Maclaren Issues Recall on all Strollers

Over the weekend, news broke that Maclaren is issuing a recall for one million strollers. According to reports, this massive recall affects its production between 1999 and 2009, which includes the Volo, Triumph, Quest Sport, Quest Mod, Techno XT, Techno XLR, Twin Triumph, Twin Techno and Easy Traveller.

maclaren


On its website, Maclaren said,

in cooperation with the USPC, we are providing free of charge to all affected consumers and retailers a kit to cover the stroller’s hinge mechanism, which poses a fingertip amputation and laceration hazard to the child when the consumer is unfolding/opening the stroller.

The CPSC and Maclaren will issue a press release on the recall tomorrow, but Maclaren began notifying its dealers of the recall in the past couple of days.

Because all Maclaren strollers are included in this recall, parents should:

• Stop using (or limit use of) all Maclaren strollers until you get a hinge cover. Even those dating back to 1999 are included in the recall.

Order a hinge cover from Maclaren’s. More details will be provided Tuesday once the official recall goes live. (I will be sure to link)

As with all recalls, there’s no need to panic; your best bet is to stay informed and act accordingly to ensure safety, as far as your kid gear is concerned. I’ll post more details as I get them.

World Pneumonia Day, November 2

“It surprises most people to learn that pneumonia kills more children than any other disease – taking more than 2 million young lives annually,” former U.S. Senate Majority Leader and Save the Children Board member Bill Frist, MD and co-author Dr. Richard Sezibera, Rwanda`s Minister of Health, said in this week’s edition of The Lancet.

Image courtesy of Save the Children
Image courtesy of Save the Children

Pneumonia takes the lives of more children under 5 than measles, malaria, and AIDS combined. The disease takes the life of one child every 15 seconds, and accounts for 20% of all deaths of children under 5 worldwide.

To be quite honest, I can be included in the ‘surprised’ contingent.

Wear-Blue-Jeans-Vertical-JPEGInstead of the usual posts focusing on material goods, today I will be focusing on a much more serious issue.  If I can help it, I’m hoping to challenge my naivety and help spread the word by taking part in the Global Pneumonia Summit on the First Annual World Pneumonia Day today, November 2. Nearly 100 leading global health organizations from around the world are convening in NYC to recognize World Pneumonia Day to urge policymakers to help prevent and treat pneumonia.

I was recently tapped as one of the 5 top tier bloggers to attend this  event on behalf of Vicks, and I couldn’t be more honored to be a part of this fight. Vicks is an official member of the Global Coalition Against Childhood Pneumonia and has partnered with Save the Children to help and deliver treatment to children stricken with pneumonia all over the world. As part of this effort, I hope to absorb and share as much as I can, as part of this incredibly important outreach.

Join me as I live tweet and blog from the event to help educate and change the way the world responds to childhood pneumonia.

In the meantime, please feel free to read more about World Pneumonia Day, follow World Pneumonia Day on Twitter and if you can, wear blue jeans.

Jeans?

Yup, jeans.

To spread awareness about the single largest cause of death in children worldwide, netizens are urging everyone to observe it by wearing a pair of blue jeans.


Please stay tuned or follow me on Twitter for the latest updates from the Summit.

Play Like a Pirate

Arrrrrrgh matey! That’s right, everyone. Tomorrow, September 19, marks Talk Like a Pirate Day! There’s a lot going on to mark this fun day that was started back in 1995 by two pirate fans from Oregon, but we got wind that Monkey Island, the swashbuckling pirate games by LucasArts and Telltale is making the premiere episode of Tales of Monkey Island a free download on their website all day.

Tales_of_Monkey_Island_Logo

Not only that, but today through September 21, LucasArts is offering a treasure trove of deals on several versions of The Secret of Monkey Island, including:
• 50% off the iPhone and iPod touch version of The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition via Apple’s App Store
• 50% off The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition on Steam, Valve Corporation’s delivery and management platform for the PC and Direct2Drive, IGN Entertainment’s digital download store

Get ye these games before the deals expire! Arrrrrghhhh!

