The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced the recall of about 118,000 wooden puzzles, infant rattles, pacifier holders and stroller toys made by Habermaass Corp., of Skaneateles, N.Y. Small pieces on the toys, including glued on mirrors and/or prisms can detach and pose a choking hazard to infants. The head of the ladybug puzzle pieces pose a choking hazard as well. Habermaass has received 15 reports of incidents in which detached pieces ended up in the mouths of young children.
The recalled items are pictured and described in detail in a chart that can be found here. They were made in Germany and sold at specialty toy stores nationwide and at specialty online retailers from January 2002 through August 2008 for between $10 and $35.
If you have one of the recalled items, you should immediately take it away from your child and contact Habermaass to receive a free replacement product or a full refund. You can reach them by calling (800) 468-6873 ext. 107 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or by visiting their Web site.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced the recall of about 945,000 Bonne Bell Children's Cosmetics Accessory Bags. The metal clasps on the handle of the bags contain high levels of lead, which is toxic if ingested and can cause adverse health effects.
The recalled bags are plastic and have a zipper and a carrying handle. They are filled with an assortment of cosmetic products, which are not part of this recall. Photos of the recalled bags can be found here. The following model name and UPC numbers can be found on the hangtag of the recalled bags:
Made in China and imported by Bonne Bell Co., of Lakewood, Ohio, these were sold in retail stores nationwide and Bonne Bell's Web site from September 2007 through August 2008 for about $9 each.
If you have one of the recalled cosmetics bags, you should immediately take it away from your child and contact Bonne Bell for a replacement bag. You can reach them by calling (866) 288-8643 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, sending them an email at quality@bonnebell.com, or by visiting their Web site.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced the recall of about 44,000 Phil & Teds e3 Single Buggy, e3 Twin Buggy and sport v1 Single Buggy Strollers due to a laceration hazard. The manufacturer has received nine reports from consumers who have cut their fingers on the hinge locking mechanism when folding or unfolding the stroller. In May of 2006, 425 e3 Twin Buggy Strollers were also recalled.
Made in China and imported by Regal Lager Inc., of Kennesaw, Ga., the strollers were sold at baby furniture and baby products stores nationwide from August 2003 through August 2008 for between $400 and $650 each.
The single strollers have metal frames with three wheels, a cloth seat and canopy. The twin strollers have a metal frame with four wheels, side-by-side cloth seats and double sun canopies. They were sold in various colors including red, orange, green, black, charcoal and navy. The Phil & Teds logo is located on the crotch piece of the harness.
If you have one of the recalled strollers, you should stop using it immediately and contact Regal Lager to obtain a free hinge cover repair kit and instructions. You can reach them by calling (877) 242-5676 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or by visiting their Web site.
There are few things as frightening for a parent as watching their child drive off behind the wheel of a car alone for the first time. In my experience, the only thing that even comes close to that feeling is actually sitting next to your teen as she takes the wheel for the first time.
Hopefully by the time a kid is ready to solo, you've taught them well. They know the rules of the road and the importance of always wearing a seat belt. Unfortunately, a new study shows that many teens are forgetting that seat belt lesson when mom and dad aren't around to remind them, especially when they are in the passenger seat.
The study, conducted by Meharry Medical College in Nashville using data collected by national Youth Risk Behavior surveys, finds that just 59% of drivers aged 16 and older say they always wear a seat belt. That percentage sounds frighteningly low to me, but not as bad as this one: only 42% of teen passengers say they always buckle up.
The numbers regarding teen drivers are scary, indeed. 5,000 teens over the age of sixteen die each year in car accidents in the United States. Of those deaths, 40% are passengers in the car. Teaching your child to buckle up when driving is an important lesson, but clearly not the only one. If you have a kid of driving age, maybe you want to share these statistics with him or her. It sure can't hurt.
Kids learn by example, which is why most of us try to set a good one. We use our manners, clean up after ourselves, exhibit patience and always try to do the right thing - especially when little eyes are watching us. But sometimes, we get stressed out and tired and just can't be bothered doing the right thing. And by 'us', I mean 'me', of course.
I realized yesterday that I have been doing such a good job of modeling good behavior that when I slack off a bit, my seven-year-old notices big time. The slacking off happened in K-Mart, which was the last of many stops Ellie and I had to make on our way to the bank. I was worried about the bank closing before I could get there, so we sped through the store looking folding chairs and a card table. We found what we needed and were headed for the checkout when I spotted something I'd missed on the way in: a card table and chair set, for a fraction of what I was about to pay for them separately.
