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Product Recalls

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), in cooperation with Baby Matters LLC, of Berwyn, Pa., is announcing the voluntary recall of 30,000 Nap Nanny® portable baby recliners. CPSC is investigating a report of a 4-month-old girl from Royal Oak, Mich. who died in a Nap Nanny® that was being used in a crib. According to preliminary reports, the infant was in her harness and found hanging over the side of the product, caught between the Nap Nanny® and the crib bumper.

CPSC and Baby Matters are aware of one other incident in which an infant became entrapped when the Nap Nanny was used in a crib, contrary to the product instructions. In that incident, the infant fell over the side of the Nap Nanny®, despite being harnessed in, and was caught between the baby recliner and the side of the crib. The infant sustained a cut to the forehead.

CPSC and the firm have received 22 reports of infants, primarily younger than 5-months-old, hanging or falling out over the side of the Nap Nanny® despite most of the infants being placed in the harness. One infant received a bruise as a result of hanging over the side of the product.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Health Canada (HC), in cooperation with Tots in Mind Inc., of Salem, N.H., is announcing the voluntary recall today of about 20,000 (and 85 in Canada) Cozy Indoor Outdoor Portable Playard Tents Plus Cabana Kits

Clips that attach the tent to the top of the playard can break or be removed by a child. A child can lift the tent and become entrapped at the neck between the rigid playard frame and the metal base rod of the tent, posing a strangulation hazard.

CPSC is aware of a death of a 2-year-old boy in December 2008 in Vinalhaven, Maine. The boy was found hanging with his neck entrapped between the playard frame and the metal base rod of the tent that had been partially tied by pieces of nylon rope and partially attached by clips. The tent was tied to the playard because the child was able to pop off the clips. Apparently, the child became entrapped while attempting to climb out of the playard. In three other incidents, children were able to remove one or more clips and place their necks between the tent and the playard. The children were not injured.

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Industry Launches New Initiative to Secure Drop Sides with Free Immobilization Devices

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), with the cooperation of seven firms, is announcing voluntary recalls of more than two million cribs to address drop-side hazards and other hazards that affect the safety of young children. The recalling firms are providing consumers with free repair kits to immobilize the drop sides or other remedies. Do not attempt to fix these cribs with homemade remedies.

The drop-side and fixed-side crib recalls announced today are of units manufactured between 2000 and 2009 by the companies listed below. Consumers should contact these firms directly for the appropriate remedy:

“Cribs should be the safest place in the home for infants and toddlers,” said CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum. “CPSC is committed to addressing the hazards with cribs and to restoring parents’ confidence that their child will have a safe sleep.”

CPSC continues to actively investigate various cribs for potential drop-side and other hazards as part of a larger effort by the agency to rid the marketplace and homes of unsafe cribs. CPSC staff is also working on a new mandatory standard to make cribs safer, which is targeted for completion in 2010.

The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) has also launched a new crib safety initiative. The listed manufacturers are providing free drop-side crib immobilization kits to prevent the drop side from detaching, plus replacement hardware and assembly instructions for cribs manufactured by participating firms. These materials are available free to any consumer by request.

The firms involved in today’s recalls are providing immobilization devices or other remedies as part of JPMA’s crib safety initiative. Consumers can visit JPMA’s website, www.cribsafety.org, for a list of participating manufacturers and for downloadable materials about ensuring that children have a safe sleep.

The immobilization devices, which will be available in the next few weeks, should be attached to keep the drop side from detaching from the cribs. Immobilization devices are not a solution for cribs with broken or damaged drop-side hardware. If your drop-side hardware is broken, contact the manufacturer for an alternative remedy.

CPSC issued a warning last month alerting parents and caregivers that there can be deadly hazards associated with drop-side cribs. Nine million drop-side cribs have been recalled over the past five years. CPSC staff has determined drop-side cribs generally have a tendency to be less structurally sound than cribs with four fixed sides.

Drop-side crib incidents can also occur due to incorrect assembly or age-related wear and tear. Age is a factor in the safety of any crib. At a minimum, CPSC staff recommends that you not use a crib that is older than 10 years. Many older cribs do not meet current voluntary standards and can have numerous safety problems.

Important Message from CPSC:

The safest place for your baby to sleep is in a crib or bassinet depending on their age. If your crib has been recalled or it has missing, broken or loose parts, find an alternate safe sleep environment intended for a baby. If your baby is less than six months old and is not yet able to push up to his/her hands and knees, you can put your baby to sleep in a bassinet. Make sure your bassinet has not been recalled. Here’s a list. Also, you can use a play yard.

Do not put additional bedding such as pillows, thick quilts, comforters or anything plush into your baby’s sleeping space. More babies die every year from suffocation in plush sleeping environments than from defective cribs. Always place your baby on his or her back to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

Visit CPSC’s Crib Information Center for more information on Crib Safety and Recalls.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following product. Consumers should stop using products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.

Name of product: CYBEX 2.GO Infant Carriers

Units: About 2,700 in the United States and 400 in Canada

Distributor: Regal Lager Inc., of Kennesaw, Ga.

Hazard: A shoulder strap slider buckle can break, posing a fall hazard to babies.

Incidents/Injuries: The firm has received three reports of broken buckles. No injuries have been reported.

Description: This recall involves CYBEX 2.GO infant carriers. “CYBEX” is embroidered on the fabric covering on the top of the head support. “2.GO” is printed on an orange tag near the head support. They were sold in the following colors: chili, indigo, purple and slate.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – As part of its commitment to ensure safe sleep for young children, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is once again warning parents and caregivers about deadly hazards with drop-side cribs. In the last five years, CPSC has announced 11 recalls involving more than 7 million drop-side cribs due to suffocation and strangulation hazards created by the drop side. CPSC staff is actively investigating several other crib manufacturers for potential drop-side hazards as part of a larger effort by the agency to rid the marketplace and homes of unsafe cribs. CPSC will continue to take aggressive action to address any risks and will keep the public informed.

