Saturday, November 28, 2009

The Biggest Crib Recall Ever!


Four infants from 6 to 9 months old have died from being suffocated in their crib. It's the biggest crib recall ever! 2.1 million story craft drop down side cribs are being taken back to stores. This really makes me angry! Fortunately the crib we are using for the new baby does not have drop down sides. I just can't imagine losing a child by placing him in the crib! That is supposed to be the safety place to put a baby to sleep!

FROM ABC NEWS:

Parents are fuming over Monday's recall of 2.1 million Stork Craft drop-down side cribs, and a few are calling for all drop-side cribs to be banned.

And some say the recall is a frightening indication of inadequate safety testing of baby products including cribs, high chairs and strollers.

"Most parents are not aware that there was no requirement that the products be tested for safety before they were sold," said Nancy Cowles, who runs an child advocacy group called Kids in Danger.

That's not to say that safety and testing protocols do not already exist. In addition to requirements for the minimum height of adjustable rails, the Consumer Product Safety Commission maintains guidelines for the spacing and strength of the rails of these cribs. And last year, Congress passed a law requiring manufacturers to have their products safety-tested by an independent third party.

But consumer groups say the CPSC has not yet been able to push through tougher inspection requirements.

CPSC chairman Inez Tenenbaum told The Associated Press Tuesday that the agency didn't move quickly enough to issue the recall. Now, the CPSC is thinking of stiffening requirements.

"This company worked with us to put this recall together," CPSC spokeswoman Patty Davis said. But, Davis said in light of the recent problems, "The CPSC staff is looking at beefing up the standards."

The Stork Craft recall of cribs distributed between 1993 and 2009 is the largest crib recall in U.S. history, but not the first.

Three companies have issued major recalls of drop-side cribs over the past two years. In each recall, problems with the movable, drop-down side led to babies slipping and suffocating between the crib wall and the mattress.

Four children died as a result of 110 incidents with the Stork Craft drop-side cribs, according to a CPSC press release.

Telephone lines were busy at Stork Craft headquarters, and ABC News emails to a Stork Craft media representative were not returned.

Meanwhile, an emotional press conference was held in Suffolk County, N.Y., Tuesday where the parents of two infants killed by drop-side cribs watched as the first-in-the-nation law to ban the dangerous children's furniture was signed.

"There have been warnings over the years, there have been recalls over the years, but enough is enough," Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy said.

Under the new legislation, which goes into effect this February, any crib with three immovable sides and a fourth side that moves up and down will be illegal to sell in the county.

Anyone caught selling the banned cribs will be subject to a $500 fine for their first violation and $1,000 for any subsequent violations.

Next to Levy stood two couples whose sons died before the age of 1 due to a drop-side crib malfunction. Both families described their fight to get legislation banning the sale of the cribs in Suffolk County and the frustration of seeing drop-side cribs sold in stores, knowing they caused their children's death.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Are you having an Acne Emergency? Call Soderstrom Skin Institute at 674 – SKIN… we treat acne seriously. With over 35 years of experience, Soderstrom Skin Institute will provide a personalized program to help you get your acne under control. Untreated acne can result in permanent scarring. Don’t suffer any longer! Evening and weekend appointment are available and in most cases you’ll be seen within one week.

Friday, November 27, 2009

Thanksgiving Recipes

Here are some quick Thanksgiving recipes from kindergartners. (eating the finished product is not recommended)
TURKEY-First you need to buy a turkey. When you get home you have to chop it up. Chop the head off. Rip off the feathers. Take the skin off. Put it in the oven. Bake at 57 degrees for 48 hours. Then it will be ready for everybody to come over for Thanksgiving.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES-Get 1 1/2 cups of sugar. Put it in a bowl. Then you get 2 cups of flour. Add I bag of chocolate chips. Then get 2 spoons of vanilla. Then put 1 cup of brown sugar in. Stir it up with the mixer until it looks like it's done. Wash your hands. Make the dough into circles. Put them on a pan. Put them in the oven at 11 degrees for 1 hour. Then you eat them. (This is my son's recipe. We can never find the 1 tsp spoon so we always use the 1/2 and get scoops of vanilla instead of one. I was so proud he was paying attention! Obviously he forgot a few ingredients though)

TURKEY AND STUFFING-First, mix 1 egg, 2 strips of bacon,2 cups of chex mix and four cups of water in a bowl. Put it inside the turkey. Cook the turkey in the oven 40 degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes.