I quickly took the individual pieces out of my cart and loaded the boxed set in. I hesitated. The department from which I had picked up the table and chairs was way in the back of the store. I was two feet from the checkout. Ordinarily, I would have schlepped the stuff back to where I got it, but this time I didn't feel like I had time. And this is no excuse, but the entire store was a jumbled mess anyway. Which is probably why I didn't notice the table and chairs set in the first place. I left the discarded purchases where they didn't belong, made my purchase, and left the store.
I heard about it all the way to the bank and all the way home. "I can't believe you just left that stuff there!" Ellie's shock at my total disregard for proper store etiquette made me think of all the times I do the right thing. I return my cart to the proper area in the parking lot. I allow other drivers to get in front of me when they ask. I pick up trash if I see some lying on the ground. I consider myself a pretty decent person, but I can't say for sure that I would always do these things if she wasn't watching me. Her presence in my life makes me much more aware of the things I do and therefore an all-around better person. How about you? Has being a parent made you a better person? Or were you always as wonderful as you are today?
This product recall is a little different than others in that it isn't actually a product recall. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Simplicity 3-in-1 and 4-in-1 convertible "close-sleeper/bedside sleeper" bassinets do not meet the safety standards regarding spacing of the metal bars and pose an entrapment and strangulation hazard to infants. The products would be recalled, but SFCA Inc., the company which purchased all of Simplicity, Inc.'s assets at public auction in April, 2008, refuses to recall them. SFCA claims they are not responsible for products previously manufactured by Simplicity.
Clearly somebody needs to be responsible for the products because according to the CPSC, two infants have already strangled to death between the bassinet's metal bars - a 5-month old girl earlier this month and a 4-month-old girl in September of 2007. Since SFCA won't recall them, the CPSC is issuing a warning and urging all consumers to share this warning with day care centers, consignment stores, family and friends to ensure no more children are injured or killed sleeping in this bassinet.
The Simplicity 3-in-1 and 4-in-1 convertible bassinets have metal bars spaced farther apart than the 2 3/8 inches maximum allowed by federal crib safety standards. The metal bars are covered by an adjustable fabric flap which is attached by Velcro. The fabric is folded down when the bassinet is converted into a bed-side co-sleeping position. If the Velcro is not properly re-secured when the flap is adjusted, an infant can slip through the opening and become entrapped in the metal bars and suffocate. This warning does not cover bassinets produced in recent months that have fabric permanently attached over the lower bar.
The management of the Oulton Hall Hotel near Leads in the UK have an odd sense of humor. They thought they would have a 'bit of fun' and make parents pay for their children's Sunday dinner based on weight. Not the weight of the food the child consumes, but the weight of the child. A kid who weighs 5st (70 pounds) would be charged £5, with the price increasing along with the weight of the child.
Child obesity expert Professor Paul Gateley isn't laughing and believes the public weigh-ins would be humiliating for a child . "What child wants to be pulled on to scales and judged? The undoubted outcome is that they will feel bad. It's especially likely to upset girls, who tend to become aware of their weight as early as seven."
Oulton Hall spokesman Nigel Massey thinks Gateley just needs to get over it. "There will no doubt be people who say it's not politically correct and have a grumble about it. Well, frankly they should get a life and stop being so miserable." Ah, that 'screw you' attitude is so refreshing in the hospitality industry.
Massey goes on to say that the pay-as-you-weigh program is entirely voluntary and was conceived as a way to help parents save a bit of money when dining out. If a child declines to be weighed, the regular kid's meal price of £11.25 will be charged, which is half of the adult meal.
I am not all that great with math and less so when it involves converting weights and monies, but it does seem like this would be a good deal for parents with young and small children. But the program is open to kids as old as 15. Do you think think Professor Gateley is being overly sensitive? Or should he, as Massey suggests, stop being so miserable?
When I was growing up, just about every kid I knew had two siblings. My best friend, the kids I went to school with, and the neighbor kids were all growing up with two other kids in their house. I don't know where this three-kid quota came from, but every parent seemed to be happy to fill it, my own included.
For many families of my parent's generation, having just one kid was an idea that just never occurred to them. An only child is a lonely child, right? Maybe sometimes, but having siblings doesn't guarantee life-long friendship and happy times. In fact, for many it seems that all siblings guarantee is a life-long nemesis. Someone to argue with at holiday gatherings and avoid at all other times.
