OnSafety is the Official Blog Site of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Here you'll find the latest safety information as well as important messages that will keep you and your family safe. We hope you'll visit often!
|
By CPSC Blogger on December 21, 2012
The deadline for child care centers, hotels, motels and places of public accommodation to comply with the new crib standards is coming up.
As a refresher: Beginning June 28, 2011, there are new new federal safety standards for cribs. All cribs made and sold after that date must meet these new standards, which prohibit traditional drop-side cribs, strengthen crib slats and mattress supports, improve the quality of hardware, and require more rigorous testing from entering the marketplace.
Cribs provided by child care facilities, family child care homes, hotels, motels and other places of public accommodation have until Dec. 28, 2012, to meet the requirements of the new standards.
Here are some materials that we have created to help you understand the new standards and what you need to do:
In addition, we continue to receive questions about the new standard. Many of your questions revolve around evacuation cribs and play yards.
Evacuation Cribs
Cribs in child care facilities, family child care homes and places of public accommodation must meet the requirements of the new federal safety standards for full-size or non-full-size cribs. The regulations do not offer any exemptions or exceptions for evacuation cribs, regardless of how they are used.
Play Yards
The new crib standards do not apply to play yards. CPSC recently strengthened the safety standards for play yards. This new standard will take effect in February 2013. From CPSC’s regulatory perspective, a play yard can be used in lieu of a crib. HOWEVER, some state regulations prohibit the use of play yards in lieu of cribs in a child care setting. If you choose to replace the cribs in your child care with play yards, please familiarize yourself with your state regulations.
This address for this post is: http://www.cpsc.gov/onsafety/2012/12/dec-28-crib-standard-deadline-fast-approaching/
By CPSC Blogger on July 24, 2012
Are you planning on buying or getting a used stroller from a thrift store, yard sale or a friend? Do you own one?
We have seen some recurring safety incidents involving strollers. One involves the opening between the grab bar or tray and the seat bottom. The other involves fingertip amputations.
 Let’s start with the opening. In some older strollers, the opening between the grab bar or tray and the seat bottom is less than 8 inches. This can be a big hazard for babies up to 1 year old. When a baby is not properly harnessed, his or her body can slide down through the opening, but their head and neck get trapped.
CPSC is aware of 30 deaths since 1980 in which a child’s head or neck got trapped between the tray or grab bar and the seat bottom.
Many companies have recalled older strollers because of this risk. For these recalled strollers, there is an easy fix. You simply call the company to get a free repair kit or a replacement piece that prevents a child from slipping through the opening.
Here’s a list of companies supplying this fix for the openings on their recalled strollers:
Graco Quattro™ and MetroLite™ Strollers
Peg Perego Venezia and Pliko-P3 Strollers
Tike Tech Single City X3 and X3 Sport Jogging Strollers
Valco Baby Tri Mode Single and Twin Jogging Strollers
Zooper Strollers
In addition, owners of Bumbleride Indie or Indie Twin strollers with an adjustable bumper bar manufactured from January 2009 through August 2011 should never set the bar in the intermediate (car seat) position when a child is seated in the stroller.
If you’re about to purchase a used stroller, make sure the opening between the grab bar or tray and the seat opening is 8 inches or more. And check for recalls on SaferProducts.gov or on our Recalls.gov mobile app (for Droid) before you buy. It’s illegal to sell a recalled product.
Whenever you put your baby in a stroller, use the safety harness. This can prevent a baby from slipping and can save a baby’s life. Infants as young as a few weeks old can move around when they sleep. If a baby is sleeping in the stroller without the harness, he or she can slide down to the opening. This is one reason you should never leave a baby, particularly one younger than 12 months old, unattended in the stroller. That’s especially true if the stroller seat’s backrest is in the reclined or flat position.
* * *
Now, let’s turn our attention to fingers. CPSC is aware of at least 23 incidents of fingertip amputations in strollers between 2008 and April 2012 among children under the age of 5. In many cases, children 3 or younger suffered full or partial amputations when their fingers got caught in a hinge. In addition, adults have gotten their fingers caught, too. Amputations typically happen in one of several ways:
 You are using a stroller and a latch stops working, causing the stroller to unexpectedly collapse.- A child is standing next to or begins to climb into the stroller while a caregiver is unfolding or opening the stroller.
- You lift a collapsed stroller, such as picking it up out of the trunk of a car. One side of the frame unexpectedly unfolds.
- Your finger gets caught in a hinge when you fold or unfold the stroller.
Several companies have recalled their strollers to give caregivers free hinge covers that block fingers from getting caught.
If you have or are buying one of these strollers secondhand, make sure that you have the hinge cover:
Britax “Blink” single umbrella strollers
CYBEX Ruby, Onyx and Topaz model umbrella strollers
Graco Passage™, Alano™ and Spree™ Strollers and Travel Systems | Video
Maclaren single and double umbrella strollers sold before November 2009 | Video
Kolcraft Contours Options three- and four-wheeled strollers
phil&teds USA sport v2 and classic v1 single-seat jogging strollers
Whenever you open or close a stroller or one of its parts, like the canopy, keep your child’s hands away. Here are a few suggestions:
- Hand the child a cup or toy to hold.
- Play “hands up” as you open the stroller and “hands down” as you open the canopy.
