Not All Baby Products on the Market Are Safe

November 08, 2012 (Press-News.org) For many, one of the most exciting things about becoming a new parent is buying all of the clothes, toys and furniture they need to keep their babies safe and happy. What they may not realize is that they may inadvertently be placing their children in harm's way with the very items they are purchasing to ensure their children's well-being. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, a federal agency charged with monitoring injuries from consumer products and issuing recalls, reports that 40 percent of all product recalls in 2011 were for children's goods. Parents in West Virginia and across the U.S. should be aware of some of the more dangerous baby products on the market.

Dangers While Sleeping

A variety of items that parents use to try to make their babies sleep more comfortably can lead to injury or even death. Drop-side cribs have caused 32 deaths and hundreds of other injuries since 2000, because the moveable sides fell and suffocated or strangled the children inside them. The CPSC banned these cribs in 2011.

Bumpers and sleep positioners pose suffocation hazards when parents place them in baby cribs, as do excess blankets and pillows. Experts recommend keeping cribs bare, save for a fitted sheet, and wrapping babies in sleep sacks to keep them warm.

Sling Carriers

Many parents enjoy carrying their babies close to their bodies in sling carriers. However, sling carriers present two different dangers to babies. The way that these cross-body carriers situate babies against their parents' bodies can lead to the child dying from positional asphyxia. The slings have also broken, causing babies to fall and suffer fractured bones, head injuries, contusions, abrasions and death.

Furniture Leads to Falls

Small children run the risk of falling every day, but some types of baby furniture increase the likelihood that a child will suffer injury from falling. Changing tables with fewer than four side-barriers can allow babies to roll off them. CPSC estimates that 4,500 children under 5 years old suffered changing table injuries in 2009 alone.

Infant seats designed to help infants sit upright can also be dangers. Babies can easily tip such seats by arching, leaning or rocking. When parents use such seats in the tub, children run the risk of not only falling, but drowning as well. In November 2011, the CPSC issued a safety alert for a particular type of infant seat called a Bumpo Seat, attributing 45 falling incidents resulting in 17 skull fractures to the chairs.

Speak with an Attorney

Parents naturally want to protect their children, and they rely on the products they purchase for their children to be safe. When manufacturers fail to live up to their responsibilities to create safe products, they need to be held accountable for the damage they do. If your child has suffered an injury from a dangerous product, seek the assistance of a skilled defective product attorney who can help you recover for your losses.

Article provided by Bordas & Bordas PLLC
Visit us at www.bordaslaw.com