Lab tests of the formula made by those responsible for making 90% of American infant formula found trace amounts of melamine. However, the levels were far less than what's been found in China, responsible for killing 3 infants and sickening thousands.

FDA sets melamine standard for baby formula [AP] (Photo: DanCentury)

One mother, Amy Muir, told KNBC of the postage-stamped rash, saying, "The pajamas were stuck to the skin and back of his neck. I started to pull and the skin came off with his pajamas."

Carter's has not recalled the product, saying the rashes are just rare allergic reactions, and that it received fewer than four reported rashes for every 1 million sold.

Parents are advised to stop using the Carter's clothes if rashes develop, and you can send them back to the manufacturer for a full refund by contacting 1-888-282-4674 or contactus@carters.com.

Carter’s Tag-less Infant Clothing Safety Advisory [KNBC]
CPSC and Carter’s Advise Parents of Rashes Associated with Heat Transferred, or “Tag-less,” Labels [CPSC]
A Message From Carter's [Carter's]

PREVIOUSLY: Carter's Tagless Baby Clothes Causing Rashes?

Two brothers surnamed Geng were arrested for "producing and selling toxic and hazardous food," police in Hebei, the north Chinese province where Sanlu is based, told Xinhua.

From late last year they added melamine to the 3 tonnes of milk they sold on from farmers every day, the report said.

"Geng did so because he suffered losses after milk from his station had been rejected several times by Sanlu Group," it said.

Farmers or dealers may have diluted milk with water and added melamine, used in plastics, to make the protein level appear higher than it really was.

Thankfully, none of the tainted milk powder was exported to North America.

Liu Changjiang, minister of GAQSIQ (the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine for those who forgot,) strongly condemned the Sanlu Group, which may have known of the contamination back in March, saying:

“It’s shocking. It’s a crime against the people.”

No no, dear friend. After last year's scandals, not even 10,000 poisoned babies counts as shocking.

(Though, obviously, it's a terrible tragedy.)

Tainted formula again raises concerns about Chinese products [Boston Herald]
Hundreds affected in milk scandal [Reuters]
PREVIOUSLY: House Investigators: The Chinese Government Can't Protect Its Own Citizens, Let Alone Ours
(Photo: Getty)

Researchers at the Yale School of Medicine have linked [BPA] to problems with brain function and mood disorders in monkeys—the first time the chemical has been connected to health problems in primates.

Last month, the FDA declared BPA safe enough to keep using in manufacturing, but yesterday another federal group reignited the issue:

The National Toxicology Program, a federal interagency initiative, released a final report saying it has “some concern” that BPA is linked to health and developmental problems in humans. Of the NTP’s five categories of concern, “some” would rate a three, or the middle of the dial between the extremes of negligible and serious.

The report doesn't call for a ban, but suggests more research is needed. And here we go: this new study on monkeys seems to add more evidence to the argument that BPA may have negative consequences on humans.

The FDA will hold a public meeting on September 16th to discuss the matter some more, with academics and industry reps in attendance.

"Chemical in Plastic Is Connected to Health Problems in Monkeys"
(Photo: mape_s)

Neiman Marcus immediately offered to take back the stroller and issue a credit, which should have resolved the problem. But one Neiman Marcus manager, Mia Beasley, tried to go the extra mile and ended up making things far worse. Mia promised Steven that she would find him a new stroller and, if necessary, eat the difference in cost.

Mia couldn't find a new stroller, and when Steven pressed for action, she disappeared entirely.

Steven cc'd us on his letter to Neiman Marcus:

Dear Mr. Tansky,

I am writing today to inform you of an experience I recently had purchasing a stroller online at Neiman Marcus. The lack of customer service and quality of the product was surprising, to say the least, considering your company’s extraordinary reputation.

On May 23, 2008 my wife and I purchased a Bugaboo stroller from the Neiman Marcus online store. We are expecting our first child in November 2008 and thought Neiman Marcus would be a great place to purchase our first item for our child. The stroller was purchased at an excellent discounted price of $682, including shipping.

We received the stroller on May 30, 2008 and to our disappointment the item appeared used. The wheels were worn out on the front, the wheel axel had human hair covering it, and some of the handles were worn out. The item was also not in its original packaging; it appeared to be thrown in a big box and sent out. My wife and I were thoroughly disappointed.

On May 31, 2008 I placed a call to a customer service agent explaining the situation and he offered to give us a credit for the purchase and to pick up the item. I explained to him that we were unable to find the stroller anywhere else at such a great price. I also asked if there was anything else he could do for us besides giving us the credit. He then put me through to his manager, Mia Beasley. Mia was very helpful on that day and told me that she would give us the credit immediately and order us a new stroller from one of the stores as soon as the funds cleared in our account. She also stated that they would eat the cost difference of the new stroller given the unsatisfactory condition our stroller had been received in. I was very pleased at that moment, but this is where the customer satisfaction ended.

