Author: Marianne Halterman

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is warning consumers to immediately stop using Gorsetle baby loungers because they do not comply with the federal safety standard for infant sleep products, posing a risk of suffocation and fall hazard to infants.

The loungers fail to meet the safety requirements of CPSC’s Infant Sleep Products Rule because they do not have a stand. In addition, the loungers fail to meet the markings, labeling, and instructional literature requirements. These failures create an unsafe sleeping environment for infants. The lounger and its packaging also lack a tracking label containing required information, including the date of manufacture.

The seller, Gorsetle US, is not cooperating with CPSC on a recall of this product and is not offering a remedy to consumers.

The infant loungers were advertised as GORSETLE Baby Loungers, Portable Infant Floor Seat Ultra Soft & Breathable Newborn Lounger Baby Registry Essential Gift Great for Travel and Tummy Time (Crown). The loungers include a head pillow and fold into a portable handbag with a handle. The loungers were sold in three different printed fabrics including Crown, Jungle Animal, and Little Elephant. The loungers were sold online at www.amazon.com for about $60. There is no labeling on the infant loungers. 

Although the Infant Sleep Products Rule applies specifically to products manufactured after June 23, 2022, these loungers do not have a required date of manufacture labeled on the product or packaging and therefore, the CPSC urges consumers to immediately stop using the loungers, cut the fabric, and dispose of the fabric and the pillow immediately. CPSC urges all firms to stop sale of non-compliant infant sleep products regardless of the date of manufacture. Report any incidents involving product injuries or defects to CPSC at www.SaferProducts.gov.

Parents and caregivers are reminded:

• The best place for an infant to sleep is on a firm, flat surface in a crib, bassinet or play yard.
• Use a fitted sheet only and never add blankets, pillows, padded crib bumpers, or other items to an infant’s sleeping environment.
• Infants should always be placed to sleep on their back. Infants who fall asleep in an inclined or upright position should be moved to a safe sleep environment with a firm, flat surface such as a crib, bassinet or play yard.

Individual Commissioners may have statements related to this topic. Please visit www.cpsc.gov/commissioners to search for statements related to this or other topics.

From Food Safety News – by Dan Flynn on June 28, 2023

Consumer Reports (CR) is out with a new study of heavy metals in baby food. CR’s latest tests included 14 products, representing a mix of fruits and vegetables; meals and entrees; and snacks, such as bars, puffs, and teething wafers. At least three samples of each product were tested and the 14 products likely to be high in a combination of arsenic, cadmium, and lead based on their ingredients or on previous CR tests.

CR focused on products that had concerning levels in tests five years ago. Seven of the products were ones tested in 2018; the other seven were similar to products that were previously tested but that are no longer on the market. More about how CR tests baby foods for heavy metals is available here.

To determine how many servings of each product a child could eat per day, CR’s food safety experts considered how much of that type of food kids typically eat, using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Then CR assessed the risks posed by the combined exposure to arsenic, cadmium, and lead in that food. This link  CR.org shows CR’s recommendations for the products tested. The findings were a spot check of the market and should not be used to draw definitive conclusions about specific brands, according to CR.

The CR findings consider that parents feed their children many foods a day. “Because heavy metals are so pervasive in foods — and because they tend to accumulate in the body — small exposures from multiple foods can add up,” says Eric Boring, PhD, a CR chemist who oversaw our testing. “And feeding your child amounts close to the daily serving limits leaves little room for exposure to heavy metals from other foods.”

Long-term intake of heavy metals may increase the risk of a variety of health and developmental problems in young children, including a lower IQ and behavioral issues, as well as ADHD, autism, and other issues.

“Early development is a really sensitive period of time,” says Maya Deyssenroth, PhD, an assistant professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. “Organ systems are developing and are particularly vulnerable.”

At the same time, Boring says, “While concerning, these results are no reason to panic.” He points out that the risk comes from repeated exposure over long periods of time, not from eating a food just once or even several times. An occasional serving of even one of the foods with the highest levels is generally OK,” he says. “Just remember to mix up what your kids eat.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is warning consumers to immediately stop using CCATTO brand baby tents because they do not comply with mandatory federal safety standards for infant sleep products and because they contain a banned infant pillow, posing a fall hazard and risk of suffocation to infants.

The baby tents fail to meet the safety requirements of CPSC’s Infant Sleep Products Rule, creating an unsafe sleeping environment for infants. The failures include: the tents are not supported by free standing legs and do not meet the markings and labeling and instructional literature requirements. In addition, the tents contain a banned infant pillow. The pillow is loosely filled with a granular material, including but not limited to, polystyrene beads or pellets and is intended or marketed for use by children under one year of age. The tent and its packaging also lack a tracking label containing certain required information, including the date of manufacture.

The seller, LA.INNO Direct, of China, has not responded to CPSC’s request for a recall.

The baby tents were advertised as a Portable Baby Tent, CCATTO Pop Up Beach Tent for Baby, Enhanced Ventilation, UPF 50+ Sun Shelter for Infant, Baby Camping Bed with Mosquito Net (Pegs, Travel Bag, Bonus Cooling Sleeping Kit Included). The baby tents have “CCATTO” branded on the top and are gray with neon green trim. The baby tents were sold online at www.amazon.com and other websites for about $30 in recent years. There is no labeling on the baby tents. 

