Shopping for an incoming baby is an exciting time, especially given the million and one choices available out there. Every expectant parent has a boatload of safety concerns about the equipment, toys, and foods that can be bought for a baby, but the general consensus is that if they're sold at a reputable store, then they must be safe.
That simply isn't true. The products of well-known manufacturers rely on their reputation to sell baby goods and parents believe that they're buying a quality product as a result. However, there have been many concerns about the safety of some baby products, and some tragic stories tell of baby injuries caused by unsafe products.
Certain countries take these safety issues very seriously, and it has been compelled to ban certain items in recent years.
The power of campaigners may lead to some others being banned in the near future. As governments around the world discover new dangers in everyday products, it may be that more baby products will be illegal in time.
The problem with some of these products is that they can still be found in circulation, either online or at yard sales. Just to be on the safe side, we suggest you familiarize yourself with all of these products, especially the ones that aren't outlawed yet but are on the watch list.
20. JOHNSON & JOHNSON PRODUCTS
Johnson & Johnson is well-known around the world for providing baby products that were believed to be top quality and completely safe. However, the company has recently admitted that some of its products could contain cancer-causing chemicals.
For instance, formaldehyde, used as a preservative, was found in Johnson & Johnson’s baby shampoo. The chemical was found in around 100 of its products and the company agreed to remove it from all its products. However, rats exposed to formaldehyde developed more incidences of nasal cancer according to Dawn.com.
Another chemical that was found in the shampoo was ether 1,3 dioxane. The US Protection Agency describes it as a carcinogen. It has been found to cause liver damage and kidneys, as well as respiratory problems, vertigo, and headaches.
19. SOME BABY CEREALS
Some baby rice cereals have been found to have dangerous levels of toxins in them, including arsenic. When tested, a high percentage of rice crackers, rice cereal, and other baby cereals were found to have dangerous levels of arsenic in them.
The poison can stunt immunity and development in children and even cause cancer as arsenic is carcinogenic. Other health concerns about arsenic include heart disease and diabetes. A ban on such levels has been imposed, although as the researchers found, unacceptable levels are still being found in products on the shelves according to Science Daily.
Arsenic has been found in many top name brands and even products that cater to gluten-free diets. One sample of rice cereal contained more than one and a half times the recommended arsenic level for an adult per day.
18. DROPSIDE CRIBS
Drop-side cribs were banned in the US in 2011 after major safety concerns and even some baby fatalities occurred. They were banned from being manufactured, sold as well as used in any hotels or daycare facilities. Even selling them at a garage sale or on an auction site like eBay is forbidden.
If you already have a drop-side crib at home, you should either dispose of it or fix an immobilizer to the crib to prevent the drop-side mechanism from working, according to Very Well Family. This can render it safe to use and therefore legal.
The recommendations around cribs and all manner of baby sleep items had to be put through the most rigorous safety regulations after 32 babies were fatally injured because of drop-side cribs since 2000.
17. SLEEP POSITIONERS
Retailers have stopped selling various types of sleep positioners for babies after some babies had died using them. They were designed to keep a baby in one spot during sleep to help them feel more secure and possibly to help with reflux issues.
After some babies rolled during their sleep and suffocated in the positioners, retailers immediately withdrew them from sale due to the safety concerns. However, the recommendation that babies should be put to sleep on their backs is still enforced according to The Guardian.
Parents of young babies are desperate to get their babies to sleep, and it is understandable that they would have tried a product that offered a solution to this age-old problem.
16. BABY WALKERS
Baby walkers are another baby item that has been considered too dangerous for babies to use. There were instances of babies falling from a height or down some stairs, and of reaching for dangerous items while in the baby walkers. Babies should always be supervised when in a walker.
While left unattended, babies have been known to pull hot drinks on themselves and reaching other items that have harmed them.
Data received from hospitals shocked manufacturers and safety experts into withdrawing the items from sale, due to the high level of injuries that were caused by babies that were in the walkers. Not only were there health concerns relating to safety, but Huffington Post reports that babies’ physical development can be hindered by being put in the walkers.
15. FOREIGN CAR SEATS
There has been a major overhaul in the safety regulations imposed on baby car seats in the last decades. The United States has imposed heavy restrictions on what car seats can be sold after implementing its own legislation, to ensure the maximum safety of all children
For example, the major Recaro seat was recalled in 2014 because of safety issues. The ProSport model 385 was found to have insufficient child restraints and nearly 40,000 seats went back to the manufacturers.