The funds were released to our bank account on June 4, 2008. My wife and I called Mia Beasley on June 5, 2008 and left a message stating that our funds had been released. Mia Beasley called us on June 10, 2008 and asked if we were still interested in the new stroller, my wife answered “of course, we have been waiting anxiously for you to call us back.” Mia stated that Stephany Patrina would be in contact with us that same day to place the order. Mia once again told my wife that Neiman Marcus would assume the cost difference between the new stroller and the discounted stroller we had purchased. Stephany Patrina never called us. My wife attempted to call Mia Beasley on June 11th, 12th, 13th, and 17th without success. Several voice messages were left on those days.

Mia finally returned our call on June 17, 2008 after a fourth message was left for her dating back to June 11th. When Mia spoke to my wife she explained that they were having difficulty locating the stroller at one of the stores and were unable to provide us with a new item. Mia Beasley also told my wife “to Google the item and try and find it at another store”. I, at this point, was very upset with the lack of customer support and urgency to get this matter resolved by Mia Beasley. I called her back and left a message expressing my unhappiness with the results thus far, and threatened to go above her to another manager, director, or directly to the CEO. I expressed an interest in getting the matter resolved within twenty four hours. Mia angrily returned my call stating that she was “very disturbed by my message”. I guess she was disturbed by the fact that I wanted to get the matter resolved and I was threatening to go above her authority to get it done. I was at wits end with the process by this point. I then told Mia that she should not have made my wife and I a promise that she couldn’t keep. Mia then claimed that she had never told us that she would replace our purchase with a new stroller and also claimed that she never told my wife or I that they would eat the cost difference.

At this point I was quite aggravated with Mia and the customer service, or lack thereof, that I had received. Not only was Mia totally reversing what she had said, but now she was calling my wife and I liars. I then told Mia that I was going to have to take this above her to her manager and possibly the CEO of Neiman Marcus. Mia then told me that she didn’t care and that I could take it to whomever I needed to.

On June 17th at 5:00 pm EST, I gave it one more shot. I called Mia’s manager Maggie Barker and left a message to call me back immediately regarding this situation. I still haven’t heard back from Maggie as of the date of this letter. Not exactly the world class customer service I expected from Neiman Marcus.

You will be happy to know that my wife and I did get our Bugaboo Stroller for $700, only $18 more than what we would have paid at Neiman Marcus. The difference was a lot less aggravation and a positive experience. It was purchased from an unknown company called mystrollers.com. They might not have the world class name that Neiman Marcus possesses but the customer service and the product was delivered in a world class manner. We received the item only twenty four hours after placing the order. The product was new, in its original packaging, and the shipping was free. I hope that Neiman Marcus is proud of the fact that they were outclassed by an online start-up company. I feel as if Neiman Marcus owes my wife and I some sort of apology. I am not sure, however, that anything can change the experience that cost your company this purchase, and may have cost Neiman Marcus customers for life.

Sincerely,

Steven

(Photo: Getty)

He writes:

Four years ago, my first child was born and among other things we got a couple baby gates for the stairs. The brand was Summer Infant and we have overal been pleased with the quality. The particular gate we got (model 07030) was a metal gate with a plastic latch that would alarm if left open.

Fast forward to last night, and that plastic part gave up the ghost. Its been coming for a while, but the springs and plastic on the latch could not stand up to two toddlers over multiple years. I swapped the broken part for the the one still functioning on the other gate (the other gate is not used much, so we are not really taking any risks).

I tracked down the contact info for Summer Infant, called their customer care department, and spoke to Maddie. She didn't ask how old it was, if I had a receipt, was it broken due to children beating it with a hammer, or for us to send back the old part. She only wanted my address so they could send out a new part, no questions asked. Both the part and shipping are complimentary. It should be here in a week.

They get major Kudos from my wife and I. Way to go Summer Infant on taking care of your customers (and their children)!

Awww, isn't that adorable? Good customer service is so precious.

Hello Consumerist,
 
After reading your articles on Canada banning BPA filled baby products and hopefully soon the US, I did some research and was shocked to find the ever popular "First Year's Breastflow" baby bottles I bought for myself last Christmas at Target were not BPA free. Nor has the "First Year" company done anything to remedy the BPA in their wide variety of baby products. Thank goodness my little girl hasn't been born yet and the bottles still sit in her nursery waiting to be used.
 
