seats has been issued again by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The agency says babies can still maneuver out of and fall from the seatswhich can be especially hazardous if the Bumbo seats are used at heights such as on a table top or kitchen counter.

When the CPSC first warned of the dangers with Bumbo Baby Seats in November, the agency was aware of at least 45 falling incidents. And despite warning labels on the front and back of the seats, the CPSC continued to receive reports of infants injured from falling, prompting today's recall notice.

Consumer Reports' experts have long advised parents from using baby seats such as the Bumbo model. (See: 13 dangerous baby products to avoid for more information.) Instead, consumers should consider using a bouncer seat or an activity center. At feeding time, the infant should be placed in a high chair. (See our tested and recommended high chair models for suggestions.)

The CPSC and our safety experts recommend that parents should stop using the Bumbo Baby Seats immediately. Bumbo International Trust of South Africa is providing consumers with a free repair kit, which includes: a restraint belt with a warning label, installation instructions, safe use instructions and a new warning sticker. However, "even with the belt, the seat should never be used on any raised surface," warns the CPSC.

Bumbo seat with restraint belt repair (side view and top view).
(Photo: CPSC)

Bumbo USA provides more information at its website: www.recall.BumboUSA.com.

Sources:
Baby Seats Recalled for Repair by Bumbo International Due to Fall Hazard [CPSC]
Bumbo Baby Seat Voluntary Recall Safety Information [Bumbo USA]

0 Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act celebrates 4th anniversary

Today is the anniversary of the national consumer product safety law that changed safety standards in the U.S. after an outbreak of recalls, injuries, and deaths linked to dangerous children's products in 2007 and 2008. Under the law, which was supported by Consumer Reports, toys must be tested for safety before they're sold.

The product safety law, CPSIA, greatly reduced the lead levels found in children's products, as well as set tougher safety standards for cribs. The law also created the nation's first online database, SaferProducts.gov, where consumers can file safety complaints about products.

"The database is a tremendous resource for consumers," said Ellen Bloom, director of federal policy for Consumers Union, the advocacy arm of Consumer Reports. "You can search for safety reports about the products you buy, and if you wind up with an unsafe product, the database is there for you to report the problem."

Our report on protecting your child from lead has tips about what to do about lead exposure, including checking for and preventing lead poisoning. For lead test kits see our buying guide. And if you're shopping for a crib, see how to choose a safe crib.

Sources:
The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008 [CPSC]
Sensible Safeguards in the Spotlight [Coalition for sensible safeguards]
Consumer product safety worth celebrating [The Hill]

0 GAO: Time to reassess limits on cell-phone radiation

Spend a lot of time in close contact with your cellphone? Many of us do, and it's been 15 years since the Federal Communications Commission set a limit on how much low-level radiation cell phone users are exposed to. It's time for a new look at both that limit and the technique used to test for it, according to a report issued this week by the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

Current limits may be based on out-of-date research, and its test requirements may underestimate the maximum exposure users experience when holding phones against the body, according to the GAO review, done at the request of members of Congress.

"With mobile phones in the pockets and purses of millions of Americans, we need a full understanding of the long-term impact of mobile phone use on the human body, particularly in children whose brains and nervous systems are still developing," said Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), who was one of the lawmakers who requested the GAO report. "With the health of American consumers at stake, it is time we send these standards in for a check-up."

In commenting on the GAO report, the FCC said that its staff had "independently arrived at the same conclusions" and is considering a thorough review of its safety rules.

The report did not suggest that cell phone radiation can cause adverse human health effects other than from heating of human tissue. But it did say that ongoing research may increase the understanding of possible effects, including potential risks of cancer. There is also research suggesting that cell phones might alter brain function.

The FCC has set its exposure limits for low-level radiation absorbed from cell phones operating at their highest possible power level--known as the
Specific Absorption Rate (SAR)--in 1996, based on recommendations from federal health and safety agencies and international organizations.

Those organizations changed their recommended exposure limits in recent years, based on new research. But the FCC hasn't formally asked for guidance from federal health and safety agencies about adopting the new limit.

The agency has also not reassessed its testing procedures used to certify cell phones' compliance with SAR limits to ensure that they measure the maximum exposure a user could experience. For example, current tests allow for a space between phones and the user's body. But consumers use mobile phones with only a slight distance, or no distance between the phone and their body when they place the phone in a pocket while using an earpiece. That could result in radiation exposure above the maximum SAR determined during testing.

Bottom line. "We agree with the recommendations and concerns raised by the GAO report," says Urvashi Rangan, Ph.D., director of Consumer Safety and Sustainability at Consumer Reports. "Consumers who want to take precautions should be aware of the ways to reduce their radiation exposure while using their mobile phones." Here's how:
Limit cell-phone use, particularly by kids.
Hold the phone away from your head and body, especially when a call is connecting.
Text or use a speakerphone or headset to reduce absorption in your head.

Source
Exposure and Testing Requirements for Mobile Phones Should Be Reassessed

0 Study shows too many kids graduate early to inappropriate car seats

Car crashes are the number one killer of children in the United States between one and 13 years old. A new study published today by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine reveals why kids are at risktoo few parents are using child safety or the incorrect seats and too many are letting their kids ride up front.

The "Child Passenger Safety Practices in the U.S." study, by two researchers at the University of Michigan, showed that few children remain in rear-facing car seats after age one, that fewer than 2 percent use a booster seat after age seven, and that many children over age six ride in the front seat. Researchers also found that compliance with local child seat laws drops off as children grow older, and that far fewer black and Hispanic children are secured in child safety seats than white children. The difference is particularly stark among younger children, where the rate of improperly restrained minority kids was 10 times that of whites.

Parents who did not wear their seatbelts were much more likely to have unrestrained or improperly restrained kids in the car.

Methodology
The researchers evaluated three years of data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Then data collectors observed and recorded drivers with 21,476 child passengers as they arrived at gas stations, fast-food restaurants, recreation centers, and child-care centers. They recorded child restraint type and seat row, adult and child gender, driver restraint use, and vehicle type. Drivers were interviewed to report their own age, the ages of the children they were transporting, child race, and Hispanic ethnicity.
How to keep your kids safe

To ensure your child's safety, don't be overly anxious to graduate your child to the next step in car seats, as each step may actually represent a step back in protection. The latest guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recommends that children should remain rear facing up until they reach the age of two or when they reach the height or weight limits of a rear-facing seat.

If your child grows out of the portable infant seat before they reach age 2, you should purchase a convertible seat that can remain rear facing longer. Once they are over the size limits, you can rotate the seat to face forward. A child should be in a forward-facing seat with a harness until they reach the height or weight limit of the seat, typically, from 40-65 lbs. and around 50 inches. Again, longer is better, so parents should look for a seat with the highest possible weight and height limits that fits well in their car. (See our car
seat timeline.)

Children should continue to ride in a booster seat until the vehicle seat belts fit properly, which usually is around age 8 and at least 57 inches tall, the average height of an 11 year old.

Even then, safety advocates advise keeping kids in the back seat until they are 13, or even until they reach driving age. The most common type of fatal crash is a front crash, and so sitting in the rear keeps kids farther away from most accident forces. The force of air bag deployment is also dangerous and can be deadly to young children.

Keeping kids restrained is just one part of the safety equation, however. Other NHTSA research shows that 80 percent of car seats may not be installed properly.

To ensure your child's seat is properly installed, have it inspected by certified child safety seat technicians. To find an inspection station near you look to seatcheck.org or NHTSA.

See our car seat buying advice and ratings.