BornFree unveils Eco-Friendly recyclable bottles

BornFree products just got a little greener:  the company now offers a new line of Eco-Friendly Recyclable bottles.  Back in December, I had the opportunity to participate in a panel of moms to weigh in on one of the brands that I consider synonymous with eco-friendliness and BPA-free baby products.

ecologo_s

BornFree gained popularity in the mom community just a few short years ago as the research and BPA findings in baby bottles picture-1became more rampant.  As with any tried and true product, I saw moms in my circle of friends and family spread the word about BornFree and soon, many families replaced their existing bottles with BornFree products.

So, what exactly is the Eco-Friendly bottle?  Essentially, the Eco-Friendly Recyclable bottle is the same as the original bottle, but in addition to being Pthalate, PVC and BPA-free, the bottles can be recycled when you no longer have use for them.  When you’re done with the bottles, you can just send them back to BornFree for recycling into their other products lines. Ingenious!

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Review + Giveaway: Nature’s Baby Organics

Bath time in our house is sweet splendor. Any time the bathroom door is opened, the boy frantically signs and asks, “Bah, bah, bah?” For as much as he loves baths, I might love great bath products even more.

I recently had the chance to try out Tangy Tangerine Bubble Bath by Nature’s Baby Organics. Upon pouring the bubble bath into our trusty duck tub, I fell in love. In contrast to the questionable bath products out on the market, Natural Organics is line that was created by a mom who sought a more natural and wholesome alternative to the harsh chemicals. Like most parents, creator Adena Surabian wanted a product that incorporated the best natural ingredients for her babes. Because most of the natural lines that were already on the market didn’t meet her needs, Adena created her own.

“From the essential oils to the cleaning agents, every ingredient would be from nature’s laboratory-safe, pure, and 100 percent derived from nature. Thus, Nature’s Baby was born.”

1301bb-tt-250px-1Lucky Jack, he was born into a family with problematic skin. You name it, one of us is probably afflicted by that skin condition. As a tiny tot, Jack started to show the same signs, which is again, the main reason why I try to use natural products. Nature’s baby Organics fit the bill.

The bubble bath has a sweet, yet subtle citrus smell. Instead of it being overly fruity, it’s refreshing. This bubble bath doesn’t glop out like bubble baths you’re familiar with; it has a liquid consistency, flowing with all kinds of natural goodness. This isn’t the kind of bubble bath that has crazy suds the minute you turn on the water. Jack and I have to get the bubbles going by splashing, but in the end, the bubbles last a long time. The kid can spend hours on end in the tub if he could, but even after a longer bath, Nature’s Baby Organics doesn’t dry his skin out at all. The bubble bath left him feeling clean and without a soapy residue at the end.

As a big proponent of natural products, I love that this bubble bath touts 70% certified organic ingredients and is paraben free, SLS free, 1-4 Dioxane free, synthetic fragrance free, gluten free & vegan.  To check out their list of ingredients go here.

In light of the recent report about carcinogens lingering in those other bath products, Nature’s Baby Organics is a breath of fresh air. I love the fact that it’s a family-run company, and one that incorporates natural and many organic ingredients in their bath products. Because of all of these great qualities and more, Nature’s Baby Organics has become a staple in our home.

Nature’s Baby Organics has generously offered a coupon code as well: when you purchase online, use the code, Mommies to receive a 15% off discount. Even better, Nature’s Baby Organics has kindly offered my readers a great giveaway–choose any of 3 of their products.

Want to win it? Here’s how:

Visit Nature’s Baby Organics and tell me what 3 products you would like to try and why.

For additional entries:

1. Tweet about this giveaway (use the buttons below for easy access)

2. Stumble this post

3. Sign up to receive my updates via email.

Please add a comment for each of your entries. The giveaway ends on April 3 at 12:00 p.m. (fine print:  travel and gift sets are not included in this giveaway.  This giveaway cannot be shipped to P.O Boxes, Hawaii, Puerto Rico or Alaska.)

**This contest is now closed.**