I figured they'd own up if confronted about it and provide a refund since A) they haven't been used and still sit in their original boxes and B) they should feel some sort of remorse for not making BPA free baby products. I know Target isn't going to care since it's been 90 days and who knows where the receipt is anyways. I don't think it necessarily needs to be solely Target's issue anyways, "First Years" needs to take responsibility for selling products with the BPA chemical and hopefully if more parents catch on and email in, they might actually recall their products and start making safer items for our kids.
 
So I sent in an email to customer care and got this bs canned response about how they don't care. Any advice on how I can get this taken care of and actually read by someone of importance? Thanks!
 
Sincerely, Portia

From: CustomerService Date: Mon, Apr 21, 2008 at 7:39 AM Subject: Re: Care and Safety Question or Feedback for LearningCurve.com Customer Care   Thank you for your inquiry,   If you are unhappy with your purchase, the company has established return policies with retailers who buy our products directly. Please return the product along with your receipt to the place of purchase for an exchange or refund. The exchange is subject to the discretion and return policies of the individual retailer.   Thank you, Consumer Services

"The Z Report on BPA In Children's Feeding Products, Third Edition" [Z Recommends]

Consumers should stop using the cribs and contact the manufacturer for a replacement set of brackets that will fix the problem.

Here's the info:

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.

Sold at: Specialty juvenile product stores nationwide from November 2005 through November 2007 for between $400 and $600.

Manufactured in: Indonesia

Remedy: Consumers should stop using the recalled cribs and contact Munire Furniture to receive replacement spring brackets.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Munire Furniture Inc. at (866) 586-9639 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET or visit the firm's Web site at www.munirefurniture.com

Munire Furniture Recalls Cribs Due to Fall Hazard [CPSC]

Dr. Soni said he was raising the objection publicly because "I feel the message needs to be put across. I don't think the T.S.A. has the training to exert judgment on what the nutritional needs of a baby are" for a 2 ½ hour flight, not to mention a possible long delay.

Dr. Soni stressed that he and his wife have no quarrel with the T.S.A. officers, but would like to see a rule allowing parents more discretion. He also suggested that airport shops inside the security zones consider selling baby food.

"Bringing Along Baby Food? Not Too Much, Rules Say" [New York Times]

David writes, "I'd be interested to hear if Babies R Us and other retailers (or the bottle companies) would offer an exchange to concerned parents." Somehow we doubt that will happen unless there's an official plastic bottle recall in the future.

"Plastic baby bottles may pose danger" [MarketWatch]

RELATED
Press Release: "Dr. Brown's New Glass, Polypropylene Bottles Provide More Options For Parents" [Dr. Brown's]
"Chemicals In Baby Products May Be Dangerous"
(Really cute baby photo: pfly)

From the LA Times:

The research, to be published today in the medical journal Pediatrics, found that as the use of baby care products rose, so did the concentration of phthalates, which are used in many fragrances.

The lead scientist in the study, Dr. Sheela Sathyanarayana of the University of Washington's Department of Pediatrics, said the findings suggested that many baby care products contain a variety of phthalates that enter children's bodies through their skin.

Manufacturers do not list phthalates as ingredients on labels, so it is unknown which products contain them.

The researchers at the University of Washington and the University of Rochester stressed that the potential effects on babies were uncertain.

But previous animal and human research suggests that early exposure to some phthalates could reduce testosterone and alter reproductive organs, particularly in males.

What's the alternative to using these baby products? Karr: In terms of bathing your baby, plain water is all that you need. Special soaps and shampoos marketed for your baby are really just a cosmetic choice, so parents can save money and save worry just by using plain water. With the exception of maybe excessively dry skin, most babies don't need lotions or creams at all.

Linkner: Parents should go to health food stores, and read labels the best they can. Buy organic as much as possible. If they're concerned about diaper rashes, they can look for a non-petroleum, natural product. But natural soap and water is what you can use most of the time. Let's face it - do babies really care what they smell like?

Chemicals in baby shampoo: What to do now [MSNBC]
Study finds high levels of chemicals in infants using baby cosmetics [LA Times]
(Photo:shatterkiss)

RELATED: California's Ban On Phthalates May Spread To Other States

Ethan Thorn was an infant when his parents brought him into a Starbucks in Somerville's Davis Square in April, 2006. According to the lawsuit, a store employee serving a cup of coffee to Ethan's father accidentally spilled coffee on the baby's legs and groin, causing second-degree burns. The baby was in his father's arms at the time.

The baby, now 2, was treated at Shriners Hospital in Boston over the course of several months, according to the lawsuit.

Here's the odd part:

The suit, filed on behalf of the family by Manchester lawyer Orestes Brown, said the coffee shop employee "had a duty of reasonable care not to serve hot coffee to an infant."

