Crib Recall: Should Parents Be Product Testers?

At Safety4Kids we strive to produce "safety tools" to empower parents and "safety entertainment" to communicate safe and healthy habits to young children. But there are hazards around every corner. And many of those hazards result in tragedy. Like the most recent Simplicity crib recall.

We asked our own Dr. Carl Baum for his response to this recent tragedy, and the resulting crib recall. Here are his thoughts.

As for the crib recall, the question always arises, how did this happen? The analysis of any tragic death (or deaths) often reveals a number of missed preventive opportunities. In this case:

• Poor crib design allows rail to be installed upside down


• Parents install rail upside down, allowing hazardous gap to appear


• Baby suffocates in gap


• Delays in product recall allow more deaths/injuries to occur


• Parents who are not aware of recall continue to use crib

I am not sure it is practical to expect parents to test products. Most would not have the engineering background to recognize or correct potential hazards. Even the CPSC does not have the authority to perform pre-market testing of products, and I've read recently read that they have severe staffing shortages.

Of course, as the manufacturer points out, you would not want the recall to encourage parents to institute unsafe practices, such as co-sleeping arrangements which present their own hazard to younger children.

What do you think?

(c) Brian McEntire. Image from BigStockPhoto.com

Related Topics from WebMD:

• Health & Safety, Birth to 2 Years
• Why Bed Sharing May Up SIDS Risk

The Internet Safety Debate, Continued

In our most recent post, as in previous posts, we address the ever-alarming issue of Internet Safety. What are the tools for parents to help keep their children safe online? How much time spent online is too much? At what age should a child have access to the Internet? These, and many other questions continue to be of great interest to us at Safety4Kids. We feel a tremendous obligation to contribute responsibly to the discussion surrounding this issue. We formed a Task Force to address it; we created SeeMore's Safety Browser, a safe web browser for youngsters which we give away free to parents; we have a public television show, SeeMore's Playhouse, devoted to all manner of safety topics.

And still there is so much more to do. We turned to one of our regular bloggers, Dr. Sheila Josephson, to address a very serious aspect of this very modern problem. Sheila gives her perspective on this issue informed by more than thirty years experience treating patients for whom unsafe childhoods have resulted in challenging adult lives. Here is what Sheila has to say:

Weaving A Dangerous Web.

Now we have one more thing to worry about regarding our children--the Internet and online predators. It used to be that we could feel secure in the knowledge that when our children were on their own watching educational television such as 'Sesame Street" or "Mr. Roger's Neighborhood" they were not only learning something educational and interesting but they were safe. Educational television notwithstanding, our main concern then was what our children watched unbeknownst to us. So our responsibility was to carefully choose those shows which taught our children and broadened their minds, and then turn off the TV to read or play games.

However, there were parents or caretakers who put their children in front of the TV for hours on end. They used television as a babysitting service. It was an easy distraction so they didn't have the bother of caring for these children. So some children sat for hours watching indiscriminate shows which contained violence, sex, and myriad other situations which they were too young to understand. This most certainly caused them to become upset and confused. They had a hard time understanding their world and life made little sense. They had nightmares and, for some, their behavior proved difficult to control. They also learned at a very early age that they were a burden to their caretakers. Why else would their days be spent watching inappropriate shows?

The computer age has brought an even greater threat to unsupervised children. There are some children, of course, who use their computers as a wonderful tool for school assignments and research. It becomes an invaluable aid to learning. There are others, however, who have little interest in school work and spend hours surfing the 'Net. Who are the children who are seduced by the Internet? More than likely, they are children who have a history of being neglected and ignored by their caretakers. They can feel alone and unwanted, and they have a sense of being a burden to overworked and overwhelmed parents. Their loneliness can make them long to feel desired and cared for. And this sense of wanting to belong can make them prey to the evil perverts who troll cyberspace looking for lonely and vulnerable youngsters.

Another potential risk to children who feel unwanted is their becoming profoundly depressed. In fact the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just released a study, published in the "American Journal of Psychiatry", which found "the rate of suicide in Americans ages 10 to 24 increased 8 percent from 2003 to 2004, the largest jump in more than 15 years." (The New York Times, September 7, 2007.) The Times article goes on to suggest that the increased suicide rate may be attributable to a decline in prescriptions of anti-depressant drugs; however, no one knows for sure exactly which factors contributed to these alarming statistics.

What we do know, is that there is a substantial increase in depressed youngsters in this country. I am certainly not suggesting a cause and effect between children's depression and their vulnerability toward Internet predators. However, I am suggesting that a depressed child might look to the Internet for solace, just as years ago that same child might have found comfort in the promises of a stranger lurking about a school yard. In 2007, that school yard is an entire online world, delivered to your desktop or laptop or cell phone; it's designed to feel personal and inviting, and it's open 24/7. Vulnerable children today have options. And a stranger's promise of attention--of "love" and "care"--may lead a child into a dangerous web indeed. Take heed of neglected children--their futures look bleak. We must keep our children close and safe and protect them from the dangers of the world.

