Product Recall or Basic Parenting 101?

When is a product recall really a “recall?’  Definitions of the word recall include:  to call back, order home or withdraw.  The definition seems clear enough.  If a product is in the marketplace and it has a defect that endangers the public safety, the manufacturer should “call back” the item to prevent possible injury.  Recently however, the Consumer Product Safety Commission seemed to redefine the word recall. 

Take the recent “recall” announced on February 11^th for Summer Infant ‘s baby video monitors.   The company received reports of the strangulation deaths of two infants caused by the electrical cords of the monitor wrapping around the infant’s neck and cutting off their air supply.  Since 2004 CPSC has received notification of seven infant deaths involving the cords on baby monitors in general. 

Normally “recalls” are used when a product defect is found, or when the product does not comply with an existing safety regulation.  Neither of these is true in the case of the baby monitor involved.  In fact, the monitors were placed on the infant crib or on the wall over the crib where the cords were within reach of the child.  Parental or caregiver responsibility has to be considered in this case. 

The manufacturer of the monitors is not asking for the monitors back from consumer; they are simply asking the consumer to call to receive a set of warning labels that more clearly advise not to place the monitor too close to baby’s crib or play area.  According to CPSC Commissioner Nancy Nord, the response to this “recall” has been minimal, and in some cases the response has been anger or frustration that they were frightened into thinking their monitor was defective.

On her blog, Commissioner Nord indicates that the reason she was given for the use of the term “recall” for this scenario was that “this is the only way to get media attention—unless we call it a recall, no one will pay attention to us.”  Really?  Does our government really think the US consumer buys that?  Given the very poor response to this “recall” so far, it appears that a Safety Alert and clear information on the safe placement of ANYTHING with hanging cords near babies would have been sufficient. Not only that, but if you purchased a monitor, heard “recall” and then found out the solution was a set of paper labels…well, what would your response be? 

Once you begin to pollute the field of product recalls with every type of warning or educational program, you have begun to slide down a very slippery slope.  At what point does the consumer just stop listening?

Leave your comments below.  Has the constant barrage of product recalls since 2007 made you question product safety overall?  How much time do you spend reading warning labels on products?

Seussical and Lehi Junior High Delights audiences

Last night the Lehi Junior High Drama students delighted adults and engaged young children for 80 minutes of pure musical whimsy.  The musical is based on the chants and stories found in the works of Dr Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel), and adapted into short melodious vignettes by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty. A cast of fifty-three and a crew of 26 junior high students filled the auditorium, reminding us of why we love and adore Seuss and his crazy clan of imaginative creations. 

Directed by Melani Boren, and wonderfully choreographed by David Lee and Serek Sorenson, the students drew the viewers into their colorful world where one faithful elephant named Horton decided to save the little people of Who.  He was teased, bullied, outcast and abandoned by almost all of his fellow creatures.  Luke Beuchert played the part perfectly, slowly developing his character from a timid and quiet pachyderm to the faithful one who never stopped protecting his Who friends.  In the end, Horton won over not only the feathered and adoring Gertrude (played by Audrey Baron), but every Seuss-loving person in the packed auditorium, as well.

Last night, Horton steadfastly stood against all odds and uttered those words “I said what I mean and I mean what I said. An elephant’s faithful 100%!”  This ageless tale puts these questions to us quite directly. Will we be as faithful to stand up for those weaker than us?  Are we willing to endure stepping out of our comfort zone to help those who need protection?  Will we be true to our commitments and not back down because popular opinion tells us we are foolish?  A strong message from a slightly offbeat group of imaginary characters.

The colors, costumes and music are fun, but it's the contagious energy and enthusiasm of the junior high performers that is not to be missed.  You can still catch it at Lehi Junior High School at 7 pm this Friday & Saturday night. $5 for adult, $4 for children.

good news for old clunkers

     Lehi’s neighbor, Pleasant Grove, is home to The Northwest Pipe Company. This company is responsible for manufacturing over 20 miles of 126-inch steel pipe being laid to enclose the Murdock Canal. The canal connects Provo Canyon and Point of the Mountain, running from Orem, through Lehi, and up to Alpine.  The materials used to make this steel pipe is recycled old cars, recovered for the Cash-for-Clunkers program.[1]  Something old and useless now transformed into a conduit for the flow of life and crop-sustaining water.

