Baby Products - Find Answers To Your Baby's Health And Safety Issues

You should allow only safe baby products into your home, whether they are baby food products, baby toys, baby furniture or other types of baby equipment. Thankfully, when it comes to baby gear, product safety is constantly improving. Safety requirements have become more and more thorough, and new baby products from reputable manufacturers in the United States all adhere to these standards. There are reliable and constantly updated online sources of baby product recall information, meaning that you can double check that your purchase is safe for your baby to use.

Buy New Or Second Hand?

Equipping your home for the arrival of your infant can be expensive - that's why many parents are interested in buying second hand or discount baby cribs and baby strollers, among other things. Parents and families tend to pass old baby toys around among children as the older kids outgrow the toys and the younger ones grow into them.

While there's nothing wrong with using second hand baby products, bear in mind that you still need to know the history, for example, of a baby car seat or high chair. Safety guidelines for these two items in particular are renewed year upon year, so if you don't know who manufactured the product, or when, or whether or not it has been damaged and repaired, then you can't be 100% sure that it's up to standard.

Of course, it's obvious that the only way to ensure your baby products meet the most recent baby safety criteria is to buy them new and with a recognized product safety seal, from a reputable producer. Baby product manufacturers are keen to emphasize this point, but remember, in the end of the day they're trying to sell you something - and they may try to sell you more products than you need.

Baby Product Recall Information

There are many online forums and parenting blogs providing details of the latest safety recalls of baby products. Official sources of the same information include the sites of:

The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JMPA) - provides advice and basic baby safety information for parents and baby product retailers. JMPA has all the latest recall updates, even when there's been only a "call" for a recall (i.e. the product is thought not to be safe but the recall hasn't been made official yet).

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) - has a section on recalls of baby and children's products. Recent recalls include certain brands of children's toys, jewelry, baby pacifiers and baby cribs.

Information about baby car seat recalls can be found on the website of the Office of Defects Investigation, in cooperation with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Products To Keep Baby Safe

Baby monitors

Baby monitors help you make sure your baby is safe even while she's sleeping in another room. Also known as baby alarms, these are basically radio devices that let you listen to the noises your baby is making. Some baby monitors even have color screens (small or large) to let you actually see your baby. Baby monitors can be particularly useful if you live in a large house and you worry that you may not hear your baby when she is distressed.

A basic baby monitor comes in two parts. The transmitter is left near your baby in her room and you take the receiver with you around the house. Some baby monitors only let you hear your baby, but there are others that allow you to talk back to your baby and comfort her. Some even let you play music for her.

Baby monitors vary in price greatly depending on how state-of-the-art you want to go. Read a few online reviews before making a purchase - there are quite a few complaints from parents about certain monitors experiencing static interference from other electronic equipment in the house.

Using a baby monitor reassures many parents, although there's no proof as of yet that monitors help prevent baby accidents or rare tragedies such as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

Baby Thermometers

When your baby has a high temperature, this is your first indication that something is wrong and that you may need to see your pediatrician. Anything over 100.4º F is considered a problem - but you should always double check with your doctor if your baby has symptoms of illness and you're not sure how serious it is.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends digital rectal thermometers for infants under the age of three. Do not use a traditional mercury thermometer - if you have one of these in your home ask your doctor how to dispose of it safely. You can buy digital a baby thermometer online and have it delivered to your home.