Starbucks settles suit over coffee-scalded infant for $70K [Gloucester Daily Times via Starbucks Gossip]
(Photo:Vince Brown (attila))

IVF is usually the third stage of the process, after the woman first tries clomiphene pills to help trigger ovulation, which costs about $500, then tries hormone shots, which costs about $3,000. Over the course of the treatment, skipping hormone shots and going straight to IVF averaged out to about $61,000, versus $71,000 to do it the traditional 3-stage way.

Getting pregnant three months sooner is actually a big deal, says the article, for patients who are nearing the end of their "fertile years." It also reduced the amount of time the patients went through psychological trauma—"Fast-tracking can mean fewer episodes of dashed hopes. That could lead to less depression, anxiety, and stress, which hurts marriages and, some claim, may lower one's chances of conceiving."

"Skipping Baby Steps" [Slate]
(Photo: Getty)

Here are two of them:

From KRQE:

The toy is designed for toddlers like Santa Fe's Unique Gonzales, or at least that's what her godmother thought.

"I bought it for my goddaughter for her birthday, her first birthday," Lanette Rodriguez said.

But when Unique played the voice scale her own way, she found a unique message. The problem is how the digital voice singing the scale sounds with the combination Fa-Mi-Re-Mi.

"It's very, very inappropriate," Rodriguez said. "It's very disturbing. It's completely unbelievable, insane, upsetting."

Unique's mother says she got her first clue to the key combination from her 1 year old.

"She's like fa, fa, fa,' and I was wondering why is she saying that?" Alexis Chacon said. "It was the toy.

"Then she says, ra, ra, ra.' She's too small to learn those kinds of words. It's supposed to be Do-Re-Mi, and it's F-me-rape me."

The offended mothers want the toy pulled from the market. Um. Fa that.

Toy tune offends mothers [KRQE]
(Photo:KRQE)

"The authors found a large and statistically significant reduction in vocabulary among infants age 8 to 16 months who viewed baby DVDs or videos, compared to those who did not view them. They also concluded that more research is needed to determine the reasons for this statistical association."

Here's the full letter:

UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

Mark A. Emmert, President
August 16, 2007

Mr. Robert Iger
President and Chief Executive Officer
The Walt Disney Company
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521

Dear Mr. Iger:

Thank you for your letter of August 13. I have reviewed the news release about the paper published by three of our faculty in the Journal of Pediatrics entitled, "Associations between Media Viewing and Language Development in Children Under Age 2 Years." In addition, I have conferred with one of the paper's co-authors.

The Journal of Pediatrics is a prestigious, peer-reviewed journal. Papers submitted to this journal undergo a rigorous review by experts in the field before they are accepted for publication. This process ensures that the work represented in the paper meets the high standards of scientific inquiry required by the editors of the journal and its editorial panel of distinguished scientists. The University of Washington stands behind the work of Professors Frederick Zimmerman, Dimitri Christakis, and Andrew Meltzoff.

The paper set out to "test the association [italics added] of media exposure with language development in children under age 2 years." It did not purport to establish a causal relationship, as the authors explicitly state in the article. The authors found a large and statistically significant reduction in vocabulary among infants age 8 to 16 months who viewed baby DVDs or videos, compared to those who did not view them. They also concluded that more research is needed to determine the reasons for this statistical association.

The authors of the study and I believe the news release reflects the essential points made in the research publication. The news release clearly is not intended to substitute for a reading of the research paper, which was made available to all the reporters who contacted our news office. The news release briefly summarizes the methodology of the study and includes the researchers' interpretations of the findings, something in which most news media are interested and one of the reasons for issuing the release. The researchers find no inconsistencies between the content of the news release and their paper. They believe the release accurately reflects the paper's conclusions and their commentary. For these reasons, the University of Washington will not retract its news release.

We do not view this study as the last word on the subject of the influence baby DVDs have on child development. The findings were considered significant enough to be reported in a major journal, and as a public institution we feel duty-bound to make the public aware of these findings. As we say in the release, "more research is required, particularly to examine the long-term effects of baby DVDs and videos on children's cognitive development." We believe that our researchers at the University of Washington will continue to be in the forefront of this important research aimed at helping parents and society enhance the lives of children.

Sincerely yours,

Mark A. Emmert

UW President rejects Disney complaints [University of Washington]

PREVIOUSLY: Walt Disney Demands Retraction From University of Washington Over Baby Einstein Video Press Release
"Baby Einstein" Videos Probably Don't Work, Might Even Hurt

From the LATimes:

For every hour a day that babies 8 to 16 months old were shown such popular series as "Brainy Baby" or "Baby Einstein," they knew six to eight fewer words than other children, the study found.

Parents aiming to put their babies on the fast track, even if they are still working on walking, each year buy hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of the videos.