You may feel like that old clunker right now. Depending on who has been driving you, you may be relatively young or seasoned by the years.  Life has beaten you up. Your once firm seat is stretched and wrinkled.  Your paint job has become lackluster.  Your engine only starts half the time. Your tread is worn and the lights that direct your path are flickering.

But just as those old clunkers were melted down and recreated to become strong as steel, so God can transform us.  The first couple of verses in Romans 12 should be Good News for all who identify with those old clunkers.

“Don’t copy the behaviors and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.  Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

Today is a great day to claim this promise from God. Read Romans 12 today and let God remind you again that your life can begin to be transformed by taking one step at a time toward Him. Start those steps this week.

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[1] Caleb Warnock, reporter for the Daily Herald

Crib Safety Alert

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CSPC) has issued several safety alerts (recalls) for the Generation 2 Worldwide baby cribs.  In February/March 2010 they issued warnings on the  “ChildESIGNS” drop-side cribs.

This most recent safety warning warns consumers that the "SafetyCraft" brand full-size and non-full-size drop-side cribs also manufactured or distributed by Generation 2 Worldwide, contains the same plastic drop-side hardware as that found in the “ChildESIGNS” brand recalled in 2010. 

The plastic hardware securing the crib’s drop-side rail can break which could result in the drop side rail detaching at the corner of the crib.  This creates a gap between the crib frame and the mattress.  This gap presents a safety hazard in which an infant could slide into the opening and be unable to free itself from this life-threatening situation. CPSC has received information showing three infants suffocated to death after being trapped between the mattress and a broken side panel of the crib. In addition, twenty more incidents involved the crib's drop side detaching from the crib. Five reports indicated children fell out of the cribs due to a drop side rail detaching.

CPSC also stresses the need for parents and caregivers to stop using these cribs immediately and replace the crib as soon as possible with a crib that complies with the new federal requirements (See my earlier post on Baby Crib Safety - Part 1.)   Consumers should NOT attempt to repair the crib.  No repair kit will be offered.  Generation 2 Worldwide went out of business in early 2005. The SafetyCraft name was later purchased by Foundations Children's Products of Medina, OH.  “SafetyCraft “cribs manufactured and sold by Foundations Children's Products are not the subject of this recall. You can identify a new Foundations SafetyCraft crib by looking for Foundations name printed on the assembly instructions attached to the mattress support board under the crib mattress.

Generation 2 Worldwide’s ChildESIGN cribs were sold at large retailers that include K-Mart, Buy Buy Baby and Wal-Mart. However, because Generation 2 Worldwide is no longer in business, it is likely that other smaller retailers also sold their cribs. The cribs cost between $60 and $160.  Specific retail information is not available for the SafetyCraft cribs.

According to CPSC, you can use the following guidelines to check your crib to see if it falls within the scope of this recall. 

• The name “Generation 2 Worldwide” shows on a label applied to the crib’s headboard/footboard.
• Some labels identify Dothan, Ala as the place of manufacture
• Others identify country of manufacture as China.
• The name “ChildESIGNS” may be printed on the teething rail
• The name "SafetyCraft" shows on a label on the crib's headboard or footboard.
• Labels on the crib may identify the place of manufacture as Indonesia or Dothan, Alabama.
• The latest warning involves all SafetyCraft drop-side cribs, including model 92-8112, manufactured and/or sold by Generation 2Worldwide.

Some of the model numbers on the ChildESIGN cribs include: 0-110X, 10-210X, 21-110X, 20-710X, 64-315X, 26-110X, 90-257X, 20-810X, 46-715X, 64-311X, 74-315X, 21-815X, 21-810X, 20815X, 308154 and 54915.  (NOTE:  the "X" is inserted to show any number)

The latest warning involves all SafetyCraft drop-side cribs, including model 92-8112, manufactured and/or sold by Generation 2 Worldwide.

If you identify your crib as one involved in this recall, contact the retailer from whom you purchased the crib.  You should be able to receive a refund, a replacement crib, or store credit.

The CPSC requests that any consumer who has difficulty in resolving this with the place of purchase should advise CPSC at their recall hotline (800) 638-2772.

