A Sneak Peak at ABC Expo Coolness…Origami Electronic Stroller!

I’m about to leave on a week vacation so it will be a little while before I get up all my posts about all the great new stuff coming out in the baby world, but I wanted to share a sneak peak of a CRAZY new idea in strollers…an electronic folding stroller!

This stroller, The Origami, is made by 4Moms, the same group of women that designed the now popular Mamaroo -- the coolest baby bouncer/swing on the market.  I have to say that at first I thought “are we really too lazy to fold a stroller ourselves??  I mean I know it can be a pain, especially with multiple children, and sometimes those strollers are back breaking, but do we really need to waste batteries to fold our own strollers?  But THEN I learned the facts about this stroller.  It is powered by motion!  No batteries, no charging, just push your stroller around and while the stroller is in motion it CHARGES ITSELF!  Pretty cool.  Okay, maybe it’s alright to be lazy every now and then.

The Origami also comes with this cool tiny computer at the handle bars that shows you the temperature outside, and among other things you can also plug your ipod into it.  This is definitely the stroller for the 21st century!

Graco Stroller Recall

Graco Recalls Quattro™ and MetroLite™ Strollers Due to Risk of Entrapment and Strangulation
Four Infant Strangulation Deaths Reported

from CPSC

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), in cooperation with Graco Children’s Products Inc., of Atlanta, Ga., is announcing the recall of about 2 million Graco strollers due to risk of entrapment and strangulation. CPSC and Graco have received four reports of infant strangulations that occurred in these strollers between 2003 and 2005. In addition, CPSC is aware of five reports of infants becoming entrapped, resulting in cuts and bruises, and one report of an infant having difficulty breathing.

Entrapment and strangulation can occur, especially to infants younger than 12 months of age, when a child is not harnessed. An infant can pass through the opening between the stroller tray and seat bottom, but his/her head and neck can become entrapped by the tray. Infants who become entrapped at the neck are at risk of strangulation.

The recall involves older versions of the Graco Quattro Tour™ and MetroLite™ strollers and travel systems manufactured prior to the existence of the January 2008 voluntary industry standard which addresses the height of the opening between the stroller’s tray and the seat bottom. This voluntary standard requires larger stroller openings that prevent infant entrapment and strangulation hazards.

This recall involves Graco Quattro Tour™ strollers and travel systems manufactured prior to November 2006 and MetroLite™ strollers and travel systems manufactured prior to July 2007. The strollers and travel systems were distributed between November 2000 and December 2007. The model numbers are printed on a label at the lower portion of the rear frame, just above the rear wheels or underneath the stroller. The name “Graco” appears on a label on the stroller tray and the headrest. Models included in the recall are:

Quattro Stroller
$100-$190
Distributed Between
Nov 2002 – Dec 2007
Quattro Stroller Travel System
$200-$250
Distributed Between
Oct 2002 – Oct 2007
MetroLite Stroller
$90-$190
Distributed Between
Nov 2000 – Dec 2007
MetroLite Travel System
$190-$250
Distributed Between
Dec 2000 – June 2005
35735
35759
7111ASB
7111BKW
7111CLN
7111CUN
7111DIA
7111HEA
7111HIG
7111LAG
7111KSH
7112CNP
7112MTR
7113CJR
7113CMR
7113COT
7119GGG
7119WSR
7121MAY
7125QST
7126RNS
7127LEG
7132RXY
7134SMB
7138RNS
35760
7411ATR
7411BGN
7411BGN2
7411BLB
7411KBK
7411KBK2
7411LV
7411MCH
7411MCH2
7411MLY
7411MLY2
7419LIM
7419LIM2
7419OWD2
7B00BDA
7B00DRB
7B00KAS
7B01MNS
7B03CST2
7B03LTC2
7B03TFE2
1104
1240
6110DW
6110F3
6110S7
6110TS7
6111FKB
6111VIN
6113SCR
6114HAV
6114JAM
6114LAG
6114NGS
6116NRF
6120SHL
6121CJG
6121CNP
6121GGG
6121MTR
6123EME
6124LRD
6125SMB
6J01DAI
6J01HRL
6J03RIT
6J04JEN
6J05MIN
1070
7000KSB
7308DEL
7308DEL2
7308DEL4
7308TYR
7308TYR2
7406PLT
7408MRT
7409GRG
7410CON
7413CML
7413MRN
C7413CML

NOTE: Quattro and MetroLite strollers ending with the number 3 are NOT affected by this recall.
The strollers were sold at AAFES, Babies R Us, Burlington Coat Factory, Fred Meyer, Kmart, Meijers, Navy Exchange, Sears, Target, Walmart and other stores nationwide between November 2000 and December 2007 for between $90 and $190 for the strollers, and between $190 and $250 for travel systems.
The strollers were manufactured in China.