Although the Infant Sleep Products rule applies to products manufactured after June 23, 2022, CPSC urges firms to consider stopping sale of non-compliant infant sleep products regardless of the date of manufacture. These tents do not have a required date of manufacture labeled on the product or packaging. CPSC urges consumers to stop using the tents, cut the fabric, and dispose of the fabric and the pillow immediately. Report any incidents involving product injuries or defects to CPSC at www.SaferProducts.gov.

Parent and caregivers are reminded:

• The best place for an infant to sleep is on a firm, flat surface in a crib, bassinet or play yard.
• Use a fitted sheet only and never add blankets, pillows, padded crib bumpers, or other items to an infant’s sleeping environment.
• Infants should always be placed to sleep on their back. Infants who fall asleep in an inclined or upright position should be moved to a safe sleep environment with a firm, flat surface such as a crib, bassinet or play yard.

Individual Commissioners may have statements related to this topic.  Please visit www.cpsc.gov/commissioners to search for statements related to this or other topics.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is warning consumers to immediately stop using Girasol Rainbow Love Woven Wrap sling carriers because they do not comply with the federal safety standard for sling carriers and infants can fall out of them. CPSC also urges consumers to avoid similar products from Girasol because they likely pose the same risk.

CPSC testing revealed the Girasol Rainbow Love Sling Wrap carriers fail to meet the federal safety standard for sling carriers, including requirements for structural integrity and occupant retention. Additionally, the instructions contain incomplete warning statements required for the sling carriers. Sling carriers manufactured after January 30, 2018, are subject to the mandatory federal safety standard.

The importer Baby Earthling LLC (d/b/a Wrap Your Baby), of Mountainair, New Mexico, has not agreed to recall the sling carriers.

These sling carriers were sold online at www.wrapyourbaby.com until November 2022 for between $120 and $165. The carriers are made of a woven cotton fabric in a rainbow print that starts with red on one end, then orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and ending with violet on the other end. The sling carriers were in sizes 5 to 9, 2.60 meters to 6 meters (8.5 feet to 19.6 feet) and are intended for infants weighing between 8 and 35 pounds.

CPSC is aware of other similar Girasol sling carriers offered for sale online at www.wrapyourbaby.com in the following models: Girasol Sherwood Woven Wrap Carrier, Girasol Rainbow Baby Woven Wrap, Barefoot Rainbow Girasol Woven Wrap, Sunshine Rainbow Girasol Woven Wrap, Girasol Atlantis Woven Wrap, Girasol Ocean Rain Woven Wrap, Girasol Wisteria Purple Woven Wrap, and Girasol Earth Woven Wrap but has not specifically tested the safety of those carriers, for which test samples are not currently available.

CPSC urges consumers to stop using the sling carriers, cut the wraps to prevent future use, and dispose of the product. Report any incidents involving injury or product defect to CPSC at www.SaferProducts.gov.

Individual Commissioners may have statements related to this topic.  Please visit www.cpsc.gov/commissioners to search for statements related to this or other topics.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is warning consumers to immediately stop using Momaid infant loungers because they do not comply with federal safety standards for infant sleep products, posing a risk of suffocation and a fall hazard to infants.

The loungers fail to meet the safety requirements of CPSC’s Infant Sleep Products Rule because they do not have a stand. In addition, the lounger fails to meet the side height, markings and labeling, and instructional literature requirements. These failures create an unsafe sleeping environment for infants. The lounger and its packaging also lack a tracking label containing certain required information, including the date of manufacture.

The seller, Zhejiang Juster Trading LLC, of China, is not cooperating with the CPSC on a recall of this product and is not offering a remedy to consumers. 

The infant loungers were advertised as a Baby Lounger Portable Infant Co Sleeping Bassinet Newborn Cocoon Snuggle Reversible Nest Bed Travel Crib. They were sold with a pillow and in four different printed fabrics: Banana Gray Leaf, Blue Palm Leaf, Mint Lychee Leaf and Pink Lychee Leaf. The loungers were sold online at www.amazon.com and other websites for about $55. There is no labeling on the infant loungers. 

Although the Infant Sleep Products rule is applicable to products manufactured on or after June 23, 2022, CPSC urges firms to consider stopping sale of non-compliant infant sleep products regardless of the date of manufacture. These loungers do not have a required date of manufacture labeled on the product or packaging, and therefore, the CPSC urges consumers to stop using the loungers, cut the fabric, and dispose of the fabric and the pillow immediately. Report any incidents involving product injuries or defects to CPSC at www.SaferProducts.gov.

Parents and caregivers are reminded:

• The best place for an infant to sleep is on a firm, flat surface in a crib, bassinet or play yard.
• Use a fitted sheet only and never add blankets, pillows, padded crib bumpers, or other items to an infant’s sleeping environment.
• Infants should always be placed to sleep on their back. Infants who fall asleep in an inclined or upright position should be moved to a safe sleep environment with a firm, flat surface such as a crib, bassinet or play yard.