Unfortunately it's all money down the tubes, according to Dr. Dimitri Christakis, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Christakis and his colleagues surveyed 1,000 parents in Washington and Minnesota and determined their babies' vocabularies using a set of 90 common baby words, including mommy, nose and choo-choo.

The researchers found that 32% of the babies were shown the videos, and 17% of those were shown them for more than an hour a day, according to the study in the Journal of Pediatrics.

The videos, which are designed to engage a baby's attention, hop from scene to scene with minimal dialogue and include mesmerizing images, like a lava lamp.

'Baby Einstein': a bright idea? [LA Times] (Thanks, James!)

"Gerber has received choking complaints, but no reports of injury. The FDA is aware of this recall."

Gerber Recalls Cereals [AP]
Gerber Announces Nationwide Voluntary Recall of Gerber ORGANIC RiceTM and Gerber ORGANIC OatmealTM 8 Ounce Cereals Due to a Potential Choking Hazard (PDF) [Gerber Products Company]

Graco, maker of TurboBooster car seats, said they were "examining the study's methodology and findings." Britax, whose Marathon Platinum seat received one of the worst scores, "did not return calls."

The results of the study are available at HealthyCar.org. Parents concerned for their child's safety should remember this helpful rhyme from the director of the Ecology Center: "keep the window ajar when travelling in the car." — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER

Chemicals used on car seats 'toxic' to children, study warns [CBC via Freakonomics]
The Consumer Guide To Toxic Chemicals In Cars [Healthy Car]
(Photo: jgh_photo)

Apparently, sleep positioners and bumpers are out. They say any of this pillow plush can lead to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome if the child turns its nose into it.

Sandra Gordon, Consumer Reports editor, also talks about what baby bath seats are good and what aren't. Let's just hope they tested them at the right MPH. — BEN POPKEN

Top 10 products for new moms [Today]

I've been enjoying your site for many months now, but I'm easy to please so I haven't had the need to e-mail you about anything until now. Our baby daughter was born on St. Patrick's day and we brought her home yesterday. Today my fianc e and I went to Target East in Madison, WI and I waited in the car with the baby while she went in and bought a Close and Secure Sleeper which is from The First Years line by Learning Curve. It is a mini-bed of sorts that allows your baby to sleep in bed with mom and dad. This afternoon we put it on the couch and put the baby in it while we watched tv. This evening my fianc e was getting tired and she wanted to take the baby upstairs and put her in our bed so they could both get some sleep. I folded it up, brought it upstairs, and unfolded it on the bed. That's when I saw it: the silhouette of a razor blade beneath the mattress cover for the Sleeper.

Ted continues:

I pulled back the cover for the thing, and sure enough there's a fucking razor blade in the thing!! Needless to say I am livid. I called the number on the box and they're of course closed. I don't have the patience to wait until 9AM or whatever, so I'm e-mailing you guys. I'm about to call the local news and get some reporters over here. What do you think I should do? Is it time to lawyer up? See (and post) the attached pics please. I included a hi-res pic of the razor blade so you can see the details.

Ted

Ted has already called Target and the manager offered him a gift card. Ted stresses that he's not upset with Target, as they're just the reseller.

Remember: Be like Ted. Check your child's toys, clothes, whatever before letting them use them. You never know what's in the box.—MEGHANN MARCO

UPDATE: Ted says he was mad when he wrote the email and isn't looking for a payout:

I was angry when I typed that e-mail and I've been watching a bit too much CSI lately ;-) I'm not looking for a payout, I just want to make sure that the company does something about it.

The birth on the Mexicana Airlines plane came nearly an hour before the midnight landing, airport spokeswoman Wendy Abrams said.

The baby, a Mexican citizen, is eligible for U.S. citizenship if born over U.S. airspace. By the way, isn't this why pregnant women aren't supposed to fly after x-y-z-whatever months? Turns out one of the passengers was a doctor. Do we smell a sitcom plot?

"There was a doctor who happened to be flying who also happened to be an obstetrician-gynecologist," Chicago Fire Department spokesman Richard Rosado said. "So she couldn't have been in better hands."

"The people on board the aircraft — they were cheering and clapping and congratulating her as we exited the aircraft," paramedic Al Trigl told CBS station WBBM-TV in Chicago."

Well, ain't that some human interest. We wonder if they charged her for an upgrade. —MEGHANN MARCO

Baby Born On Plane Headed For Chicago [CBS 2 Chicago]

WALMART EMPLOYEES WHO DIDN'T HELP:
1 Cart pusher
2 Cashiers
2 Managers
—-—-—-—-—
5 TOTAL

CUSTOMERS WHO DIDN'T HELP
2 An older couple, one a man whose arm she grabbed at but he jerked away.
6 People walking up a nearby aisle
7 (aprox) People watching as Ritta smashed her hand against the car window.
50 (aprox) Customers in line as Ritta raised her voice to a scream, "Please, Please help me. My Baby's trapped inside my car."
—-—-—-—-—-
65 TOTAL

Ritta reports that she spoke with the store manager who says that in all previous infant lockin situations, the fire department was called immediately. The manager provided no explanation as why that didn't happen this time.