Product Safety from both sides

In 2007, Mattel Toy Company and their Chinese sub-suppliers made a $2.3 million mistake. They didn't follow their own in-house quality assurance steps.  They failed to check  the lead levels in the paint used on some toys they produced in China and sold in the USA.  The result was a recall of millions of toys with lead levels above the allowable limits.  Some say they got arrogant, others say they got lazy, still others were sympathetic to the monumental task of product testing and supply chain documentation. Whatever you believe, it happened.  But the ensuing tsunami effect of that mistake is really quite amazing.  If this can happen to a giant like Mattel, what about the smaller companies importing toys and children products for sale in the states?  And so the witch hunt began. Instantly, all China toy manufacturers were labeled as sub-par.  All toy suppliers and manufacturers became villains of the worst kind.  Trust had been broken and accusations were flying around like a leaves in a wind storm.  

Enticed by the low costs, toy manufacturers dove head first into China without really understanding the intricacies or consequences of the cultural differences. Assumptions of understanding each other were made, and in the end - those assumptions became weapons of destruction for many USA toy companies and their Chinese manufacturers. To avoid the stigma of the "Made in China" label, many manufacturers are looking for new suppliers in Malaysia, Indonesia or VietNam. However, many of these factories are just learning the ropes in toy production and USA consumer/retailer expectations. As in China, the pressure to produce the very best quality goods for the very lowest US dollar puts any factory at risk of succumbing to corner cutting.  If history tells us anything,  it's that the learning curve in any new factory is long and while they are learning,  product safety issues could begin to surface here in the USA.  

In response to this perceived invasion of unsafe toys, Congress passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) in August 2008.  This historic new law carried inside it so many new regulations, testing and certification requirements that over two years later we are still weeding through the details.  

New lower lead limits for paint and substrates were mandated on all toys, children's products and furniture.  Restrictions on the amount of specific chemical softeners (phthalates) that could be used in PVC and other plastics were called out. The once voluntary toy safety testing (ASTM F963) became a federal requirement for all toys intended for children under 12 years old.  Tracking marks are now required on products and their packaging. For each product they produce, manufacturers will be required to maintain documentation on the design, materials, risk assessment, testing, suppliers and sub-suppliers.  In-house Reasonable Product Testing Programs must be documented and maintained. 

The CPSIA was vague and inclusive.  In fact it was so inclusive that sadly many small businesses that could not afford the extensive new processes and additional testing costs have succumbed to its effects.  Hand-crafters, stationary & art material suppliers, small toy retailers, and publishers have all been added to the obituary list.  Testing labs and manufacturers of all sizes were scrambling to figure out how to meet the February 2011 testing & certification deadline set by CPSC last year.  

On February 1, 2011, CPSC voted to extend the Stay of Enforcement on testing and certification for CPSIA lead in paint and substrates.  The new December 2011 deadline gives manufacturers one quick breath of relief, but the pressure is still on the have these tests completed and documented within the next 10 months.

For consumers it likely feels as if the implementation of this new law is taking too long.  From the outside it appears that manufacturers have been given one extension after another, and very little is being done to improve the safety of the toys on the store shelves.  But from inside the walls of a manufacturer, there have been daily discussions & changes over the past two years geared toward implementing the CPSIA requirements.  Hundreds of thousands of dollars are being spent in labor, process designs, testing, documenting, developing product history files and auditing supply chains.  Keep in mind that the great majority to toy manufacturers already have quality control processes in place. The CPSIA meant that they needed to redesign many of their internal systems to meet the new requirements.

At the risk of sounding dismissive, I am not really convinced that all this has resulted in safer toys overall. I definitely think it has raised the expectation of the consumer, and the responsibility of the manufacturers to be vigilant about testing their products and auditing their supply chains. Providing the safest products possible for our children is without a doubt the end goal.  But some consumer advocacy groups use media frenzy to build up unrealistic consumer expectations of safety.  Where a child plays with a toy or a stick or a cardboard box - the potential for injury is present. Parental responsibility and supervision has been eliminated from the equation in so many cases.  

I am a parent, and a grandparent.  I want my kids to grow up healthy without hidden mechanical or chemical hazards putting them at risk.  Chemical hazards, like lead, need to be regulated and carefully managed at all levels of manufacturing.  But adding layer after layer of testing, documentation, and certification regulations does not necessarily serve to make a safer product. Providing clear expectations and guidance to manufacturers is critical. 

Some in the product safety industry fear that our regulatory system is so broken, repair seems impossible.   Parents want safe toys.  Manufacturers want clear guidelines that help them assure the safety of the products they produce without driving up the cost to the consumer.  Importers/Retailers want a testing program with which they can comply without going bankrupt.  President Obama's direction on regulatory reform asked our US government agencies to look at our systems to see where we can avoid excessive, inconsistent and unnecessary regulations.  Perhaps that is a first glimpse at recognizing the mess we've made, and the first small step toward finding a solution.