Any car seat made outside the United States must conform to these standards, and many car seats that were available to buy in America are now banned. The safety issues concerning the fastenings on the seat are the primary concern. Any seat that has been involved in a crash is not legal for use as it may have been damaged in the incident.
14. TOYS CONTAINING PHTHALATES
In 2017, CNN reported that the US government was banning more products containing phthalates as they can be damaging to our health. The recommendations particularly related to children’s toys as there appears to be evidence that the phthalates can be most dangerous for children. Apparently, they can contribute to many health issues including asthma, cancer, heart problems, and obesity.
Phthalates are chemicals that are put in plastic products to make them more flexible, such as a rubber duck that bends when squashed. This legislation updates restrictions put in place to restrict the use of phthalates in some products put in place in 2013. The earlier restrictions focused on certain phthalates that were used mainly on toys that might be put in a child’s mouth. These include teething rings and soft children’s books.
13. BPA IN BABY BOTTLES
BPA (or Bisphenol A) is a toxic chemical that has been present in many household products for many years. It is used in the lining of cans and in packaging made of plastic. The FDA in America slowly started to ban products that contained BPA, particularly those that were used by children.
This was accomplished with the Ban Poisonous Additives Act of 2016. The chemical found in food packaging was associated with higher risks of cancer, hyperactivity, mental health issues, diabetes, and Popsci reported that it could also lead to birth defects.
Parents had been particularly concerned that the toxin was present in the packaging for infant formula milk, sippy cups, and baby’s bottles. BPS was found in baby food containers and another food packaging that children could be exposed to.
12. SELLING CERTAIN SECOND-HAND BABY PRODUCTS
Many of us like to get rid of our baby items after we’ve finished with them, and we pass them onto friends or relatives, recycle them on Internet sites, or sell them at a yard sale.
However, if you bought items that were made before certain laws came into place, then they may be banned and therefore illegal to sell.
Some products that are outlawed by recent legislation are also banned for sale. Today’s Parents says that if you sell a banned item at a yard sale and it ends up causing damage to them or their child, you could be liable for fines or even jail.
11. SOME FLOAT AIDS
Float aids are a great way to introduce your baby to swimming before they can support themselves in the water. However, the so-called ‘baby spa’ suspends the baby with the float around its neck.
Not only are there obvious risks of drowning or submerging with these float aids, but there are also concerns that suspending the baby vertically like this can cause damage to the baby’s spine, and ultimately their brains. Critics say that it is not necessarily a pleasurable or beneficial activity for a tiny baby to be engaged in, reports STA News.
Even more commonly used float aids should always be used under supervision. They should never be assumed to protect against drowning.
10. AND EVEN CERTAIN CHANGING TABLES
Some changing tables have been deemed dangerous for children if they do not have four sides or a harness attached to prevent falling. Numerous injuries were reported due to babies and infants falling from changing tables that didn’t have four sides. Some of the tables were found to be structurally unsound, and some had straps that had caused strangulation.
In 2009 there were nearly 5000 admissions to the emergency department from babies falling from changing tables. New changing tables must comply with the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). This recommends the table hold the correct maximum weight and are free from any chemicals in the mat that might be dangerous.
It must be free from any small or sharp parts that could be a choking or hazard risk and that there is minimal risk of the child catching its fingers in the table, according to Allied Baby Stations.
9. SOME BATH SEATS
Bath seats are a convenient way of keeping a baby secure while in the bath. However, there have been reports of babies drowning while in certain bath seats after the child was left unattended.
The seats that caused concern were plastic rings with suction pads attached to the bottom of the bath. However, babies could get unstuck, topple over and drown.
It was emphasized that parents should never leave their child unattended in the bath and that bath seats were an aid, not a safety device. Eventually, the Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled certain bath seats due to the drowning risk.
8. CERTAIN HIGH CHAIRS
Obviously, parents should always be present when a child is in a high chair. The safety harness should always be used, and a child should never be allowed to stand up in the chair and it should always be placed safely so it can’t fall over. It is also important not to place it too close to anything the child could reach and harm themselves with.