I got along well enough with my own siblings and still do. But my best childhood friend loathed her youngest sister and today, the two don't even speak. The kids that grew up across the street from me all left home and now live thousands of miles from each other with no communication. And they are the lucky ones. Several other friends live within spitting distance of their siblings and are in a constant state of distress over their rocky relationships.
Having raised an only child, I do know that loneliness can sometimes be an issue. But she's an adult now and I can see no ill effects as a result of being raised alone. On the other hand, my sister and I enjoy a close relationship and I am thankful that someone exists who knows me - and where I come from - as well as she does. What about you? If you have siblings, how's that working out for you?
We've covered quite a few stories here where a kid climbs into the driver's seat of someone's car and takes it out for a spin. Sometimes the kid is looking for chocolate. Sometimes it's an Applebee's fix. Other times, there is no destination in mind, just a joyride. Usually the ride - and the story - ends when the kid crashes the car into something. This ride ends that way, too. But unfortunately, this is probably just the beginning of the story for this kid.
Unlike the car-thieving kids mentioned above, the Longmont, Colorado boy who took his mother's van in the wee hours of the night isn't a toddler. He's a 12-year-old who police say was trying to prove to his 14-year-old friend that he could drive. Long story short, he can't drive and proved that by crashing the van into someone's garage.
He managed to back out of the smashed garage and flee the scene. He returned mom's van to her driveway and went back to his 14-year-old friend's house, where he was having a sleepover. Except somebody should have told him that you can't actually smash a car into someone's garage and think you can get away with it. Police easily tracked him down using the clues he left behind - a license plate at the scene of the crash and a broken windshield with bits of fence in it on mom's van.
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Mom, being the registered owner of the van, got a visit from the police and she was none too happy. She immediately said she wanted to press charges and the kid was arrested that afternoon. He's now in the Boulder County Juvenile Detention Center facing a whole slew of possible charges: aggravated motor vehicle theft, driving without a valid license, leaving the scene of an accident and failing to notify police, and reckless driving.
Pressing criminal charges against your 12-year-old child may seem harsh, but I think this woman is probably doing the only thing she could do under the circumstances. A non-family member certainly would have pressed charges and the boy could have seriously hurt or even killed someone. I feel bad for this mother, but applaud her for exercising some tough love on a clearly out of control child. What would you have done?
For me, the best part about going out to eat is the opportunity to enjoy food that I wouldn't (or couldn't) prepare for myself at home. I can whip up a decent batch of chicken enchiladas, but they don't compare to what I can get at my favorite Mexican restaurant. And I don't even know how to make anything Chinese. And Indian food tastes best when prepared by an expert who has all those wonderful spices on hand. In other words, when I go out to eat, I enjoy the food because it is usually something I can't get at home.
Which is why I find a new restaurant chain that serves just cereal quite curious. Cereality Cereal Bar and Cafe offers the same cereal you buy at the grocery store - Frosted Flakes, Cheerios and all the rest. The gimmick is the addition of toppings. Just like at some ice cream shops, you choose your toppings and they mix it in. Toppings include malted milk balls, fruit, nuts and all kinds of other things I've never considered putting in cereal. The cereal and toppings are mixed together and served in a Chinese take-out style box. You add your own milk from the milk fountain.
Granted, Cereality does serve a few non-cereal items (smoothies, parfaits, coffee and tea), but the main dish is cereal. And judging by the Web site, it is not geared towards those who love cereal the most - children. The site shows lots of happy adults chowing down on their custom-mixed boxes of cereal. And you know what? After looking at the site and the virtual tour, I am starting to think that I love this idea. What about you? Would you go out for cereal?
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced the recall of about 10,000 Taggies Strollin' Along Stroller Activity Bars due to a choking hazard. The importer has received three reports of the shiny material on the ear of the elephant detaching and children putting it in their mouths. Fortunately, no injuries have been reported.
Made in Hong Kong and imported by International Playthings Inc., of Parsippany, N.J., the activity bars were sold in specialty stores nationwide and online from February 2007 through July 2008 for about $23 each.
The recall involves multicolored, fabric and plastic stroller activity bars featuring a yellow giraffe, a purple hippo and a blue elephant attached to a 12" long elliptical base with straps that attach to a stroller. The Taggies and Earlyears® logo labels can be found sewn into the seam on the lower left front of the activity bar.
If you have one of these stroller bars, you should immediately stop using it and contact International Playthings for a free replacement toy. You can reach them by calling (800) 445-8347 or by visiting their Web site.