Ritta's not looking to sue anyone and mainly blames herself for what happened. Now she always carries her keys in her pocket and never rolls the windows all the way up. The family is also looking into getting a magnetic key box for under the fender.

We understand some people's incredulity about this story and will be making some corroboration calls. However, a question still nags.

Is this a story about 5 Walmart employees not lifting a finger or 65 townspeople?

The tagline, "We Sell For Less" strikes an ironic tone.

Another one, along with a few choice reader comments that help lay out the story, inside.

Of the photos, Kathyrn, Ritta's friend, wrote , "After Ritta returned home, she called me and told me what happened. I told her to contact the North West Florida Daily News, which she did. The individual who answered the phone (after hours Friday) asked her to return to WALMART and take pictures of her van in the previous parking spot. My husband and I went with Ritta back to WALMRT. We took pictures of her van in the exact parking spot the incident happened."

AcidReign cleared up why local TV hasn't picked up this story, "Local TV in Ft. Walton Beach consists of one small UHF station, channel 35. It's a cable-satellite deal, if you go there and pay $200 a night to watch TV. Ft. Walton is serious small-town America..."

Etinterrapaxn made a case for personal responsibility, "Bottom line is that when something like this happens and tragedy is averted, a good use of one's energy is to think about what happened and plan ahead to prevent its happening again. Getting Wal-Mart to be a less doinky company is laudable, but not terribly practical on an individual basis, and a mom has a responsibility to her child(ren) to be practical first."

To that end, Kilgore Trout, a firefighter said, "The glass in car windows will break with a small amount of CONCENTRATED force. Just snap the antennae off a car, preferably one with a little BB sized ball on the end. Smack the window with it using a "whipping" motion. Shout, "Holy shit! It worked!" as you hear the sweet, sweet sound of breaking glass."

Still, Valkrider laid blame on the retailer, "WAL-MART is indeed at fault here. Sure - they didn't lock the baby in, or cause the heat, or any of that. But they have dehumanized our commerce to such an extent that no one cares anymore. But thank god they can save 28 cents on underwear and get light bulbs, antacid, swimming trunks, pork rinds, and an air compressor all at the same store."

"The American woman was oblivious of the offence she was causing, and had to escape the angry onslaught from female Muslims who had no qualms about injuring her or her baby.

"One of the women was breast-feeding a child on the horse. She was so comfortable. She didn't mean to be insensitive.

"But the Muslim women did not like this and came out and started throwing stones at her because she was showing her breasts."

When breastfeeding in public, be discreet. Duck behind a nearby Joshua Tree.

(Thanks to Richard!)

• At the time of the baby's entrapment, no cell phone was immediately available.
• After the baby was okay, police were called. They arrived but did not file a report as neglecting to help someone is not a crime.
• The ambulance that was heard was not for Ritta. The road Walmart sits on is by a major thoroughfare and several ambulance go by a day.
• Press was contacted, The North West Florida Daily News.

If the family still feels strongly, we advise contacting more news outlets, especially local TV stations.

Above is a satellite photo of where the incident occurred.

Is it Walmart's fault the baby was trapped in the car? No. Should Walmart employees have helped? Yes, but the responsibility is not on the corporate, but the basic human level.

Kathryn's full text inside.

Kathryn writes:

"Mr. Popken-

I just read the story about Ritta and the baby, and the subsequent comment posted by Patrick. I am a friend of Ritta. I heard about your website from my brother-in-law. He suggested that I tell Ritta about it and get her to contact you. I want to assure you that this story is ABSOLUTELY true.

What Ritta doesn't make clear in her story is the female witness that was following her around trying to get her assistance. She mentions her briefly in the paragraph where she addresses the store managers. The woman is a juvenile delinquent parole officer.

This woman did not have anything in her possession to help Ritta (so she thought), such as a cell phone, but she heard Ritta frantically asking for help. She proceeded to follow Ritta into the store and was a witness to both of the cashier instances. The woman also placed her 3 year old grandson through the broken rear window to unlock the door (which he did promptly after patting the baby's head).

Upon her suggestion, they DID call the police. When the officer arrived, he informed them that he could not write a report because it's not a (legal) crime to neglect to help someone. He did suggest that she contact a lawyer.

