Meijer Inc. Recalls Toddler Girl’s Hat and Mitten Sets Due to Choking Hazard

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Meijer Inc., of Grand Rapids, Mich., is voluntarily recalling about 100 Toddler Girl’s Hat and Mitten Sets. The magnets in the hat can detach and fall out, posing a choking and aspiration hazard to young children. Magnets found by young children can be swallowed or aspirated. If more than one magnet is swallowed, the magnets can attract each other and cause intestinal perforations or blockages, which can be fatal.

Major Apparel Retailer To Pay a $60,000 Civil Penalty For Failure To Report Drawstrings In Children’s Outerwear

Nordstrom Inc., of Seattle, Wash., has agreed to pay a $60,000 civil penalty. The penalty settles allegations that the firm knowingly failed to report to the CPSC immediately, as required by federal law, that its children’s hooded jackets and sweaters were sold with drawstrings at the hood and neck. These products, which the firm eventually recalled, pose a strangulation hazard that can cause death to children.

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For those of you “cool” enough (and by cool I mean unfortunate) to hang around some of the contributors for Parents Overnight, it’s probably very apparent that most of us are extremely sarcastic and borderline crazy at times. As if our children didn’t cause enough problems for us, I honestly feel that someday we act just as silly. So when someone mentioned that they read a few posts from Fiddledeedee and ended up laughing out loud - I felt that I needed to check it out.

And now that I have, let me be the first to tell you…it’s hilarious! Not because DeeDee is trying to be funny in the “stand-up” comedy sense, but because we so often forget that people (and kids) are just weird and not at their best all the time, and she seems to remind people of that with each one of her posts.

DeeDee has a very realistic, yet sarcastic outlook on the day to day happenings involving her, “Fiddledaddy” and her 3 kids. The best part is that by reading one post you automatically see that everything shes writing is being told exactly as she sees it - for better or for worse. Which adds a level of authenticity to her posts that I thought was great!

If you’re tired of reading stories of how “every child is a little angel” and how “children can do no wrong” then check out Fiddledeedee. It will give you a dose of reality and a few laughs in the process.

While we like to think of Parents Overnight as a complete resource for new and expectant parents, there is still no replacing the value of life experience. So when one the people here at PON bring up another blog and/or site that they find useful, humorous or simply just enjoy reading - we always take a look.

We came across the blog entitled SINCERELY ANNA, and everyone here immediately loved the open tone of the stories and posts being shared. I don’t want to give away the entire back story (you can go to the blog and read that for yourself) but the idea behind the site is Anna’s story of adopting two children, the process from start to finish and the day to day life of being a mom of two beautiful children.

One of the most compelling pieces on the site is the entry in which Anna describes how the birth parents chose them to be the new parents of their unborn baby. Truly a great entry!

The writing style is very open and honest, to the point where you feel as if you were to sit down and speak with Anna in person, the tone and emotion in her voice would be identical to that in each of her posts.

So, after you’ve read the FANTASTIC stuff here at Parents Overnight, hop on over to Sincerely Anna and check it out - it’s certainly found some new fans over here!

**UPDATE** How silly can we be? In all the excitement of reviewing this site we forgot to mention all of the great readers that visit and comment on Anna’s site. Which as far as I’m concerned only adds to the value of each post. (Sorry Jim, blame my forgetful nature on a teething baby and lack of sleep )

My son LOVES the water. We take advantage of summer the best way we can and take him to water parks and pools or just sit outside and play in the sprinkler. But his new favorite water sport is sitting in our backyard and (luckily for me) there’s no admission fee!

We ordered the “Lil’ Squirts Baby Pool” out of the One Step Ahead catalog, and our little boy has loved it from day one. Its essentially like any other baby pool, except that you hook it up to the hose and he can splash around and play with the various “sprayers” that shoot out a gentle spray of water that makes him laugh every time he catches it.

The only downside is that when it was cool outside, the water from the hose was too cold for him to enjoy - but I haven’t figured out a way to control the weather yet so I’ll have to make due.

+12 months (and up) | $19.95 (via One Step Ahead)

Image from One Step Ahead

As I was hanging around the house with my 2 year old little boy, we took the time to watch 123 It’s a Fruity ABC from Knowknowledge. This DVD aims to give kids an early lesson of the alphabet with fruits and vegetables as animated characters. Each lesson is based on synthetic phonics along with vivid colors and funny sounds/songs.