As soon as school ended last June, we put all of our possessions into storage and moved across the country for my husband's new job. Since then, my seven-year-old, my husband, myself, our two cats and the dog have been living in a small apartment with a borrowed television and rented furniture. Because we flew to our new city, we were unable to bring much more than our clothes and a few other personal belongings.
They say that necessity is the mother of invention and that is a fact. With very little in the way of real toys to play with and not a friend in sight, keeping Ellie busy with something other than television and computer games has been a challenge. We do spend lots of time exploring our new town and the surrounding areas, but that still leaves many hours to fill at home. The thrill of lounging by the pool each and every day got old pretty quick and that's when we got creative.
The only things we have actually purchased to amuse ourselves with are pool and beach related items. Who knew that they could be used in so many ways away from the water? We've played baseball with a rolled up beach mat, balled up socks and flip-flop bases. We have used swim noodles as swords and had duels in the living room. We even ring-tossed the dog with an inflatable inner-tube.
We've played Nancy Drew looking for clues when walking the dog and we colored pictures on the backs of paper plates to decorate our temporary home. Ellie has perfected the art of the small-space cartwheel and learned to write her name beautifully in cursive.
If all goes as planned, we will move into our new house next week. The stuff of our lives will be returned to us and things will go back to normal. I would be lying if I said I wanted to remain in this residential limbo a while longer, but I do think I will miss it when it's over. And Ellie would never admit it, but I suspect she will, too. How do you manage to strip away the stuff of life and get that simple, quality time with your child?
Brian Wilson of Beach Boys fame is finding fatherhood the second time around to be a bit different than the first. For starters, he is clean and sober now. Wilson has made no secret of his past struggles with drub abuse and mental illness and his relationship with daughters Wendy, 38 and Carnie, 40 remains strained. "I don't talk to them very much. I used to. I recorded with them at one time, but I don't talk to them a lot," he says.
But these days it seems that Wilson has conquered his demons and with the help of a heavy dose of antidepressants, is back to making music. He is also back to being a dad with wife Melinda Ledbetter, who he married in 1995. The couple have three children - 11-year-old Daria, 10-year-old Delanie and 4-year-old Dylan. But from the sounds of it, 66-year-old Wilson isn't finding parenthood to be all that easy this time around, either. He admits that a house full of kids and pets can be "very loud" and he often escapes alone to walk in the park. "The kids make me feel a little jumpy," he says. "Sometimes I want to get out of the house to get away from my kids but I love my kids a lot. I love my kids. ... Quiet time comes around 10 at night when I go to sleep. It's peace of mind. Things run smoothly at night. During the day, things are more rough."
Wilson's difficulty in dealing with the noise of children probably isn't just due to his advanced age. He has been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type, which often involves auditory hallucinations. Add to that the neurological damage done by the vast amounts of antipsychotic drugs he was prescribed in the 1980's and it is no wonder he's feeling a little overwhelmed.
But still, Wilson says he is a happy man these days. "I'm happier now than I was a year ago," Wilson said recently. "I started exercising and I started eating more of the right food and I started feeling better. I just get up in the morning and say my prayers."
Wilson's new album, That Lucky Old Son, is scheduled for release on September 2nd and will be followed by a tour.
Perhaps you have heard of Katy Perry, an up and coming young singer who is working hard to shock and alarm parents while positioning herself as the anti-Miley Cyrus. A former Christian music singer, Perry is now getting all kids of attention for a song she wrote called I Kissed a Girl. I haven't heard the song, but a quick read of the lyrics indicates that the tune is about alcohol and lost inhibitions. Specifically, a girl getting drunk and kissing another girl. And liking it. A sample: The taste of her cherry chap stick I kissed a girl just to try it I hope my boyfriend don't mind it It felt so wrong It felt so right Don't mean I'm in love tonight I kissed a girl and I liked it I liked it,
Perry's fans may be teens, but a lot of parents are freaked by the song, claiming it promotes homosexuality and promiscuity. Even Perry's own parents say they are disappointed in their 23-year-old daughter and find the song "shameful and disgusting."
But Perry has made it quite clear that she has no interest in being a role model for the young people who listen to her music. "Being in the business of rock and roll means having an attitude, being sexy, being edgy and being unapologetic unless I do something wrong...I look up to people like Joan Jett, Pat Benatar, Freddie Mercury and Cyndi Lauper. I want to have that same type of appeal. If people want a role model, they can have Miley Cyrus."