As for the issue about the ambulance, one was never called for Ritta. The main road that WALMART sits off of is Beal Parkway. It is one of the major roadway arteries in our town. Emergency vehicles pass by there every several times a day. The sirens that were heard from the store were NOT associated with her emergency. I agree with Patrick's statement of it being highly unlikely that an emergency vehicle would spot them. There is an AutoZone at the end of the parking lot that blocks most of the view.

After Ritta returned home, she called me and told me what happened. I told her to contact the North West Florida Daily News, which she did. The individual who answered the phone (after hours Friday) asked her to return to WALMART and take pictures of her van in the previous parking spot. My husband and I went with Ritta back to WALMRT. We took pictures of her van in the exact parking spot the incident happened. At the present time, we are waiting for the news crew to schedule a time to come out and hear her story.

As for credibility, I understand the public's concern of a scam. Remember that the female witness is a juvenile delinquent parole officer. A friend of mine, a retired United States Air Force Master (USAF) Sergeant, happened to be walking by her van when she was inside talking to the managers. He did not know at that time that it was Ritta's van (He found out later when I called him for advice about her situation). There were a few WALMART employees sweeping up the glass. He overheard a mumbled remark about it, "not being their problem."

I am prior service USAF Staff Sergeant. I have chosen not to list the names of the individuals because of the pending story. I hope this helps her cause. Thank you for your time-

Sincerely,

Kathryn H.

Previously:

Correction: Boiled Walmart Baby
Baby Nearly Killed By Walmart's Indifference

"Nobody should be forced to see something so disgusting and sexual. I prefer that the boobies on my magazine covers come the natural, Christian way. That is, kind of covered:"

Examples of the more acceptable ways to show breasts on magazine covers follow.

Consumers upset over the display of breasts on their free magazine have a variety of proactive options to choose, including from averting their eyes, writing letters of complaint, and moving to Afghanistan. After all, there's no use crying over spilled milk.

"No ambulance showed up afterwards... It was just an emergency vehicle going by us on the street. Not actually coming to the lot for us."

Remember: only you can prevent baby fires.

What's the big deal? Apparently, it's the depiction of an areola-less tits on the cover of a periodical. "I was SHOCKED to see a giant breast on the cover of your magazine," wrote one complainant.

Giant? Hardly. I know giant boobs when I see them and while I will admit that that breast seems huge compared to that baby's head, it's an optical illusion. Breast size is not measured in proportion to the skull size of small infants; in my book, a breast is only truly giant if it's bigger than the mother's head. Which is when you ask the mother out on a date, not write in to complain. If anything, the problem here is that breast isn't giant enough to assuage all possible complaints.

In fact, I'm not even really sure this is a photograph of a mother. Couldn't it just as easily be someone without pants sitting on a baby's face? Infant ass-to-mouth is certainly a hell of a less appalling than breast feeding, yet we'd wager to say would be met with less complaints.

Eyeful of Breast-Feeding Mom Sparks Outrage [MSNBC]

After doing just that this weekend, Rita reports she beseeched Walmart employees to help her. One mumbled "sorry" and kept pushing shopping carts. Another said, "I'll have to ask my manager."

A fellow shopper got a jack from his trunk and smashed the back window. Rita took the sleeping, sweaty baby and revived it under the faucet in the Walmart bathroom.

Rita confronted the managers, who appeared nonchalant. An ambulance pulled into the parking lot, but it was called in by another customer, not the store. Rita asked why. The manger said, "Well, you needed to verbally request that we call 911."

When your baby's trapped in the car, you don't ask for permission. You grab whatever is in reach and get her out. Apologize later.

But as Rita notes in her letter after the jump, the affair seems to reveal a lack of proper emergency situation training among Walmart employees...

Ritta writes:

"I found your site, and thought I would share my "horror" story with you about my local Walmart in Fort Walton Beach, FL. Truly, a horror story it was.

I went to Walmart today to do some school shopping for my oldest daughter. I took my youngest girl, who has just turned 1, with me for the ride. The shopping experience was not so bad, no worst than any other time I've been there.

So after I bought what I needed, and paid, I returned to my vehicle to head home. I left my van unlocked (I'm overly trusting no one would steal anything from me), so I open the side door and place my infant in her car seat, then place the bags on the floor board.

Before I put my baby in, I had placed my purse on the floorboard. I shut the side door, and as luck would have it, all the doors locked up on me. They've never done this to me, so I was shocked. I realized that my purse was in the van, along with my keys. I tried all doors, and surely, they were all locked. Panic set in. It was about 104 degrees outside, and we all know how quickly a vehicle can turn into an oven on these kind of days.