High chairs in the US are required to have a safety harness incorporated in the design to be legally sold. When you are buying a high chair it is important to check that it has the correct safety labels and warnings attached. This will ensure that the chair manufacturers have complied with voluntary regulations to ensure the safety standards have been adhered to.
7. CERTAIN IMPORTED GOODS
In 2015, Barack Obama finally passed a law that banned the sale of products in the US that were made by slave labor. Until this law was passed, there had been a loophole in legislation that allowed the import of these products if there was enough demand for them by consumers and they could not be obtained in any other way.
The products that have been affected by the ban include cotton, seafood, and cocoa. According to ArnoldPorter, forced labor is defined as the employment of someone who faces a penalty if they do not work, or if they have no choice in taking employment.
6. CRIB BUMPERS OUTLAWED IN OHIO
Last year a law passed by the Ohio legislature went into effect that banned crib bumpers. The ban was based on the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics that stated that it is best for babies to sleep on their backs in a crib that is bare of blankets, stuffed animals and bumper pads due to the hazard they cause of strangulation, suffocation or entrapment.
The ban in Ohio follows similar bans that were passed in Maryland, Chicago, and Watchung, New Jersey. Many child safety advocates would like to see the ban become nationwide, including Kids Fighting for Product Safety.
5. ON THE WATCH: TALCUM POWDER
Although talc is a naturally occurring compound of minerals, when used for feminine hygiene purposes, there have been links to a rise in ovarian cancer. However, thus far the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not concluded a link between talcum powder and ovarian cancer that is strong enough to facilitate its ban.
Cancer Research UK declares that the risk of ovarian cancer is increased by 33 percent as a result of the use of talcum powder.
Some batches of Johnson & Johnson baby powder were found to contain ethylene oxide. This is a product that is used for sterilization purposes and licenses were suspended when retailers found out about the contamination. Ethylene oxide has been cited as a carcinogen.
4. ON THE WATCH: SOME BABY WIPES
The UK government has already expressed it is considering banning wet wipes as they are not biodegradable and clog up sewers and threaten marine life. The UK government wants to ban them within the next 25 years, suggesting parents use tissues instead.
The problem with the wipes is that they contain non-biodegradable plastics such as polyester and other synthetic fibers.
Apparently, wet wipes cause 90 percent of sewer blockages. This comes from people flushing wet wipes down the toilet instead of disposing of them in the trash. Warnings are placed on the packaging, but evidently many parents ignore that.
3. ON THE WATCH: FLAME RETARDANT CHEMICALS
We are used to having flame retardant labels on many of the items in our homes. They seem like a great safety feature, which prevents sofas, clothes and other items from immediately bursting into flames. However, there has been concern raised about the chemicals that provide flame resistance.
These chemicals can leak into the atmosphere causing toxicity in the air. They also leach into our bodies. They connect with fat and get embedded in fatty tissue. Samples taken have shown abnormal levels of toxic flame retardants in the body. These toxins can cause fertility products, developmental problems in babies and endocrine instability.
The chemicals in question are organohalogen flame retardants, which have a negative impact on the human body, including the risk of cancer and neurological impacts.
2. ON THE WATCH: BABY MONITORS
Some baby monitors can emit dangerous radiation. The World Health Organization has recommended that radiation from monitors can be carcinogenic, and can cause problems with reproduction and chronic tiredness. Some scientists in Australia believe that the radiation has links to autism and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. The rise of autism diagnosis has increased dramatically in the last two decades.
There have been other concerns linked to baby monitors, with police warning that there is the risk of hacking in unsecured monitors. Some parents have reported coming into their baby’s room and hearing voices talking through their monitor. Dr. Magda Havas, Ph.D., of Trent University, recommends voice-activated monitors as they only emit radiation only when the baby makes noise.
1. FOOD & DRINK WITH CERTAIN DYES & CHEMICALS
Many food additives are included in all types of foods, these include flavorings, colors and preservatives, and some countries have banned these and use natural dyes and colorings instead. Perchlorate, which reduces static in packaging, seems to have a negative impact on health in much smaller quantities than previously thought, and this has increased campaigners’ insistence on a ban.
Environmentalists pointed out the risks to brain development in babies and the risk to a fetus in a pregnant mother developing problems after ingesting the substance but as reported by EcoWatch, so far the FDA has not passed a ban on the substance in the packaging of baby food.
Credit @ https://www.babygaga.com
Photo by Travis Grossen on Unsplash
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