CPSC staff has completed a comprehensive review of crib-related infant fatalities reported to the agency between January 2000 and the present. CPSC staff is aware of 32 infant and toddler suffocation and strangulation deaths and hundreds of incidents that were caused by or related to drop-side detachments in cribs made by various manufacturers.

In addition to the 32 deaths the CPSC staff associated with the drop-side detachments, CPSC has received an additional 14 reports of infant fatalities due to entrapment in cribs that could be related to a drop side. The information obtained was insufficient for staff to conclusively determine whether or not the drop side was involved. Of the 32 deaths that were analyzed, some occurred in cribs where the drop side detached without caregivers noticing the detachment, while some other deaths occurred after a consumer tried to repair the detached drop side, but the repair ultimately failed.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 24, 2010
Release #10-177

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Health Canada (HC), in cooperation with Infantino LLC, of San Diego, Calif. are announcing a free replacement program for the Infantino “SlingRider” and “Wendy Bellissimo” infant slings. One million of these infant slings are being recalled in the United States and 15,000 are being recalled in Canada. CPSC advises consumers to immediately stop using these slings for infants younger than four months of age due to a risk of suffocation and contact Infantino for a free replacement product.

CPSC is aware of three reports of deaths that occurred in these slings in 2009; a 7-week-old infant in Philadelphia, Pa.; a 6-day-old infant in Salem, Ore.; and a 3-month-old infant in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The Infantino “SlingRider,” is a soft fabric baby carrier with a padded shoulder strap that is worn by parents and caregivers to carry an infant weighing up to 20 lbs. “Infantino” is printed on the plastic slider located on the strap. “Infantino,” “SlingRider” and the item number are printed on the instruction/warning label inside the baby sling carrier. “Wendy Bellissimo” branded sling carriers were sold exclusively at Babies “R” Us and have a sewn-in label on the inside of the sling strap that says in part “Wendy Bellissimo Media, Inc.” and lists Item numbers 3937500H7 and 3937501H7.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 18, 2010
Release #10-171

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following product. Consumers should stop using product immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Graco Harmony™ High Chairs

Units: About 1.2 million

Manufacturer: Graco Children’s Products Inc., of Atlanta, Ga.

Hazard: The screws holding the front legs of the high chair can loosen and fall out and/or the plastic bracket on the rear legs can crack causing the high chair to become unstable and tip over unexpectedly. This poses a fall hazard to children.

Incidents/Injuries: Graco has received 464 reports of screws loosening/falling out and/or plastic brackets cracking causing the high chair to tip over unexpectedly. These tip-over’s resulted in 24 reports of injuries including bumps and bruises to the head, a hairline fracture to the arm, and cuts, bumps, bruises and scratches to the body.

Description: This recall involves all Harmony™ High Chairs. The Harmony™ high chair was manufactured from November 2003 through December 2009 and is no longer in production. The model number can be found on the label that is located on the underside of the foot rest.

Sold at: AAFES, Burlington Coat Factory, Babies “R” Us, Toys “R” Us, Sears, Target, Target.com, Walmart, WalMart.com, Shopko, USA Baby, and other retailers nationwide from December 2003 through March 2010 for between $70 and $120.

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REVISED RELEASE
Contact:          Linda Woody
lwoody@ahint.com
856-642-4420

JPMA Provides Additional Guidance Regarding CPSC Warning on Slings Issued March 12, 2010

JPMA provides safety tips for parents and caregivers when using slings.

MOUNT LAUREL, NJ March 17, 2010—The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA), a non-profit association dedicated to promoting the industry and the safe use of juvenile products, is providing important safety information to parents and caregivers on the proper use of infant slings. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a warning for infant slings on March 12, 2010 advising parents and caregivers to be cautious when using infant slings for babies younger than four months of age.

The CPSC warning does not include soft infant carriers, for which there is an ASTM standard and which JPMA certifies. It is important to note that JPMA does not certify slings and currently there is no ASTM standard covering slings. The ASTM subcommittee on infant slings met on March 16, 2010 to review a draft standard for sling carriers and work to develop a voluntary standard is ongoing.

“The JPMA is committed to providing the latest safety information to parents in the prenatal to preschool market,” said Michael Dwyer, CAE, Executive Director of the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association. “Parents and caregivers are looking for answers to tough questions regarding baby gear, and the JPMA can provide those helpful reminders that an important first step toward raising a happy, healthy baby is to create the safest environment possible.”

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WASHINGTON, D.C.- The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is advising parents and caregivers to be cautious when using infant slings for babies younger than four months of age. In researching incident reports from the past 20 years, CPSC identified and is investigating at least 14 deaths associated with sling-style infant carriers, including three in 2009. Twelve of the deaths involved babies younger than four months of age.

Slings can pose two different types of suffocation hazards to babies. In the first few months of life, babies cannot control their heads because of weak neck muscles. The sling’s fabric can press against an infant’s nose and mouth, blocking the baby’s breathing and rapidly suffocating a baby within a minute or two. Additionally, where a sling keeps the infant in a curled position bending the chin toward the chest, the airways can be restricted, limiting the oxygen supply. The baby will not be able to cry for help and can slowly suffocate.

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WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following products. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Britax “Blink” Umbrella Strollers

Units: About 14,000 in the United States and 900 in Canada

Importer: Britax Child Safety, Inc., of Charlotte, N.C.

Hazard: The stroller’s hinge mechanism poses a fingertip amputation and laceration hazard to the child when the consumer is unfolding/opening the stroller.

Incidents/Injuries: None reported.
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