So I turn around and see one of their employees pushing carts back up to the store. I run up to him and ask him to please help me, my baby's locked in my van. He shrugs at me and says "sorry" and continues to push his carts. I quickly look around and see nothing that I can grab to break out my back window, so I quickly run into the store (I'm parked close to the front) and I approach the first cashier I see. She was ringing up a customer, and I ask her frantically to please help me, my baby's trapped in my van. Again, like the first, she looks at me uncomfortably and says "I'm sorry, I can't help you".

I'm flabbergasted at this point. I run to the next cashier, and tell her the same, but this time crying and screaming. I had the whole store stopped. She says "I don't know what I can do for you ma'am", so I ask her if I can grab something from the store, to go break my window, I would come in and pay for it after wards. She says "I have to call my manager", then she SLOWLY proceeds to dial through, and starts to chit chat! Like it was no big deal.

Time is running out. It had been about a minute at this point and it only takes 2 minutes for a baby to suffocate from the heat, or go into a heat stroke. So I run back out, they weren't going to help. I start yelling at passer byers, screaming and crying, "Please somebody help me, I need something hard to break through my back window, my baby's locked in my van, she'll die!!!!". I had never been so frantic in my life, and to see my helpless child slowly falling into a sleep while sweating was scaring me.

Finally a WONDERFUL young man (a customer) gets into his trunk and gets his jack. He breaks through my back window, and we get the doors unlocked and get my child out. She was limp (like she was involuntarily falling asleep) and her skin was so hot to the touch, as well as sweating pretty good. I rush her into Walmart's bathroom and place her under the sink to cool her off. She started to react and acted startled and frightened.

I finally get back out into the cashier's area, and ask to speak with the manager. Two men came out and approached me and asked what was going on. I relayed everything to them, and as I was finishing up, the lady who had been helping me try to get help this whole time (again, another customer) hears a siren getting closer, so she asks the manager "is that the ambulance, should we meet them outside?" The manager looks clueless at her, and says "we didn't call anyone." So then she asks why. The managers response, "she didn't ask us to call anyone."... I was shocked, and the lady with me was also a bit unnerved.

So then I ask "A woman comes screaming through your store, yelling that her baby is trapped in her locked van, it's 104 degrees outside, and she IS asking for someone to help her, and that's not enough to call an ambulance???" The managers response to that was "well, you needed to verbally request that we call 911."

Wow.. I had never heard such nonsense in all my life. At that point I burst back into tears out of frustration for their negligence and inconsideration, so I just left at that point and told them they'd hear from my lawyer. I understand that stores are not "equipped" in most cases for these kind of emergencies, but they should be trained. "In case of this type of emergency with a customer, do this, for this kind do this" and so on. But trained or not, equipped or not, it would not have been hard (and it's common sense) to know that vehicles heat up, this IS an emergency and time is precious at those moments. The least they could have done was say "grab what you need to break your window, we'll call the paramedics." But, because they were so insensitive to the emergency and obviously not caring of life (let alone an innocent baby, who is helpless) they almost caused my child to die.

I wanted to share this story, and I will be popping up in other places too. I will use every avenue I can find to relay my story. People will know how Walmart, due to their carelessness to act, almost cost a precious young life to fade away. Thank you everyone for taking the time to read this. Take care."

Ever wish your baby had more bling? Jared Parsons, "a former skateboarder...was shopping for clothes for his first son, who's now 5 and quite a fashion plate. "I wanted him to dress how me and my friends dress," Parsons said, "but it's hard to find baby clothes like that," reports the Boston Herald.

And thus, he birthed Pimpfants, the banal apparel version of Rosemary's Welfare Check Baby.

Most of the threads are just boring crap... basketball outfits that say "Jr. Pimp Squad" and junior-sized velour track suits with BLING across the chest, but the line is really crossed on the "Lil' Beaters" (as in, wife-beater hirt) that read "My Mommy's a M.I.L.F."

That's perverse. Not to mention, redundant.

Yes, we know this site hit the interweb last month, but we didn't get outraged until today. We're saturnine like that.

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(Thanks to Sebastien!)

Kissing cousin blog Gizmodo (seriously, there was that time behind the old tool shed...) points us to the latest in conspicuous consumption, the $17,000 Solid White Gold encrusted with 278 Diamonds pacifier.

You know the old saying, if they can crawl they're old enough to bend over and max out their American Express card.

The prosthetic nipples are available from itsmybinky.com, and marks an unusual upswing from their usual line of personalized pacifiers, which can be had for $7 and are available in four different types of synthetic polymer, none of which are laden with precious jewels. This leads this jaded observer to opine the diamond binky is nothing more than an internet joke designed to draw traffic and media attention. So here it is, you baby capitalists.

Itsmybinky.com.

Diamond binkies are forever. Isn't your baby worth it? If not, consider trading it on the black market for one of these suckers.