The Consumer Product Safety Commission has recalled nearly 2 million of the monitors, saying the electrical cords can be dangerous to your baby. Do you have one?

Another baby product has been deemed unsafe. Two million Summer Infant video baby monitors were recalled after they were linked to the strangulation deaths of two infants. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says the electrical cords on these products can be dangerous when left to close to a baby’s crib. Learn how to keep your child safe!

Are babies safe in their own cribs?

Since 2004, seven children have strangled on cords placed too close to their cribs. According to the commission, a 10-month-old girl from Washington, D.C. died in March when she got tangled in the cord of a monitor placed on the top rail of her crib. In November, a 6-month-old boy from Conway, S.C. was strangled on an electrical cord of a monitor on the changing table attached to his crib. In Pittsburgh, a 20-month-old boy came close to dying after he was caught in a camera cord that was mounted on the wall.

Four infants die in Graco strollers

“I urge all parents and caregivers to put at least three feet between any video or audio baby monitor cords and a child in a crib,” Commission Chairman Inez Tenenbaum advises. “This simple step can save your child’s life.” More than 1.5 million of these monitors, representing more than 40 different models, have been recalled by Summer Infant. The company also will provide new warning labels and instructions about monitor placement on each item. The monitors were sold between 2003 and 2011 by retailers nationwide.

For more information on model numbers of recalled monitors, contact Summer Infant at 800-426-8627.

–Leigh Blickley

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35 baby deaths a year happen because of these products. Is your child safe?

Although the Consumer Products Safety Commission was skeptical to believe the findings of Dr. Bradley Thach, a professor of pediatrics at Washington University who claimed crib bumpers were killing babies, the agency has now reversed their standpoint and decided to crack down on baby sleep products that are being blamed for infant injuries and deaths. Are you concerned for your baby’s safety?

Four infants die in Graco strollers

In an article in the The New York Times, sources say that the commission is cracking down on baby sleep products now that many cases of death and injury have been reported. Parents and caretakers target too much of their attention on defective baby products rather than what’s right in front of them — like pillows, bumpers and bedding that have cluttered their children’s cribs. A commission report noted that 531 infant deaths from 1992 to 2008 were associated with these sleep products, that’s 35 baby deaths a year!

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Here is a list of the products that have caused most of these avoidable deaths:

1. Dr. Thach found that crib bumpers, the padding wrapped around the inside of a crib, caused  27 suffocation deaths during a 10 year period beginnging in 1995. “Because bumpers can cause death, we conclude that they should not be used,” he warned.
2. In September, the Food and Drug Administration cracked down on sleep positioners, which are typically used to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, but caused the death of 12 babies in the last dozen years or so. The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association suggested that parents could continue using them, as long as they used them properly.
3. In October, the commission warned parents about baby monitor cords that caused the death of six babies since 2004, who strangled themselves on the wires.
4. In December, the commission banned drop-side cribs and asked that they be discarded from homes. The cribs were blamed for reportedly entrapping and killing at least 32 babies since 2000. This statistic helped to launch the “Safe Sleep” campaign which prioritzed the safety of baby sleep products.

All these findings have caused the commission to delve deeper and really focus on making baby sleep products safer and less hazardous to the health and life of infants. So HollyMoms, are you worried about these products? Or will you continue to use them?

–Leigh Blickley

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In a unanimous vote by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the manufacture, sale and resale of drop-side cribs has been banned. All cribs being created and sold must have fixed sides by June 2011. Over the past decade they’ve caused dozens of infant and toddler deaths. Since 2005, 9 million of the movable cribs have been recalled because the drop-side rail can detach from the frame, creating a gap between the mattress and side rail. When that happens little ones can get caught and suffocate or strangle.

“I feel like it’s a celebratory time because things are finally being done about the issue,” Michele Witte of Merrick, N.Y. told the Associated Press.  Her 10-month-old son, Tyler, died in a drop-side crib in 1997.

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Parents currently keeping their babies in drop-side cribs are encouraged to inspect the hardware on their cribs to make sure it’s working properly. The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association, says properly assembled drop-sides that haven’t been recalled can be still be used.

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HollyMoms, if you have a drop-side crib that hasn’t been recalled, are you going to keep it or invest in a new one?

–Amy L. Harper

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Baby gear maker Graco is recalling close to two million strollers after receiving reports that certain types caused the deaths of four infants. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says that between 2003 to 2005 these babies became trapped inside the strollers and were strangled. The strollers being recalled are older versions of the Graco Quattro Tour and MetroLite strollers and travel systems, all made before 2007 and distributed by Graco Children’s Products Inc. of Atlanta.

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The Safety Commission says that if babies aren’t strapped into the stroller correctly, they can slide through the opening between the stroller tray and the bottom of the seat, therefore getting stuck or being strangled. They are also aware of five reports of children being trapped — causing cuts and bruises — and one baby having difficulty breathing. The strollers being recalled are ones made prior to the voluntary standard in 2008 that requires there to be a larger stroller opening between the tray and the seat to prevent the risk of entrapment or strangulation. The recalled strollers were sold between November 2000 to December 2007.

To find out if you own one of these strollers, look at the complete list of the model numbers of recalled strollers and travel systems at www.gracobaby.com. If you have a recalled stroller, contact Graco at 877-828-4046 or visit the company’s website for a free repair kit. The strollers can continue to be used  as a car seat since the entrapment and strangulation hazards are only present when using the stroller.

–Leigh Blickley