For an excellent look at the challenges of manufacturing in China, read Angela Valdez's article on The Impact of Economic Slowdown on US Supply Chains.

The value of serving others

The world is not all about me! Learning this truth at a young age is invaluable.  Most two year olds are very self-centered.  The world literally is all about them. A two-year-old is in the very first stages of developing a sense of personal identity.  We have all seen the grocery store temper tantrum that exhibits the essence of a two-year-old’s world.  “I want what I want, when I want it and in exactly the way I want it!”  No amount of reason or discipline can be introduced to a two year old in the midst of a melt down to make them agree that the world is not all about them. 

By three years old most children have adopted a greater sense of who they are and new things (change) can be accepted more easily.  Three-year olds may still want to be the boss of what they do, but they are usually on their way to understanding that every day has something new to show them. That change just happens, and they’d better figure out how to adjust.  By five that child has come to know, and maybe even appreciate, that life comes with rules and responsibilities.  A healthy five-year-old begins to reach out for friends and realizes that having a friend means that sometimes it’s not about you, but about that friend.  The concept of serving others sprouts its tiny leaves.

The problem is, when it comes to understanding that the world is not all about them, many adults simply stalled at the two-year-old stage. That stage when the words “I want” rein supreme.  If we don’t get what we want, we simply yell louder, or whine until we garner someone’s sympathy.  We need that sympathy to fuel our discontent.

So it was with Louise, who for most of her life was stuck in that two-year-old stage.  “I lived in Orange County, California, where the average home cost was about  $500,000.  From the window of my small two-bedroom apartment I would look out to those houses every day and think, “I am barely making ends meet.”  Somehow I felt entitled to a better life - one where I had what I wanted and when I wanted it.  The problem was, I had created a bubble where only I mattered.  So what I didn’t have was always more than what I had.”  Louise's story points out that when you live in a world where you are the main character – that’s a problem.  In that kind of a bubble world you will always want more, but satisfaction will still remain just around the next corner.

In 2005, Louise signed up to go with ten other people to help the people in Sri Lanka who had been ravaged by the December 26, 2004 tsunami.  According to Louise, she’ll never really know what prompted her to do this, but to this day she believes that God was nudging her outside her little sphere of discontent into the real world.  This was her first real step outside her bubble world.  She was petrified to say the least. “After all,” Louise remembers, “I didn’t actually know where the heck Sri Lanka was when I signed up to go!”  But as Louise points out, she had been lonely and stuck inside that bubble world for a long time, and she was beginning to entertain the thought of a bigger life; one where maybe she wasn’t the main character.  Louise felt the need to see more to decide if this was just a dumb idea or a real life-changer. She was 51 years old.

What Louise found in Sri Lanka was destruction, death, sadness, poverty, oppression, violence, civil war and one heartbreaking story after the other. It was physically difficult, and emotionally challenging.  But amidst that same atmosphere she also saw great beauty, unbelievable emotional strength and fortitude, amazing faith and acts of genuine kindness and unconditional love. “People I didn’t know, whose language I didn’t even speak, reached out to me as if I were the one that came to be helped, not the one who had come to help.  The richness of their lives even in the midst of such traumatic loss was a real-life changer for me. “ She was almost instantly “unstuck” from her two-year-old stage and her bubble world had been popped.  Serving others became the foundational purpose for her life.

Learning this lesson at fifty-one brought with it the sad reality of how much she had missed for those first 49 years of her life.  Louise realized the importance of learning to serve others at a very young age.  There is such fulfillment and joy that comes when understanding that the world is not all about us.  With that understanding, we can break free from the walls of our bubble world and more fully experience a truly abundant life.

You don’t have to travel to Sri Lanka to introduce the concept of serving others to a young child.  Here are a few simple ways to begin planting that valuable lesson in the hearts of your children or grandchildren, aged 5 years & up.

·               Birthday Buddies - For each gift a child receives for his/her birthday, purchase a small gift at the dollar store. Call a local children’s hospital and visit with your child to deliver a small gift and some encouragement to some sick children.

      

·               Cozy Coat & Cover-up – This is particularly good to do in the late summer or early fall. Walk around the neighborhood with your child and handout flyers asking for gently used coats, sweaters or blankets.  Those that children or adults have outgrown are prime candidates.  Come back a week later to gather the cover-ups.  Contact a local church, temple, ward or social service organization to make a contribution.