JELLO-First you have some Jello. Put it in a bowl. Add some cinnamon. Mix in 3 eggs. Stir it up. Heat it up in the microwave for 2 minutes.

Hmmmm... Thanksgiving with kindergartners... and VERY upset stomachs. These recipes cracked me up!

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Are you having an Acne Emergency? Call Soderstrom Skin Institute at 674 – SKIN… we treat acne seriously. With over 35 years of experience, Soderstrom Skin Institute will provide a personalized program to help you get your acne under control. Untreated acne can result in permanent scarring. Don’t suffer any longer! Evening and weekend appointment are available and in most cases you’ll be seen within one week.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Watch out for lead in toys

FROM MSNBC.COM: Despite a new law that bans six chemicals from children's products and lowers the lead limit for them, a public interest group has found a number of toys at major retailers that contain the chemicals and illegal amounts of lead.

In a report released Tuesday called "Trouble in Toyland," the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG) found that while many manufacturers and retailers are complying with the new law, a handful are not, and it is hard for consumers to tell the difference.

"We have seen substantial progress over the last year because of the new law and new leadership at the Consumer Product Safety Commission," said Elizabeth Hitchcock, public health advocate at U.S. PIRG. "At the same time, we are seeing some products that slip through the cracks."

For 24 years, U.S. PIRG has released a report about toy safety at the start of the holiday season. This is the first report since Congress approved broad changes to consumer safety laws in 2008, in response to dangerously high levels of lead in thousands of toys imported from China in the past several years.

Concerns have also been growing about a family of chemicals known as phthalates, which are widely found in plastic toys and have been linked to reproductive disorders and other health problems. Congress overwhelmingly voted to outlaw phthalates from children's products, as well as to significantly reduce the amount of lead allowed in them.

U.S. PIRG sent 15 children's products to an independent laboratory for testing. Four were found to have excessive lead levels, and two contained phthalates. For example, a charm made by Claire's boutiques was 71 percent lead by weight, when the legal limit is .03 percent. A cloth book for toddlers, "Big Rex and Friends," which was purchased at Toys R Us, contained 0.19 percent lead. After being notified by U.S. PIRG, Toys R Us stopped selling the book, but it is still available through other retailers.

Recalls decrease
A Pretty Princess Puppy Purse from Claire's boutiques had a level of 5.4 percent of one of the banned phthalates, while an Elmo lunch bag made by Fast Forward New York had a level of 7.2 percent of another banned phthalate.

On Monday, Inez Tenenbaum, chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, told reporters that "parents and grandparents can have more confidence this year than ever before" because of the new law. Toy recalls have dropped from 162 last year to 38 so far this year, she said. Recalls of children's products with excessive lead levels have decreased from 85 last year to 15 this year, she said.

Since she became chairman of the commission in June, Tenenbaum has traveled twice to China and Southeast Asia to discuss with her Asian counterparts "how to build safety into toys." The Chinese government shuttered several toy factories because of concerns about product safety, she said, adding: "The Chinese are taking toy safety very seriously."

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Are you having an Acne Emergency? Call Soderstrom Skin Institute at 674 – SKIN… we treat acne seriously. With over 35 years of experience, Soderstrom Skin Institute will provide a personalized program to help you get your acne under control. Untreated acne can result in permanent scarring. Don’t suffer any longer! Evening and weekend appointment are available and in most cases you’ll be seen within one week.