(c) Patrick Hermans. Image from BigStockPhoto.com
(c) Nick Stubbs. Image from BigStockPhoto.com

WebMD Topics:

• 4 Dangers of the Internet
• Kids' Internet Safety Starts at Home

Seatbelts for the Internet -- That's What We Need!

Internet Safety. It was only a matter of time until this issue became a central topic in our national debate. If we provide safeguards on the Internet, do we limit first amendment rights? If we don't provide those safeguards, who is accountable when a child surfs onto a website clearly not intended for a child? Some would say the company who makes the computer; some say the company that makes the software, and some say, THE PARENTS.

At Safety4Kids we are concerned with children's safety in every aspect of their lives. And we work to provide parents with the tools that empower them to be better parents. So at what age is it okay for a child to surf the Web unattended?

Lisa Bain from Parenting magazine believes a child's computer should be "out in the open", not in a closed bedroom, at least until they are old enough to know the difference between what is appropriate and what is not. Computer time should be family time, or at least a parent should be nearby supervising what their kids are doing online.

Lisa was one of the panelists at the "The National Task Force on Children's Safety", a summit co-sponsored by Safety4Kids and The Creative Coalition, held on Capitol Hill in June. Since then much work has been done to lay the groundwork for ongoing efforts to keep children safe on the Internet.

Dr. Richard Lerner, one of our frequent bloggers, has done extensive research on "critical thinking" and doesn't think those skills (the ones to know the difference between what's appropriate and what's not) emerge until a child is about 11 years old. Until then, "kids won't have the perspective necessary to make good judgments; they're concrete in their thinking and take things as if they are written in stone." This makes them vulnerable to others. Dr. Lerner goes on to say that "media literacy starts with the family. You can't have media literacy without having parental literacy."

The debate continues.

Should there be a rating system for websites, like there is for movies and television? Kerry Washington, a member of The Creative Coalition and a person who uses her celebrity to engage people in political debate, "supports the idea of a rating system for the Internet."

What do you think?

How many hours does your child spend at the computer? Do you know what they're looking at?

And let's remember that recent studies show that 95% of teachers assign projects that require using the Internet. That means that schools play a huge role in this debate.

Jan Domene, National President of the PTA, believes that Internet safety begins at home. "Parents need to be aware of what their children are looking at. What is fantasy and what is reality? Parents need to have open communications with their children so if something inappropriate happens on the Internet, their child will feel like sharing that with them."

Lynda Bergsma of the Alliance for a Media Literate America, says that "unplugging the keyboard doesn't always work. Kids will find other ways. Supervising a child can be difficult, especially if there is a single parent or both parents are working. Many parents are not media literate themselves. The most effective way to protect our kids is to incorporate media literacy in a child's education, beginning in kindergarten. With the schools' help, we could make this happen."

So what about preschoolers? Preschoolers surfing the Internet? Is this what we've come to?! The answer is a resounding yes, and it's more and more prevalent.

Tom Blair, President of Safety4Kids, was determined to develop a tool for parents of preschoolers to help them with the challenge of safeguarding their little ones on the Internet.

"Parents aren't prepared for this. We are raising the first generation of young people who have access to the Internet from the very beginning. This problem is only going to get worse, which is why we co-founded this Task Force, bringing together thought leaders from every area of our society--business, education, the arts, government--all focused on dealing with this issue. At Safety4Kids we work on many levels to deal with safety issues for kids, and one way is to create tools for the parents that are also fun for the kids. We focus a lot of our attention and expertise on preschoolers, and we have a public television show--SeeMore's Playhouse-- that teaches safety messages in a fun and engaging way. But Internet Safety is a whole different challenge. So we created SeeMore's Safety Browser, which we are offering free to parents. It's our way of helping to keep kids safe on the Internet."

Please download our browser and sit down with your kids and have some fun and talk about these issues. It's the best way to begin to ensure your child's safety on the Internet.

We'll be adding more thoughts and information about Internet Safety in the coming days. Our partners and fellow bloggers have lots to say on the subject, so be sure to check back.

One last thought on which we can all agree, from Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Honorary Chair of our Task Force:

"Children are America's greatest natural resource. In caring for them, we create a bright and prosperous future for our entire nation. That is why I am pleased to serve as honorary chair for The Creative Coalition and Safety4Kids' extraordinary summit, and will continue to work to create change so that all of America's children grow up safe and healthy."

At the end of the day, isn't that what it's all about?

(c) Miodrag Gajic. Image from BigStockPhoto.com
(c) Safety4Kids


Related:

• WebMD: 4 Dangers of the Internet
• WebMD Video: Special Report: Protecting Your Kids Online