·               Yarns by Youths - Young children who love to read and enjoy a good story can share their passion for storytelling by volunteering at their local library to sit and read to toddlers. 

·               Helping the Hungry – Not only will this help provide a nutritious meal for a hungry child, it will also show your child how those counting and sorting skills they are learning actually apply to real life!  Go to a local food pantry or Kids Against Hunger event where you and your child can work together to pack bags of rice, cans of food or other necessities into care packaged for the needy.  

·               Grins for Granny - Many senior facilities are delighted to have young people grace their hallways.  If your pre-teen or teen has good handwriting or reading skills, volunteering to read or write letters for the elderly is a welcome gift. Often times just the presence of a youngster brings smiles and some respite from their circumstances.

·               From Old to New – This is one of the most natural ways to teach youngsters about the joys of giving. Encourage your child to go through their toys and choose some they want to donate to children that may have no toys at all. Be sure to wash the toys well and only choose toys that are complete and in safe condition.  Contact a local family shelter for donation.

Manufacturers Balance Quality, Safety & Sustainability

As a parent, or grandparent, you choose toys and learning materials for your child based on many different factors. Most of us choose products by what we see on the outside. Is it attractive, kid-friendly, fun and sturdy in appearance? Today, more and more parents are recognizing that what goes on inside the toy is just as important.

Perhaps the first criterion for deciding what to purchase is watching your children. What do they enjoy doing?  Are they artistic, or studious, or avid readers, or excited by the newest electronic gadget?  Do they spend hours in the backyard with their friends playing Battle Zone Warriors, or Samantha Smith Private Eye?  Is music always a part of their daily activities?  Perhaps they enjoy building or designing things with odds and ends?  Observation is the first place to start the decision making process.

The next step might be observing how well the products they do play with actually hold up to kid-play.  Children are inquisitive beings and they don’t look at a toy like an adult might.  To them the baby doll stroller might double as a ride-on; the plastic tote that holds the builder set becomes a helmet.  Preschoolers and school-age children often think, “What happens if I do this?”   Your child may be quiet and reserved and play gently with their toys.  On the other hand, you may have a mini-MacGyver on your hands who longs to know what’s inside everything and won’t stop until he or she has completely dissected each toy.  These are important observations that help determine which product you will purchase.

No matter what the temperament of your child, you want a product that is versatile, durable and safe.  The products you choose must pass all appropriate safety regulations – that goes without saying. Toys that encourage a child’s imagination, engage their curiosity, and expand their experiences should top the list of criteria, as well.

Today, many parents are adding Social and Environmental Responsibility to that criteria list.  Parents want to know that their purchase is having a positive impact on the people and places the product is made.  Is it made in a factory that treats its workers with respect and pays them a decent wage? Are they honest about the age of their workers? Does the factory dispose of its wastes or chemicals in an environmentally sustainable way?  Is the package using excessive paper, or unnecessary plastic inserts whose long-term half-life is dramatically increasing our landfills?  How is the product re-used past its original design? 

More and more companies are recognizing the global importance of producing products in factories that practice good social and environmental responsibility. A company who is committed to strong sustainable polices contributes to the well being of the customer, the world they live in, and the world their children will live in tomorrow. 

When you make your next toy purchase, look for evidence that the manufacturer provides a durable, safe and good quality product on the outside, and that they care about how that product impacts our global environment, as well.

Lakeshore proves that learning can be fun

  Open the  2011 Lakeshore Learning Materials Elementary catalog and you'll be forced to blurt out just one word ….WOW!!!    Okay, you can't stop at one word; you may need to add on EXCITING, INNOVATIVE, AWESOME, ENGAGING, and CAPTIVATING!

     

     It's no secret that this educational supply company is a leader in innovative learning materials for birth through 6th grade, and their new 16-page Technology section is full of examples of that creativity!  Lakeshore’s creative product developers have designed over 100 new interactive software-learning programs to use with interactive whiteboards and computers.  That’s right, even if you don’t have an interactive board, you can use these CD-ROMS on your classroom computers or in your school’s computer lab.  There are programs suitable for all grades 1 through 6. You never thought you’d want to go back to the fourth grade, but with these great tools, learning has never been so much fun!  If  you are not familiar with the Interactive whiteboard here’s a very  basic 4-1-1 to get you in-the-know.