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled strollers and contact Graco for a free repair kit. To order a repair kit, contact Graco toll-free at (877) 828-4046 anytime, or visit the firm’s website at www.gracobaby.com. Consumers can continue use of the stroller as a “travel system.” When the stroller is used with the infant car seat, the entrapment and strangulation hazards posed by the space gap are not present.

For additional information, consumers can contact Graco at (800) 345-4109 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday.

NOTE:: When using a stroller, parents and caregivers are encouraged to always secure children by using the safety harness and never leave them unattended. To learn more about the importance of stroller safety, download CPSC’s safety alert: www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PUBS/5096.pdf


Quattro™ Stroller

MetroLite ™ Stroller

50 Best Blogs for Baby Planning

Check out this great resource for the 50 best baby blogs (many of them eco-friendly)…Little Miracles Baby Planning Blog tops the list! :)

There are some fabulous blogs on this list so be sure to check them all out!

Some of my favorite people from ABC Kids Expo

A brilliant nationally known pediatrician, author, and all-around hero of mine, Dr. Alan Greene!



Another great nationally recognized pediatrician and author, Dr. Harvey Karp!



Dr. Karp spoke of his five step process to soothe a crying baby and he not only showed us a video of him in action, he did his magic on a crying baby in the crowd and it was very impressive!  Here’s a short video clip:

Actress Tiffany Thiessen (Saved By the Bell, 90210, etc) and Lonni Paul (winner of Design Star on HGTV) who started their own line of gorgeous baby furniture and bedding, PetitNest.  Tiffany threw an awesome red carpet party to celebrate the launch of her line!

RECALL ALERT: Bathtub Toys Recalled by Munchkin Due to Risk of Injury

from CPSC



WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.

Name of Product: Bathtub Subs

Units: About 34,000 units

Importer: Munchkin Inc, of North Hills, Calif.

Hazard: The intake valve on the bottom of the submarine toy can suck up loose skin, posing laceration hazard to children.

Incidents/Injuries: CPSC and the company are aware of 19 incidents of lacerations to boys' genital area. One of the incidents required medical attention.

Description: This recall involves battery-operated bathtub submarine toys. The toy is yellow, has a smiling face, turquoise windows, an orange propeller and an orange periscope that turns the toy on and off. The intake valve has a water pump that sucks in water to propel the submarine. The toy is intended for use by children during bath time.

Sold at: Mass merchandise retail stores nationwide and children's stores nationwide from November 2009 through September 2010 for about $7.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should immediately take the recalled toy away from children and contact Munchkin for instructions on how to return the product for a free replacement toy.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Munchkin at (877) 242-3134 anytime or visit the company's website at http://www.munchkin.com/

Canada Officially Declares BPA Toxic

from A Soft Landing



Canada just became the first country to declare bisphenol A (BPA) to be a toxic chemical that poses risks to health and the environment. The official notice states:

Therefore, it was concluded that bisphenol A should be considered as a substance that may be entering the environment in a quantity or concentration or under conditions that constitute or may constitute a danger in Canada to human life or health.

The announcement came shortly after the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) dismissed concerns of neurological, developmental and behavioral effects raised recently in scientific studies.  The decision was also made despite serious opposition from the American Chemistry Council, who insists that the move went against the weight of scientific evidence and will cause unnecessary alarm.

I have to agree with Rick Smith, the executive director of Environmental Defence and co-author of Slow Death by Rubber Duck, who told the New York Times that he hoped that the government would ban BPA from infant formula can linings. Polycarbonate baby bottles used to be our greatest concern, but a hearty grassroots movement against BPA in baby bottles caused most manufacturers to drop the endocrine-disrupting chemical some time ago. The next most concerning exposure for developing babies comes in liquid formula sold in metal cans.

So is the U.S. next?  At this point I honestly don’t foresee a BPA ban happening here anytime soon, so choosing the right formula is important. SafeMama did a lot of the homework for parents in her Infant Formula Cheat Sheet, taking into account other chemical additives in addition to BPA.

ABC Kids Expo 2010

Wow, so much new and exciting stuff coming out in 2011 for babies and moms!  I just got back from a week in Vegas visiting with hundreds of vendors in the baby industry and learning about their products.  I look forward to posting about some exciting new ideas and even some revamps on old ones.  Stay tuned!