Baby Einstein Sleeper Recall

Here's another thing to add to the heap of bad things about Baby Einstein.

http://209.217.71.106/PR/recall-retrait-e.jsp?re_id=337

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RECALL - Combi Infant Carriers

Health Canada has just issued a recall on the following Combi infant carriers:

Centre DX: 781395/981395, 789462/998047
Centre ST: 784850/991465, 784850S/991465
Cosmo ST Travel System: 714650/991465



It seems that the bucket can become detached from the base, even during a "moderate" collision.

"Consumers who have completed and returned their registration card, or registered their infant car seat on-line at Combi Company, will receive a repair kit free of charge. Those who have not registered their infant car seat should contact ISIS Inc., the importer of the Combi infant carrier, at 1-800-667-4111. Again, the infant carrier should not be used with the base until the repair kit is received. Consumers should not return the affected units to a retailer."

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Pangea Day

I've been attending TED vicariously and one  of the most inspiring ideas put forward is Pangea Day. 

From the TED blog

Actress Goldie Hawn is one of the many public figures around the world supporting Pangea Day, a project that was voiced as a "wish" by 2006 TED Prize winner Jehane Noujaim, when she wondered if it would be possible to create a "day when you have everyone coming together from around the world and sharing a communal experience of watching a film all together, all at the same time, from Times Square to Ramallah to the side of the Great Wall of China". That day is going to happen, on May 10, when four hours of programming -- films, user-generated videos, speakers, music, hosted by CNN's Christiane Amanpour -- will take place in several locations and broadcast by TV channels, shown on theatres, distributed over cell phones, streamed online, screened in village places and private homes all over the world. That's Pangea Day. Movies alone can't change the world: but the people who watch them can. "We will see sameness and not the differences", Goldie Hawn says. The Pangea Day website is here, with informations on hosting an event or finding one to attend, backgrounders, etc. The event will be globally supported by Nokia. (A side note: the picture on the Pangea Day homepage shows one of the greatest annual moments of cinematic communion in the world: the evening screenings on the Piazza Grande at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland, where up to 10'000 people gather to watch movies under the summer sky).

PangeaDay is an invitation to see things differently, to consider also the other's point of view. Here is an example, a video that's been produced for PangeaDay, based on the images of the famous scene of the unarmed young man carrying shopping bags who stood in front of the tanks on Tienanmen Square, on 5 June 1989, blocking them. The young man has remained anonymous. So did the soldier driving the tank.

Consumer Product Recall - Mary Had a Choking Hazard

Consumer Product Recalls

Recall Notice

Date March 2008 Product Name Infantino® Lamb Grabby Rattle Full Product Description The recalled Infantino Lamb Grabby Rattles are shaped like a lamb with an Infantino elliptical-shaped logo stamped on the front right foot of the lamb. Only rattles with date code 0907 printed on the back of the left ear of the lamb are included in the recall. The production batch code is printed in a dial format with the year in the middle of a circle and an arrow pointing to the number on the circle that indicates the month. Rattles that do not have a date code are not included in the recall. Hazard Identified The plastic tail piece on the rattle can detach and pose a choking hazard to young children. Health Canada has not received reports of incidents or injuries with the product. Corrective Action Consumers are advised to immediately take the rattle away from children. Infantino® can be contacted to receive a free replacement rattle. For additional information, contact Infantino® toll-free at (888) 808-3111 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm's Web site at: Infantino Company Number Sold 360 units sold in Canada Time Period Sold November 2007 to March 2008 Manufacturer Infantino LLC Retailer Winners Merchants International LP

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Consumer Product Recall - Cheap and Ugly Jewellery

Recall Notice

Date March 2008 Product Name Children's Metal Jewellery Full Product Description The recalled necklaces include a cat with silver and pink rhinestones, a heart and lock with pink rhinestones, a silver coloured heart with a rhinestone crown, and a silver coloured lock and key. The necklaces hang from silver coloured chains. The following pieces are part of this recall: HA64- Cat Necklace (UPC: 039301460640) HA108- Heart with Key Necklace (UPC: 039301461081) HA109- Lock with Key Necklace (UPC: 039301461098) HA110- Heart Necklace (UPC: 039301461104) Hazard Identified The children's necklaces contain high levels of lead. Lead is toxic if ingested by young children and can cause adverse health effects. Health Canada has not received reports of illness or injury to Canadians related to the use of the recalled jewellery. For more information on the risks and symptoms of lead exposure, visit Health Canada's: It's Your Health: Effects of Lead on Human Health Corrective Action Consumers should immediately take the recalled necklaces away from children. Consumers may contact Pecoware for instructions on returning the necklaces for a full refund. For refund and/or disposal information, consumers may contact Pecoware at (800) 456-7326 between 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. PT Monday through Friday. Number Sold Approximately 59 pieces were sold in Canada. Time Period Sold Sold at department and specialty stores nationwide from January 2006 through July 2007 (cat necklace), and from July 2007 through November 2007 (heart, heart and key, and lock and key necklaces) for about $13. Sold primarily in British Columbia and Ontario. Manufacturer Pecoware Co. Inc., of Chino, Calif.