    

      The interactive, touch-enabled white board (i.e. SMART Board) has actually been around for almost twenty years, but in the past 5-7 years they have gained wide-spread popularity in classrooms. Today these boards are used by literally millions of students across the globe. An interactive whiteboard is basically a combination of a specially designed dry erase whiteboard and an LCD projector. It can be mounted on the wall just like a white board, or freestanding on a floor stand. The board is controlled by computer software, which turns the whiteboard into a jumbo computer screen easily viewed by an entire classroom. Combined with Lakeshore’s new learning software programs, kids can literally walk up to the board, touch the board and match rhyming words to pictures, move words into sentences, identify cause and effect, or ride a snowboard down a mountain!  Is that cool or what!

The Impact on Education

          Lots of research, both formal and informal, has been done on the effectiveness of these interactive boards. You have to determine exactly what you mean by “successful,” but most teachers using these boards agree that the boards themselves are really just a tool.  An incredibly powerful tool, without a doubt, but it’s the teacher using the board that makes the real difference.

     Heather Wolpert-Gawron, 7^th and 8^th grade Language Arts teacher and 2004 California Regional Teacher of the Year, stresses that both effective training in how to use the boards and effective teaching is critical.  In her article on “Technology Combined with Good Teaching Leads to Success,” Heather cites the studies done by educational researcher Robert Marzano  which show some pretty impressive results of student achievement scores when a trained teacher confidently incorporates technology, like the interactive boards, into their daily teaching arsenal of tools.

As with any new technological tool, there are plenty of opinions to go around.

 The PROS:

• Increases student motivation and involvement in the learning process
• Promotes student collaboration and problem-solving
• Notes and information written on the board during a lesson can be stored for future use records and documents student achievement
• Allows teachers to develop creative, multimedia lessons for easy access in the future
• Appeals to a wider range of students’ intelligences (visual, motor, social and digital)
• Allows teachers to create lessons and outlines for substitute teachers

 The CONS:

• The dry-erase markers (or the cleanser used on a whiteboard) can irritate the eyes, nose or throat of youngsters who are particularly sensitive to the chemical out-gassing
• The cost of the boards and projectors themselves, as well as the supplies needed for their effective classroom use, can be cost prohibitive for many schools.  Outside funding or non-profit groups are often needed to raise money to purchase these boards

 If you are one the fortunate teachers already using the interactive board, you’ll find these Lakeshore programs fun and engaging.  If your classroom has not yet been blessed with a board – these programs will surely re-energize your computer stations. Grab a 2011 Lakeshore Elementary Catalog and let me know what you think.  Teachers - Don't be surprised if you get parents hanging around a little more often to play these fun learning games right along with their child.

Bike Helmet Safety

Isaac is four years old and his Auntie had just given him his first bike for Christmas.  He was anxious to start practicing, but that would need to wait until a proper fitting helmet was covering his little noggin.  

Many reliable studies show that appropriate bicycle helmets worn by young children significantly reduce the risk of head injury in case of fall. There is no federal law in the United States that requires a child to wear bicycle helmets, but many individual states have passed laws to address this hazard. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) does regulate the performance requirements for bike helmets (16 CFR 1203), so when you choose a helmet for your youngster, you’ll want to be sure that it is labeled for compliance to this 16 CFR 1203 standard. Every bicycle helmet must come with instructions explaining how to assure a proper fit and how to wear it properly. The instructions should have a picture showing the correct way to wear the helmet. When in doubt, take your child and the helmet to the local bike shop and ask them to show you exactly how to adjust the helmet to best fit your child.  Proper Helmet Fit

Toddler Bike Helmets (for children under 5 years old) should include extended coverage, as specified by the 16 CFR1203 CPSC Bike Helmet Safety regulation.  Extended coverage is an extension of the thick foam inside the hard shell, that covers the ears and vulnerable back of neck of a toddler. Toddler Bike Helmets

While CPSC strongly urges the use of bike helmets, they also warn that children should NOT wear bike helmets when playing off the bike, particularly on playgrounds. Sadly, there have been strangulation deaths, injuries and child-related incidents involving bike helmets used on climbing playground equipment and trees.

It’s best to sit down with your young child and talk about why the helmet is important, and when it is important to take the helmet off.  Children as young as four years old can begin to understand this. Starting these safe riding habits early will help reduce the risk of injury later.