03.23.2010
I want to focus on the issue of recalling baby products with the most recent item added to the list: baby slings made by Infantino.
Now, I know that life has no guarantees and unless we plan to never venture out of our front door, there are certain risks we take by just being alive and going about our daily routine. But what alarms me is the amount of merchandise that consistently gets recalled from baby food to infants’ beds to car seats and now to baby slings. When I read a recent article on the recall of one manufacturer’s infant baby beds, I e-mailed the article to Rob and said that I think I’m going to take on the task of building a bed for our child myself. I mean, not that I’m immune to mistakes, but at least I’d be aware of what screws, nails, and other bits and pieces are being put into the bed. This particular bed written about in the article was being recalled because of the space that was between one side of the crib and the bed where a newborn could roll into the space and suffocate. I think there were also cases of one side of the crib coming apart and as the crib came crashing down, it would fatally injure the baby. I’m sorry, what?!
This is all a product of mass production and we’re sacrificing lives for the sake of saving money. No, I’m not proposing we go back to the days where we go to a carpenter or a furniture builder and request a bed made for us, or a table, or chairs. Well, maybe I am. It would certainly give meaning to the “Made in the USA” label that we, sure as hell, don’t see anymore. But seriously, folks, why are so many defects made? Someone is still making a profit and these recalls are a drop in the bucket for the companies. I heard somewhere that drug companies get their drugs passed knowing that people will die from them because they bank on the fact that the money that they make from selling it will, in the end, still give them a profit even after any trials they have getting sued. So I strongly wonder if there’s a difference with these children’s product companies. We put our trust in these companies because of their claims that they’re looking out for our best interest as parents, but the bottom line is that they’re thinking about just that: the bottom line. And I wish companies, and our government, were more concerned with its buyers, and constituents, because lives are, literally, on the line. And to me, that’s more important than any “bottom line.”
Articles on various items recalled (just in 2010 so far!):
Baby Slings: http://www.csmonitor.com/Money/new-economy/2010/0324/Infantino-baby-sling-recall-Is-your-baby-carrier-on-the-list
Crib Recall: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5752712n
Stroller Recall: http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/parenting/new-recalls-affect-2-million-baby-strollers-and-cribs-572839/
Food recall: http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/consumer&id=7220171
Baby Medicine Recall (September 2009; includes list of all medicine and their lot numbers): http://www.nowpublic.com/health/tylenol-recall-2009-list-infant-and-childrens-tylenol-recall