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Response to Grace's comment

PD reader Grace left the following comment the other day:

i had just commented on a previous post regarding soy lecithin.... this is before i read the rest of your posts regarding MSPI. wow. thanks for all of your information and for sharing your journey. the letter to the ombusman was particularly frustrating.

my son is 3 months and have had occasional blood in his diapers. my appointment with the specialist is not until april and i called to see if i could at least speak with her. basically, she said that if the blood is occasional and he's growing ok, then we can just ignore the problem. i've actually cut dairy, soy, and eggs and i have still seen traces of blood occasionally. when i told this to the specialist, she said don't worry about eliminating it because ultimately, its not that harmful. if i want to see the blood stopped, i can switch to the formulas that you had mentioned.

since it seems that you and your family had such extensive experience, i just wanted to ask for your thoughts on that before i go in for the appointment to see whether i need to pursue it further, etc. how often did the blood occur and did it affect her behavior and weight significantly?

my baby had weight issues in the beginning and that was largely due to a poor latch. right now i'm giving him breastmilk through a bottle and he's been gaining fine.

any thoughts and advice would be greatly appreciated. again, i commend you and your wife for all that you've done.

grace

Thanks for the great feedback Grace, it's wonderful to know that I've been able to help. We didn't see any weight issues with Zen Girl. We did notice some behaviour issues, but nothing serious (which caused some confusion considering how unhappy Curious Boy was). The blood was sporadic, and only in trace amounts.

My advice is as follows: if the specialist says not to worry, don't. Especially if your son is growing well and is happy. Going on a near-total elimination diet is very difficult, although it can be done - and we can help.

Have you also eliminated soya bean oil and soya lecithin? Those don't irritate kids as frequently, but can still be a concern. If you get pressure to switch to formula, try eliminating more stuff before changing tactics. Some MSPI kids react badly to the formula, and you can risk losing your milk supply.

You can always reach me privately to continue this talk at philosopherdad [at]gmail.com

Good luck.

MSPI: Comments and Updates

Philosopher Dad reader Grace just left a wonderful comment about her 3 month-old son who has MSPI. It reminded me that I haven't been keeping everyone up-to-date about how Zen Girl is doing.

Actually quite well, thanks.

Her diet now includes:
apples, peaches, pears, carrots, zucchini, squash, oranges, bananas, broccoli, chicken, cauliflower, turkey, lamb and prunes.

Yesterday we started barley. If you've been keeping score, you'll recall that we found blood in ZG's diaper after trying rice cereal in November. We haven't tried any carbs since.

Here's hoping.

Recall: Monsieur Tse-Tse Organic Doll

Recall Notice

Date February 2008 Product Name Monsieur Tsé-Tsé Full Product Description Organic Cotton Dolls Hazard Identified The metal eyes on the dolls can detach and pose a choking hazard to young children. Corrective Action Consumers are advised to immediately take the recalled dolls away from children. The Monsieur Tsé Tsé dolls with metal eyes can be returned to the original place of purchase, or they can be returned directly to Raplapla Inc. for replacement with a doll with embroidered eyes. Raplapla Inc. can be contacted by telephone at either: 514-660-5217 or 514-574-5217, or by e-mail at info@raplapla.com. Number Sold Approximately 250 dolls were sold in Canada. Time Period Sold The dolls were sold from September 2007 to January 2008. They were sold primarily at independent boutiques in Montreal as well as in Toronto. Manufacturer Raplapla Inc., Montreal, Quebec

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Crib Recall

Recall Notice

Date February 2008 Product Name Majestic Curved Top and Flat Top Cribs Essex Cribs Brighton/Sussex Cribs Captiva Cribs Full Product Description The cribs are wooden. The recalled cribs include: Majestic Curved Top cribs with model number 9500; Majestic Flat Top cribs with model number 9000; Essex cribs with model number 7100; Brighton/Sussex cribs with model number 9100; and Captiva cribs with model number 5100. Only cribs with manufacture dates between November 1, 2005 and November 1, 2007 are included in the recall. The crib model number is printed on the white label on the bottom inside of the right side rail. The crib manufacture date is printed on either the white label near the model number or on the white label located on the bottom of the headboard. Cribs with a green sticker on the mattress frame are not included in the recall. Hazard Identified The cribs fail to meet the federal safety requirements for cribs. The four support brackets on the mattress support spring are too long. The brackets prevent the spring from lowering to the full 26 inch minimum height in its lowest position, allowing children inside to crawl over the railing, posing a fall hazard. Corrective Action Consumers should stop using the recalled cribs. Consumers may contact Munire Furniture to receive replacement spring brackets. For additional information, consumers may contact Munire Furniture Inc. at (866) 586-9639 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. EST or visit the firm's Web site at www.munirefurniture.com Number Sold Approximately 500 units were sold in Canada. Time Period Sold Sold at specialty juvenile product stores nationwide from November 2005 through November 2007 for between $400 and $600. Manufactured in Indonesia. Importer Munire Furniture Inc., of Piscataway, N.J

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