WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly 2 million Summer Infant video baby monitors were recalled Friday after being linked to the strangulation deaths of two infants.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission says the electrical cords on the monitors can be dangerous for babies if placed too close to their cribs.
According to the commission, a 10-month-old girl from Washington, D.C., died in March when she strangled on the cord of a Summer Infant monitor camera that had been placed on the top of the crib rail. In November, a 6-month-old boy from Conway, S.C., strangled in the electrical cord of a baby monitor placed on the changing table attached to his crib.
CPSC and Summer Infant are also aware of a 20-month-old boy from Pittsburgh who nearly strangled on a camera cord that was mounted to the wall in reach of the child.
Commission Chairman Inez Tenenbaum says cords and kids can be a deadly combination.
"I urge all parents and caregivers to put at least 3 feet between any video or audio baby monitor cords and a child in a crib," she said. "This simple step can save your child's life."
In all, about 1.7 million monitors — more than 40 different models of handheld, digital and color monitors — are being recalled by Summer Infant, based in Woonsocket, R.I.
The company is not offering to replace the products, but will offer new on-product warning labels and instructions about monitor placement.
The monitors were sold at major retailers nationwide between 2003 and 2011.
The commission first warned about the potential danger of monitor cords last October. Since 2004, seven children have strangled on baby monitor cords placed too close to a crib.
In addition to the recall linked to strangulations, Summer Infant also is recalling the rechargeable batteries in another 58,000 video monitors exclusively sold at Babies R Us in 2009 and 2010. The commission says the batteries sold with certain Slim and Secure Video Monitors can overheat, rupture and possibly burn people.
The company has received five reports of ruptured batteries, including three cases of property damage.
For more information on model numbers of recalled monitors, consumers can contact Summer Infant at 800-426-8627.
Source: Associated Press

The first year of life holds many challenges for infants and their parents as each day presents a new learning skill for both. Carolyn Vaughn, RD, LDN and Clinical Dietician at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital took time to provide her expertise. Here’s what she had to say.

“I like to equate learning to eat with learning a new sport such as snow skiing. Some people learn to ski within their first day of effort while others are on the bunny slopes for a week. This too is how it is with babies and advancing their diets. Some learn to eat with little effort; however, others take much more time and seem to fall down much more often. The goal is to have all children eating a wide variety of foods in a safe manner. To achieve this goal, consider the following recommendations.

The progression of the diet varies depending on whether a baby is breast or formula fed. Babies should breastfeed exclusively for the first 6 months (while taking 400 IU of supplemental vitamin D). This is due to the benefits of consuming the maximum amount of breastmilk during this time period.

Formula fed babies may begin advancing their diets between 4 to 6 months as developmentally appropriate. You can tell if your infant is ready to advance his diet if he has trunk stability and can sit with support, shows an interest in eating and is able to refuse the food offered. A good first food is rice cereal due to the fortification of iron. Add a little breastmilk or formula to the cereal and feed with a spoon adjusting the consistency as your infant learns to manage the textures. Babies do not need any water. As a matter of fact, too much water can lead to serious consequences such as failure to thrive, fussiness and seizures. Cereal should, however, never be added to the bottle due to the risk of excessive weight gain.

After learning to eat cereal, babies are tried on a variety of store bought or homemade baby foods. One new food should be added at a time waiting 4 days in between to make sure no allergies are present. Some recommend giving vegetables before fruits; however, babies will learn to eat both if both are offered consistently. Just remember, this is all new to your infant and like skiing some learn slower than others. It could take 10-12 exposures to a new food before a child will learn to like it. Babies do not need juice, but if you choose to give it, limit the amount to 2-4 ounces per day.

Starting at 8-9 months babies can begin taking meats, yogurts and cheese. Once starting solids, the increase in textures is entirely dependent on your baby’s abilities. Some babies advance more quickly than others. Each should be allowed and encouraged to explore new tastes and textures at their own rate. This can be done by putting a small amount of food on your baby’s lips. If he wants more, he will let you know by turning to the spoon and opening his mouth.

Don’t be discouraged if he refuses more, he might not be hungry or might just need to get used to the taste. Try again several times over the course of the next few days. Once your baby can begin feeding himself, give small pieces of foods that are too small to obstruct his airway but big enough for him to hold onto.

Gradually offer more and more variety eventually giving foods that you are eating. Babies enjoy using spoons, so give them a spoon even if they can’t use it on their own. Try getting behind them and holding your hand over theirs to help. Expect your baby to gag and throw up occasionally while learning to eat solid foods. This is normal. Like learning to ski, sometimes we fall down. As the parent, try not to express openly your concern. Just clean up the mess and give it another try.

Some parents ask about putting babies on a schedule to eat. Until babies are eating meals with the family, it is best to let his appetite determine when to eat and how much to eat. Babies know how much they are hungry for and should never be encouraged to finish a jar of food or a bottle of formula. This is one benefit to breastfeeding -  babies eat when hungry and stop when full. Parents learn to trust their baby’s appetites. Babies should also be fed in a high chair once they can sit up alone. Avoid all distractions and make mealtime a pleasant occasion.

Parents also ask about how to avoid allergies. New recommendations have been released addressing this issue. Formula feeding increases the incidence of developing allergies. Previously it was recommended to wait until at least 12 months before introducing common food allergens. However, this has changed. Delaying introduction of solids until after 6 months of age does not provide a protective effect and this includes potentially allergenic foods (eggs, peanut and fish). There is lack of data to support a protective effect of any dietary intervention in infants after 6 months of age for prevention of allergies.

After 12 months, whole milk can be offered instead of formula as long as the baby’s diet consists of at least 50% of solid foods and a wide variety. Babies are developmentally ready to advance to a cup starting around 6 months. Work on getting your baby off the bottle and on to a cup at this time. Remember that babies advance with this at different rates as well. Some will take several months to get on a cup and others will go straight to a cup. This is especially helpful for exclusively breastfed babies who do not take a bottle.

To sum it up, all babies are different and advance in acquiring eating skills at different rates. Follow your baby’s cues to determine how quickly to advance the diet. Before you know it, your baby will be eating a wide variety of foods with the family and loving it.”