- Sing a counting song before your child can get into the stroller. “One, two, touch your shoe; three, four, stroller’s ready; five, six, time to sit.” Open the stroller while you are counting.
Tweet other ideas that promote stroller safety to @OnSafety and we’ll retweet some of our favorites.
Reader Note: Blog originally published on June 14, 2012. Updated July 24, 2012
This address for this post is: http://www.cpsc.gov/onsafety/2012/07/fix-your-stroller-avoid-these-common-problems/
By CPSC Blogger on July 11, 2012
Last February, we began warning you about baby monitor cord dangers. CPSC knows of seven deaths and three near strangulations since 2002 involving video and audio baby monitors. The monitors and cords were placed within a child’s reach.
You need to know about cord hazards, so you can prevent your baby from strangling in a cord.
The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) is working with us on a national baby safety campaign to get the word out to parents and caregivers about the dangers with these cords. Today, JPMA is launching a website, video and advertising. They are giving away free electric cord warning labels to attach to the cord of your baby monitor. This label will remind you, the people who care for your child, and others who may use the monitor in the future about the deadly hazard associated with these cords. Order one, it’s free!
So, take a look around your baby’s crib. Where’s the monitor cord?
Remember, at least 3 feet away is where your monitor should stay.
Yes, 3 feet. As in 3 big feet:
3 Feet is also about the width of your baby’s crib plus 6 inches.
3 feet = 1 yard, if you have a yardstick at home:
The point is, don’t let this happen in your home:
This address for this post is: http://www.cpsc.gov/onsafety/2012/07/baby-monitor-cords-3-feet-from-baby/
By CPSC Blogger on July 6, 2012
In recalls of children’s sleepwear, including recent recalls, you’ll see the following line:
“The pajamas fail to meet the federal flammability standards for children’s sleepwear posing a risk of burn injury to children.”
What does that line mean for a parent or grandparent buying pajamas for a child?
CPSC enforces a regulation that requires that children’s sleepwear to protect children from burn injuries if they come in contact with a small open flame, such as from matches, lighters, candles, stoves, ranges, space heaters and fireplaces.
The regulation was enacted in the early 1970s in response to children suffering burn injuries, which typically happened before bedtime and around breakfast. Today, CPSC rarely receives reports of sleepwear-related fires.
When you buy pajamas, you’ll see two types: loose-fitting and tight-fitting. Loose fitting pajamas must be flame resistant. That means that the fabric shouldn’t ignite near a small, open flame. And if it does ignite, it should stop burning. Some loose-fitting items are nightgowns, loungewear, robes or any loose clothing intended to be worn mainly for sleeping.
Tight-fitting pajamas fit close to a child’s body. The fabric does not need to be flame resistant because of how it fits. Tight-fitting pajamas do not ignite easily, and if the pajamas ignite, they do not readily burn. You should always see a label on these pajamas telling you to wear them snugly.
CPSC tests children’s sleepwear in our product testing lab. Here’s what happens with sleepwear that meets the standard versus sleepwear that doesn’t:
To watch this video, you may need to download the Adobe Flash player.
If you own any of the pajamas recalled, take the pajamas away from your children. Contact the recalling company for a refund, exchange or store credit as described in the recalls.
This address for this post is: http://www.cpsc.gov/onsafety/2012/07/sleepwear-safety-a-success-story/
By CPSC Blogger on May 8, 2012
En Español
Look at your child’s jackets, sweatshirts and sweaters. See nothing unusual? Now, look again. Do they have drawstrings?
For reasons we show below, CPSC passed a rule in July 2011, designating most drawstrings in children’s upper outerwear as hazardous. This essentially means that you shouldn’t see for sale, and your child shouldn’t wear, jackets, sweatshirts and sweaters with dangerous drawstrings. That means no neck or hood drawstrings for upper outerwear in sizes 2T through 12 or S through L. In addition, certain waist or bottom drawstrings are considered dangerous.
 These waist drawstrings and the hood drawstrings above are what you should not see on your child’s clothes. With waist drawstrings, there are three things to look for:
- When the clothing is at its fullest width, the drawstring should not hang out more than 3 inches.
- There shouldn’t be any toggles or other attachments on the drawstring.
- The drawstring must be stitched into the back so that it cannot be pulled to one side.
Here’s why:
Drawstrings can catch on items such as playground equipment or vehicle doors. CPSC has received 26 reports of children who have died when drawstrings in their clothes got tangled on playground slides, school bus doors and other objects. Waist and bottom drawstrings that were caught in cars and buses resulted in dragging incidents.
CPSC first issued guidelines on drawstrings in February 1996. These were then incorporated into a voluntary standard in 1997. Since the clothing industry started following the voluntary standard, deaths involving neck or hood drawstrings decreased by 75 percent and there have been no deaths associated with waist or bottom drawstrings.
Still, we continue to see jackets, sweatshirts, and sweaters made with drawstrings that are dangerous. CPSC has issued more than 130 recalls involving clothes with drawstrings including 8 recalls between November 2011 and May 8, 2012. Here are some recalls from just the past month (as of publication of this blog). So, check your child’s upper outerwear and make sure to follow the instructions on these recalls.
This address for this post is: http://www.cpsc.gov/onsafety/2012/05/drawstrings-not-allowed/
|
|