Black Friday

So my in-laws have the older boys this black Friday and I am thinking about going shopping. I have never done this. Has anyone ever shopped on Black Friday? Any tips?

Here are the supposed Top 10 websites for Black Friday

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Are you having an Acne Emergency? Call Soderstrom Skin Institute at 674 – SKIN… we treat acne seriously. With over 35 years of experience, Soderstrom Skin Institute will provide a personalized program to help you get your acne under control. Untreated acne can result in permanent scarring. Don’t suffer any longer! Evening and weekend appointment are available and in most cases you’ll be seen within one week.

Monday, November 23, 2009

Nightmares vs. Night Terrors

I got this email today and realized I haven't posted the nightmares vs. night terrors story. We are still dealing with night terrors in our house and my son is 6-years-old! Most kids outgrow them. I hope that happens soon. He is having them less often now than he was last month, but that doesn't mean they are gone for good. They seem to come back with avengence every time I think they are over. They started when he was around 3-years old. There have been times where he would have 8-10 night terrors a night. Night terrors are related to sleep walking. The child doesn't know he is screaming when it happens and doesn't remember the next morning. It can be scary because they sometimes thrash and say things that don't make any sense.

I was told by a friend that you covered a story about children having either nightmares or night terrors? If so can you email me that story? or give me information on how i can get it?

Here's the story:

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Are you having an Acne Emergency? Call Soderstrom Skin Institute at 674 – SKIN… we treat acne seriously. With over 35 years of experience, Soderstrom Skin Institute will provide a personalized program to help you get your acne under control. Untreated acne can result in permanent scarring. Don’t suffer any longer! Evening and weekend appointment are available and in most cases you’ll be seen within one week.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Alarming Pre-term birth numbers


I can relate to this problem. My new baby was not premature, but he did get oxygen immediately after birth and was put in the Level 2 nursery for 24 hours. I just got the bill this week and it's almost $5,000. I don't think there was any way around the situation though. I went into labor early and rushed to the hospital. I had great prenatal care and I don't smoke.

FROM NBC: Too many babies are being born too soon, the March of Dimes said this month. And it's costing the nation billions of dollars. Their new report gives the U.S. a "D" in efforts to prevent preterm births. It's the same grade we've earned for the past three years, and the March of Dimes says it's time for improvement. Josh Hoffman / born preterm "I'm in first grade."

That's a big deal for Josh Hoffman. He was born four months early. He weighed one pound, 11 ounces.
Melanie Hoffman / Mother :"It was absolutely the most terrifying experience. We didn't know if he would live." Despite multiple surgeries and lingering vision problems, Josh survived -- but lots of preterm babies don't. More than half a million are born in the U.S. every year, costing America 26 billion dollars.

Dr. Jennifer Howse / March of Dimes
"Pre-term births cost ten times more, in terms of medical and health care costs. This is a major league problem." Advocates believe many early births can be prevented: -By encouraging pregnant women not to smoke. One in five still do. -By getting uninsured women to doctors... To catch problems early. -By postponing elective c-sections and induced labor until 39 weeks. Experts say every day in the womb reduces the chance of serious problems.

Dr. Roger Young / University of Vermont obstetrician "Bowel problems... There's heat intolerance... There's feeding... There's a number of various things that happen. And every week the statistics get better." The March of Dimes gives the nation a "D" for efforts to prevent pre-term births. A third of the nation... 17 states... failed. The Hoffmans want families to learn from Josh's story: Lee Hoffman / father "Knowledge is power. It's really about educating everyone." And giving every baby a chance to be born healthy. The CDC's national goal is to reduce preterm births to about 7 and a half percent. Right now, we're over 12 percent.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Are you having an Acne Emergency? Call Soderstrom Skin Institute at 674 – SKIN… we treat acne seriously. With over 35 years of experience, Soderstrom Skin Institute will provide a personalized program to help you get your acne under control. Untreated acne can result in permanent scarring. Don’t suffer any longer! Evening and weekend appointment are available and in most cases you’ll be seen within one week.

 
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