Poison Prevention Week
National Poison Prevention Week is March 16 – 22, 2014.
An estimated 90,000 children are treated in emergency rooms nationwide and about 30 die each year due to poison-related incidents. The good news, many of these poison-related incidents are preventable.
The first step in prevention is identifying poison danger. Nine out of ten times unintentional poisoning incidents occure in the home, and many involve commonly used medicines and household chemicals. Simple steps such as keeping products in original containers, properly sealed after each use and stored up and away and out of child’s reach and sight can go a long way in preventing unintentional exposure. It is also important to know what to do in case of exposure.
For more information about poison awareness, download 50+ Poisoning Prevention Tips.
You can also like the Poison Prevent Week Council on Facebook or follow the hashtag #PreventPoison on twitter.
The Arkansas Poison Center’s website by The University of Arkanasas for Medical Sciences College of Pharmacy also has more information and a section to order free materials for your home.
Graco Harness Buckle Recall
From Graco:
Harness Buckle Recall – 2014 Announcement
As part of our continuous product testing and improvement process, Graco identified that food and dried liquids that can make some harness buckles progressively more difficult to open over time or become stuck in the latched position. Therefore, Graco has decided to conduct a voluntary recall on the harness buckles used on all toddler convertible car seats and harnessed booster seats manufactured from 2009 to July 2013. Graco would like to stress this does not in any way affect the performance of the car seat or the effectiveness of the buckle to restrain the child. And a car seat is always the safest way to transport your child.
Injuries Reported: 0
Number of Units Affected: 3.7 million
Dates Produced: 2009 through July 2013
MSRP: $99.00-$399.99
Models Affected: Toddler Convertible Car Seats: Cozy Cline, Comfort Sport, Classic Ride 50, My Ride 65, My Ride 70, My Ride 65 with Safety Surround, Size4Me 70, My Size 70, Head Wise 70, Smart Seat. Harnessed Booster Seats: Nautilus 3-in-1, Nautilus Elite and Argos.
Solution
Graco offers a new and improved replacement harness buckle to affected consumers at no cost. If you are experiencing difficulty with your harness buckle and cleaning has not improved its performance, please contact our Graco customer service team at 800-345-4109 (Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.) or consumerservices@gracobaby.com.
Cleaning Tips for Harness Buckles:
- To clean your buckle, turn the restraint over and push the retainer through the harness strap slot. Place the buckle in a cup of warm water and gently agitate the buckle, pressing the red button several times while it is in the water.
- Do not submerge the harness webbing and do not use soaps or lubricants, only rinse the harness buckle with warm water.
- Shake out the excess water and allow the harness buckle to air dry.
- Reattach the harness buckle into the same slot and re-check harness for correct installation according to the car seat manual before use.
Video Tips:
Cleaning Harness Buckles
Opening Harness Buckles
Replacing Harness Buckles
Download instructions for replacing buckles:
Folic Acid Before and During Pregnancy
Folic acid is a B vitamin. If a woman has enough folic acid in her body before and during pregnancy, it can help prevent major birth defects of the baby’s brain and spine. Women need 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid every day.
[framed_box]Listen to the CDC’s Podcast: Folic Acid: Helping to Ensure a Healthy Pregnancy[/framed_box]
Birth Defects Prevention Month
January is Birth Defects Prevention Month. While not all birth defects can be prevented, women can increase her chances of having a healthy baby by managing heath conditions and adopting healthy behaviors before becoming pregnant. This is important because many birth defects happen very early during pregnancy, sometimes before a woman even knows she is pregnant.
We will be passing along tips and information through the month for future parents.
October is SIDS Awareness Month
SIDS is the sudden death of an infant less than 1 year of age that cannot be explained after a thorough investigation is conducted. There are about 4,200 cases of sudden unexpected infant deaths per year in the United States, half are caused by SIDS.
There are certain things you can do to reduce the risk of SIDS.
- Always place a baby on his or her back to sleep, for naps and at night, to reduce the risk of SIDS.
- Use a firm sleep surface, covered by a fitted sheet, to reduce the risk of SIDS and other sleep-related causes of infant death.
- Your baby should not sleep in an adult bed, on a couch, or on a chair alone, with you, or with anyone else.
- Keep soft objects, toys, and loose bedding out of your baby’s sleep area.
- To reduce the risk of SIDS, do not smoke during pregnancy, and do not smoke or allow smoking around your baby.
- Breastfeed your baby to reduce the risk of SIDS.
- Give your baby a dry pacifier that is not attached to a string for naps and at night to reduce the risk of SIDS.
To learn more about creating a safe sleeping environment, visit Safe to Sleep. http://www.nichd.nih.gov/sts/Pages/default.aspx
Bereavement Resources
If you or someone you know has experienced the loss of a baby, the following organizations may offer support.
- CJ Foundation for SIDS – http://www.cjsids.org/
- Compassionate Friends – http://www.compassionatefriends.org/home.aspx
- First Candle – http://www.firstcandle.org/grieving-families/
- MISS Foundation and Alliance of Grandparents Against SIDS Tragedy (AGAST) – http://www.missfoundation.org/
- Share Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support, Inc. – http://www.nationalshare.org/