• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Products / Baby Gear
    • Best Mom & Baby Products
    • Ultimate Baby Registry Guide
  • Pregnancy
    • Prenatal
    • Breastfeeding
  • Baby
    • Month 1-3
    • Month 4-6
    • Month 7-9
    • Month 10-12
    • Second Year
    • Toddler
  • #MomLife
  • About Us
  • Nav Widget Area

Rookie Moms

Pregnancy > Parenthood

You are here: Home / Geeky / Tech Tuesday – Be in the know before a product recall is issued

Tech Tuesday – Be in the know before a product recall is issued

19 shares
  • Facebook16
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

Thanks to EMPOWERED SAFETY for sponsoring Tech Tuesday today.

How to Stay on Top of Safety Recalls

It seems like safety recalls happen frequently in the field of baby products, which is reassuring because it means there’s a system in place to keep consumers — and their babies — protected. But at the same time, every time I hear of a major one, it gives me a creepy feeling, knowing that I’m lucky, and someone else found out about a faulty product too late.

Here are some excerpts from letters consumers write:

“I TURNED AROUND AND NOTICED THAT HE BEGUN REMOVING THE PADDING MATERIAL AND BEGAN CHOKING ON IT AFTER IT WAS PLACED IN HIS MOUTH. HE WAS ABLE TO GAIN ACCESS TO THE PADDING MATERIAL BECAUSE THE FABRIC HOLDING IT IN PLACE HAD DETERIORATED AFTER IT WAS WASHED.”

“MY DAUGHTER IS ACTUALLY PULLING THE STUFFING FROM THE CARSEAT AND MY ELDEST CAUGHT HER PLACING SOME OF THE MATERIAL IN HER MOUTH. NOT TO MENTION ALL OF THE LOOSE THREADS AROUND THE EDGES THAT SHE IS BEGINNING TO PULL AT.”

“CHILD WAS ABLE TO PULL THE WHITE FIBERS FREE FROM THE UNDERSIDE OF THE SEAT COVERING, PUT THEM INTO HER MOUTH, ALMOST CHOKING AND VOMITING ALL OVER HERSELF. I HAD TO PULL THE FIBERS FROM HER MOUTH.”

That’s three different notes, all filed about the same car seat.

Well, it turns out that it doesn’t take just one consumer complaint for a recall to be issued. There may be many complaints — even hundreds — before a formal recall is required.

For example, 1.9 million units of my carseat of choice were recalled in 2014. The first consumer complaint relevant to the recall was dated January 2009. Five years passed, and in that time, 177 consumer complaints were filed.

Here’s how you can tune in:

A website called Empowered SAFETY contains a database of over half a million baby and children’s products. When you subscribe to the premium service and create a profile, you indicate which items you own, where you live, and the age and gender of your children.

safety-recall-website

How to stay abreast of children's product safety recalls

Empowered SAFETY sends emails, prioritized by urgency, about safety issues related to products, food safety (which may be regional), home safety, and health and wellness issues (also regional).

This is the only service that alerts consumer to complaints before a recall has been issued.

How to stay on top of children's product recalls

If you want to see the specific complaints, you can click on the product. Note that you’ll see the complaints exactly as they’ve been made by consumers to government agencies or on blogs, so grammar and spelling police, you’re going to need to relax. It is helpful to see what real parents are saying, however, and to be made aware of the specific problem with the product, ie is it a buckle that breaks or padding that shreds so badly it becomes a choking hazard. (I never would have thought of that one!)

Empowered SAFETY offers a two-week free trial on their website, and I’ve got a promo code for you guys for 28 days free: ES28DAY94. Click through to Empowered SAFETY to use it.

We’re also giving away a 6-month membership to one lucky winner. I love that we are able to give away this valuable — and clutter-free!– safety tool.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks again to Empowered SAFETY for sponsoring this post.
Tracking Pixel

October 14, 2014 10:27 am Whitney Filed Under: Geeky, How to, Lists and numbers

Don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter

Primary Sidebar

Search our site

10 Best Strollers In 2023 – For Every Mom’s Needs!

10 Best Strollers In 2023 – For Every Mom’s Needs!

The 15 Best Nursery Gliders for 2023! [Traditional to Unique]

The 15 Best Nursery Gliders for 2023! [Traditional to Unique]

The 50 Best Toys for 2 Year Old Boys in 2023! [+ Toys of the Year]

The 50 Best Toys for 2 Year Old Boys in 2023! [+ Toys of the Year]

The Best 20 Stay at Home Mom Jobs in 2023!

The Best 20 Stay at Home Mom Jobs in 2023!

10 Amazing LGBTQ+ Children’s Books to Celebrate Pride Month

10 Amazing LGBTQ+ Children’s Books to Celebrate Pride Month

Toddler Won’t Stay in Bed? 6 Must-Know Tips for Toddler Sleep Regression

Toddler Won’t Stay in Bed? 6 Must-Know Tips for Toddler Sleep Regression

Join our Rookie Moms Facebook Page

Rookie Moms

Disclosure

Review Policy
Privacy Policy

This site is an Amazon affiliate.

Popular Articles

150 Unique Middle Names for Girls

Footer

Browse By Age

  • Pregnancy
  • Month 1-3
  • Month 4-6
  • Month 7-9
  • Month 10-12
  • Toddler
  • Preschooler

Problem Solving

  • Sleepy
  • Eating
  • Breastfeeding
  • Home
  • Baby Registry
  • Pregnancy
  • Baby
  • Toddler
  • Preschooler
  • Baby Gear
  • #MomLife
  • Holidays
    • Holiday Gift Guide
    • Holiday Entertaining

© Copyright 2016 · Pretty Lifestyle WordPress Theme by: PDCD