Baby Safety Month: The Do’s and Don’ts of using Second-Hand Baby Gear

Many parents may view buying or borrowing second-hand baby gear as  economical and eco-conscious. It may be hard to resist friends and relatives that want to save you the money of buying something new. However this can put your baby at risk because those products might not meet current safety standards.  There have been great advancements in products over the years, and many products are recalled for safety issues. It is imperative that you check for a recall (www.recalls.gov) before you purchase or consider using older, used equipment. KidSafe often gets calls from people trying to use an older baby gate which has missing hardware. Often those gates are discontinued and hardware may not be available, in that case it would be safer not to use it.

The JPMA has put together a wonderful Baby Safety Month Website with great safety tips on Second Hand Baby Gear. Take a look to learn the Do’s an Don’ts of buying used baby gear.

Great Links to Help Keep Your Kids Safe on Wheels and at Home

Below you’ll find a wonderful collection of sites to help you keep your child safe! As a mom you can never get enough information that can assist in making your job easier – especially when it comes to the well-being of your little one.

The links are:

• Bike and Wheeled Sports Safety Brochure
• Home Safety Guide
• How to Install your car seat correctly
• Home Safety Tip Sheet
• New resources for Home Safety
• Winter sports Safety Tips
• Baby Proofing…12 Tips for the First 12 Months
• Safety Video – safe sleep and car seats information

Best Wishes, from the staff at Kidsafe Inc.

 

New KidCo Auto Close Gateway, pressure mount gate installs like a breeze!

The new KidCo “Auto Close Gateway”  safety gate model (G1100 and G1101) installs like a breeze!

The Auto Close Gateway has many nice features, starting with the fact that it’s a pressure mounted gate, so there is no need for tools, you can pop it right up.

It also features a unique handle design with “Magnet-Lock Technology” that automatically draws the door closed and guarantees it locks each time. That’s a great feature if your hands are full. It also has a hold-open button that secures the door in an open position when needed.

Remember with the pressure mount gate there is no worry of damage to your wall or doorways.

The gates basic width is 29″-37″ and 29.5″ in height. With this gate you do have the option to buy extensions for openings up to 47.5″, making it a very versatile gate.

So if safety is at the fore front of your mind, but you also don’t want to harm your walls or door jams the “Auto Close Gateway” by Kidco is the answer, it’s versatile, made of a heavy-duty steel , has an auto-close door and is a pressure mount so it wont harm walls and needs no tools to install.

Safety Tip: Never place a pressure mounted gate at the top of a stair.

New Auto Close Gateway Baby/Pet Pressure Gate - White

The New KidCo Auto Close Hearth Gate for your fireplace

When it comes to fireplace safety this gate leads the pack! The new KidCo  ”Auto Close Hearth Gate”  model G3100 (formerly G70) is a versatile and sturdy gate that is not only a gate to protect your little ones from the dangers of the fireplace but it also turns into a play yard.

The Auto Close Hearth Gate by KidCo  provides maximum safety around  a fireplace of any shape and size. It is equipped with Magnetic-Lock Technology which draws the door closed automatically and guarantees it locks every time. It also has a Hold Button that secures the door open.

One of the best features of this versatile gate/play yard is that the joints easily rotate making placement options for this gate endless.

It  boasts a 30″ door section and it can be placed anywhere. The basic gate width is 132″ and will fit a space of up to 6′, and the height is 31″ – but 19″ and 24″ extensions are also available for purchase and you can add any number of extensions to the gate – making this a gate that will virtually cover any fireplace out there.

The fireplace can be a very intriguing thing for a toddler, exploring is in their nature, so it just makes sense to protect them from the dangers of a hot fireplace and the Auto Close Hearth Gate is a great option for helping you to keep your child safe.

New Auto Close Hearth Safety Gate / Play Area

Guide to finding the right Baby Gate

Here is a link that helps in finding the right Baby Gate for your needs: Baby Gate Guide

Injuries from Safety Gates

There were 1,900 gate related injuries requiring emergency room care in 2009.  Older accordion style gates with diamond shape openings are  a main culprit because they can entrap a baby’s head, hand or arm.  It is better to use a gate with vertical bars.

It is very important to use the right gate at the right location.  Using a pressure mounted gate at the top of a stair is inadequate.  A screw-in hardware mounted gate is much safer at a stair.

Baby Stairway Gate

You also have to install the gate in a proper manner, by securely attaching it to the wall with screws that reach the underlying wall stud, or by using hollow wall anchors. Follow all manufacturer instructions when installing.

It is also good to be mindful of the small plastic parts on a gate that may break over time. Small pieces could be a choking hazard, and the gate may not work properly if a part is broken. It is a good idea to monitor product recalls in case your gate is recalled for safety reasons.

Kidsafe has put together a guide to help you choose the right gate. Guide Link                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Germ Alert: Beware of shopping carts!

Next time you go to the supermarket, you may want to use the disinfectant wipes the store offers to clean the handle on your shopping cart. It turns out shopping carts are loaded with germs that you don’t want your child exposed to.

 According to a recent study 72% of 85 carts that were tested had traces of fecal bacteria on them. The researchers also took a closer look at 36 of the carts and found that 50% of them carried E. coli. “That’s more than you find in a supermarket restroom” states Charles Gerba, a microbiology professor at the University of Arizona.

 The reasons for all this bad news, the shopping carts are not routinely scrubbed like rest rooms are. Researchers feel the germs are a result of dirty hands, raw foods, birds and other animal feces as the carts are stored outside.

 We have a product to protect your little one from coming in contact with all these germs – The Gummi Grip Shopping Cart Handle Cover.

This soft flexible plastic cover fits neatly over the cart handle and protects your child from dirty carts.

Baby Chair Recall

The CPSC recently recalled 54,000 “metoo” clip-on chairs sold by Phil & Teds USA Inc.  The chairs clip-on to the edge of a dining room or other table.  They can come loose causing a fall.  The company will provide a repair kit so that the chairs are safe. It is recommended not to use the chair until the kit is acquired. Video Link

Summer Safety Tips for Parents

Summer Safety Tips for Parents – Article http://ow.ly/4SlGU

New Infant Car Seat Policy

The American Academy of Pediatrics recently changed their car seat policy and recommended that toddlers should be at least 2 years old before they use front-facing car seats.  This replaces an old recommendation of 1-year-old or 20 pounds. Rear-facing car seats provide more support for a toddlers head, neck and spine in the event of a crash.  They also recommended that booster seats should be used by children until they are 8 years old or 4 feet  9 inches tall so that seat belts fit properly.