Miley Cyrus and her poor choices aside, I don't think every young artist has a responsibility to be a role model for the entire youth population. That said, I don't really understand the controversy surrounding this song. She got drunk, she kissed a girl. The takeaway - at least for me - is that drinking makes you do things you wouldn't otherwise do. Maybe that is the point kids should be getting.
Should he choose to, Jericho Scott could probably have a career as a professional baseball player. Only nine-years-old, the New Haven, Connecticut boy has a fastball pitch that has been clocked at 40 miles per hour. Unfortunately, it's that fastball that has gotten him banned from pitching for the co-ed Youth Baseball League of New Haven.
Scott's coach and parents say that he's being unfairly targeted and that league officials are picking on him because he turned down an invitation to join the league's champion team, which happens to be sponsored by a league administrator. League officials say Scott was banned due to safety concerns. Although everyone admits that Scott has never hit anyone with a pitch, league attorney Peter Noble says parents are afraid their kids will get hurt at bat. "He is a very skilled player, a very hard thrower," Noble said. "There are a lot of beginners. This is not a high-powered league. This is a developmental league whose main purpose is to promote the sport."
League officials have suggested that Scott play another position, pitch against older players or even play in a different league. But last week, Scott took the mound despite the ban. In response, the other team forfeited the game and walked off the field. This did not go over well with Scott's mom, who Noble says became irate and threatened league officials. "I have never seen behavior of a parent like the behavior Jericho's mother exhibited Wednesday night," Noble said.
The Scotts have gotten their own lawyer and are looking into their legal options. "You don't have to be learned in the law to know in your heart that it's wrong," attorney John Williams said. "Now you have to be punished because you excel at something?"
What is happening to Jericho Scott may seem unfair, but I don't know that I would characterize it as punishment for being too good. By that logic, forcing beginner players to face a 40-mile-per-hour fastball is punishing them for not being good enough. The suggestion to play with an older team seems like a good solution to this problem and I wonder why he doesn't take it.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced the recall of about 118,000 wooden puzzles, infant rattles, pacifier holders and stroller toys made by Habermaass Corp., of Skaneateles, N.Y. Small pieces on the toys, including glued on mirrors and/or prisms can detach and pose a choking hazard to infants. The head of the ladybug puzzle pieces pose a choking hazard as well. Habermaass has received 15 reports of incidents in which detached pieces ended up in the mouths of young children.
There are few things as frightening for a parent as watching their child drive off behind the wheel of a car alone for the first time. In my experience, the only thing that even comes close to that feeling is actually sitting next to your teen as she takes the wheel for the first time. 
Kids learn by example, which is why most of us try to set a good one. We use our manners, clean up after ourselves, exhibit patience and always try to do the right thing - especially when little eyes are watching us. But sometimes, we get stressed out and tired and just can't be bothered doing the right thing. And by 'us', I mean 'me', of course.
This product recall is a little different than others in that it isn't actually a product recall. According to the 
The management of the Oulton Hall Hotel near Leads in the UK have an odd sense of humor. They thought they would have a 'bit of fun' and make parents pay for their children's Sunday dinner 
When I was growing up, just about every kid I knew had two siblings. My best friend, the kids I went to school with, and the neighbor kids were all growing up with two other kids in their house. I don't know where this three-kid quota came from, but every parent seemed to be happy to fill it, my own included.
As soon as school ended last June, we put all of our possessions into storage and moved across the country for my husband's new job. Since then, my seven-year-old, my husband, myself, our two cats and the dog have been living in a small apartment with a borrowed television and rented furniture. Because we flew to our new city, we were unable to bring much more than our clothes and a few other personal belongings.
Brian Wilson of Beach Boys fame is finding fatherhood the second time around to be a bit different than the first. For starters, he is clean and sober now. Wilson has made no secret of his past struggles with drub abuse and mental illness and his relationship with daughters Wendy, 38 and Carnie, 40 remains strained. "I don't talk to them very much. I used to. I recorded with them at one time, but I don't talk to them a lot," he says.
Perhaps you have heard of Katy Perry, an up and coming young singer who is working hard to shock and alarm parents while positioning herself as the anti-Miley Cyrus. A former Christian music singer, Perry is now getting all kids of attention for a song she wrote called I Kissed a Girl. I haven't heard the song, but a quick read of the 
Should he choose to, Jericho Scott could probably have a career as a professional baseball player. Only nine-years-old, the New Haven, Connecticut boy has a fastball pitch that has been clocked at 40 miles per hour. Unfortunately, it's that fastball that has gotten him 