I’ve never really seen animated characters entirely put together using pieces of fruits and veggies, but my son certainly found it entertaining. And I would imagine that in addition to teaching kids the alphabet, the bright colors and fun shapes promote a healthy diet as well.

Overall, this is a really fun DVD for young children - It’s bright and colorful, and the unique style of characters made entirely from fruit and vegetables is truly fun to watch.

Approx. 40min | $29.99 (via Amazon.com)

I’m glad I started using these wipes and I’m never going back to anything else. My boy is glad too, I can tell by the look on his face when I use them on him. That, ‘you’re the best dad, these wipes are amazing!’ look.

First, they are way better for your child and the environment than standard baby wipes. I never imaged I would be helping the environment and making the world a safer place all while wiping my baby’s bum which by the way won’t suffer any skin irritations from these wipes. Don’t believe me? Below is some more information directly from the manufacturer:

Product Features:

• Natural baby wipes don’t contain synthetic ingredients
  that may irritate baby skin
• Chlorine-free whitening process eliminates chlorinated
  hydrocarbons from harming the environment
• Contains aloe vera, Vitamin E, and water for natural
  moisturization
• Contains no alcohol or fragrances
• Saves natural resources and makes the world a safer place

Other things I noticed about these wipes: They are smooth, very moist, and thick. So you actually can feel that these are quality wipes. There are refills available as well, since the plastic container is reusable. There is also a very convenient travel pack available for mommies and daddies on the go.

Visit www.seventhgeneration.com for more info and other Seventh Generation Products

…Summer night, white noise, thunderstorm, running stream…all music to my ears. This is just a summary of the great things the Conair SU7 has to offer. The Conair SU7 Sound Therapy Device was designed to help sooth and calm infants. How well does it work? Lets just say my son and I would be fighting over this one if he were bigger and stronger. For now, he had no choice but to share this awesomely relaxing machine with his dad.

For starters, the sound library is amazing. Everything sounds like they should with clarity I didn’t expect for only $19.99, watch out Bose. The Conair SU7 plays 10 soothing sounds. The sound options are summer night, white noise, thunderstorm, running stream, ocean waves, songbird, rainfall, tropical forest, waterfall and heartbeat. Heartbeat is my little boys favorite. This seems to relax him the most, gets him to sleep, and keeps him asleep. I’m assuming it’s because I tend to keep him close to “my heart” most of the time… *awwww*. Now remember, this is great for us parents too. I’m stuck between tropical forest and ocean waves at the moment.

I can honestly do without the clock radio built into the Conair SU7. It functions as a clock radio should but I felt it really wasn’t needed. Now if you’re looking for a sound therapy machine and you happen to need a clock, then I’m sure you’ll appreciate the clock radio more than I do. Regardless, this is a great sound machine that all parents and babies should experience, and fall asleep in the process.

I will leave you with a tip. Conair is selling the SU7 for $27.99 on their website. If you hop over to www.amazon.com, you can find it for $19.99.

Well, here is another great toy I wish I had when I was a kid. I remember I was given a broken telephone to play with. Good times. Anyway, Fisher Price has done it again. Fisher Price’s Laugh & Learn™ Learning Puppy™ comes with two modes of play, learning mode and music games. With music mode there are 10 fun songs for your baby to boogy to.

Learning Mode has six spots on the puppy that teaches your child body parts, ABC’s, and colors. My little one at the moment has learned chewing on the puppy’s ears can be very fun. Learning Mode uses fun songs and phrases to entertain, engage, and teach your little one.

When learning is over it’s time for fun and games. Game mode includes a counting song, color song, the alphabet song, and a body parts song. In addition there are six extra songs for continued enjoyment, boogying, and fun.

Get this toy for your child. It’s fun and you’ll enjoy watching your little one learn while enjoying delightful songs and games. Or you can enjoy watching your child chew on the ears.

**Things you should know:

• Manufacturer Recommended Age: 6 months - 3 years
• Batteries: 3 AA batteries required. (included)

**from amazon.com | Laugh & Learn™ Learning Puppy™