The problem with lead poisoning in children is that it can’t be treated, only prevented, and it can begin affecting someone during their mother’s pregnancy if she’s exposed to lead. A new study performed by lab testing service Quest Diagnostics with results announced this week shows an alarming number of kids in some parts of the country have unsafe levels of lead in their blood, and there isn’t anything that we can do about it once they’ve been exposed. [More]
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Evenflo Car Seat That Reminds Driver Child Is In Car Is Promising, Not Perfect Yet
By 6.8.16
Technology can’t solve all of our problems, but maybe there’s a technological solution that can help with a tragedy that has affected parents of all walks of life: leaving small children in hot cars to overheat and die. The happens to an average of 38 kids every year, and car seat maker Evenflo responded to safety advocates by making a seat and harness that integrates with your car’s electronics. [More]
Target, Pacific Cycle Recall 129K Infant Bike Helmets Over Choking Hazards
By 5.18.16
If you picked up an infant bicycle helmet from Target recently you might want to check to make sure it’s not one of 129,000 recently recalled. [More]
Sorry, Gilt Is All Sold Out Of These Marijuana-Print Dresses For Kids
By 3.28.16
Marijuana-themed clothing is nothing new. All over the world, folks sport hats, shirts, leggings, and other apparel showing their affection for the plant. It’s less usual to see pre-teens and toddlers wearing weed-themed clothing, but Gilt shoppers seemed hungry to snap up this leafy dress for kids as young as two. [More]
President Obama Signs Bill That Will Require Child-Resistant Packaging For Liquid Nicotine
By 1.28.16
Whether you’re an enthusiast or a detractor of e-cigarettes, everyone agrees that it’s a bad idea for children to drink flavored, nicotine-laden liquid. That’s why safety advocates applauded President Obama’s signing of the Child Nicotine Poisoning Prevention Act today, a law that will require refill containers for liquid nicotine products to have child-resistant packaging. E-liquid without nicotine and vaping systems that use sealed cartridges would not be included. [More]
Hack Of Online Hello Kitty Community Exposes Info For 3.3M Parents, Possibly Children
By 12.21.15
Just weeks after the hack of electronic toy maker VTech exposed the personal information for more than five million children and adults, another child-focused enterprise has suffered a similar breach. The interactive online community for Hello Kitty was recently breached, potentially compromising 3.3 million accounts. [More]
Shoplifting Suspects Back Into Kohl’s Security Guard, Customer’s Stroller
By 12.9.15
Two suspected shoplifters at a Kohl’s store near Pittsburgh were trying to flee the parking lot and back out of their parking space, and did something that they probably didn’t intend: they backed the vehicle into a store security guard who had pursued them into the parking lot…then into a stroller that contained a 3-year-old and a 6-week-old. [More]
Emergency Responders Smash Car’s Window After Report Of Baby Locked Inside, End Up Rescuing Lifelike Doll
By 9.1.15
If you’re in the habit of leaving eerily lifelike baby dolls strapped into a car seat while you’re out and about, you might want to reconsider, unless, of course, you like having your car’s windows smashed open: police in Oakland, Calif. say emergency responders busted the window of a vehicle after passersby reported a baby locked inside, only to find it was a very human looking doll that’d been placed in a rear-facing car seat, just like a living child would be. [More]
N.J. Police Officer Smashes Window To Save Child Trapped Inside Hot Minivan
By 7.31.15
If we’re going to hear stories of children being left in hot cars, we’re at least glad to report on those that end well. That includes the report of a New Jersey sheriff’s officer who bashed open a minivan window to free a child who was locked inside it as it sat parked at a Costco supermarket. [More]
Senator Pushes FAA To Require That Airlines Drop Seat Change Fees For Parents
By 6.29.15
Nowadays, airlines charge a fee for just about everything – even when it comes to travelers trying to ensure they’re seated next to their children. But that extra cost could be a thing of the past if one legislator has anything to do about it. [More]
McDonald’s: Fewer Happy Meals Are Being Ordered With Sodas
By 6.25.15
Back in the fall of 2013, McDonald’s decided to jump on the healthyish bandwagon and stopped pushing sodas with Happy Meals, removing them from the menu and marketing materials but still providing them to customers who ordered them. That move has apparently worked to cut down on soda consumption at the Golden Arches, as the chain says fewer Happy Meals are being ordered with sodas. [More]
Ad Watchdog: Toy Lightsaber Doesn’t Light Up, Commercial Is Misleading
By 6.22.15
As far as we know, the Jedi are not real. Lightsabers are not real. For children, though, the lines between real life and fiction can get a little fuzzy. That’s why the ad industry’s self-regulation body is not impressed with Hasbro’s ad for an awesome double-bladed lightsaber, since it cuts footage of an animated character together with footage of a kid playing with the toy, which creates the impression that the toy lightsaber lights up. It doesn’t. [More]
Ad Board Recommends McDonald’s Focus On Actual Meal, Not Just The Cool Toy
By 5.15.15
By now we all know that McDonald’s is trying to appeal to a younger audience, but a commercial the company aired last fall geared toward its youngest customers apparently didn’t sit well with an ad review board. And now that group is warning the fast food giant to stick to its food and not to use toys to appeal to youngsters.
[More]
IKEA Expands Crib Mattress Recall To Include Five Additional Styles
By 5.1.15
All recalls are important to take note of, but ones related to baby products are often of the greatest concern. And IKEA’s expansion of a six-month old recall to include an additional 150,000 crib mattresses because of the risk of entrapment would fall into that category. [More]
Legislation Aims To Make It Harder For Kids To Snack On Yummy-Looking Detergent Pods
By 2.26.15
Federal safety agencies and poison control centers have continuously expressed concern that the ever-popular, and convenient detergent pods are extremely dangerous to children, with more than 17,000 kids being poisoned by ingesting the detergent since they came on the scene three years ago. Today, the House and Senate took steps to ensure the single-serve detergent packs no long threaten childrens’ safety by introducing legislation that would enact stricter packaging standards for liquid detergent. [More]
Family Wants United To Apologize For Treatment Of Special Needs Daughter
By 1.2.15
A family from New Jersey had previously flown with their daughter, who is a stroke survivor in addition to being quadriplegic. While FAA regulations require kids over 2 to have their own seats, their daughter is the size of a 1-year-old and unable to sit up on her own. This led to a dispute between the family and a flight attendant that kept their plane grounded for an hour. Now the family wants an apology. [More]
Toddlers Try And Fail To Destroy A New iPad
By 12.10.14
When a new version of Apple’s iPad comes out, delighted media outlets answer all kinds of questions about its size and features. What most reviews will not cover is the important question that many families need answered as they decide which tablet to buy: can it withstand one of the greatest destructive forces known to humankind? [More]
FTC: Yelp To Pay $450,000 For Collecting Personal Information From Children
By 9.18.14
With each new settlement the Federal Trade Commission announces, it appears more likely that mobile apps and children just don’t go together. In the most recent case, Yelp settled allegations that it improperly collected children’s’ personal information – a big no-no that means the online review site will pay hundred of thousands of dollars to rectify. [More]
