Children's products are frequently recalled. Did you know that Reese's Purpose publishes an easy to use Monthly Recall Digest. Reese's Purpose is an organization whose goal is to advocate to protect children form hidden dangers and threats to their safety. Visit their website at https://www.reesespurpose.org/prodcut-recall-notices-digest The latest digest in English and Spanish is available below.

It’s Super Bowl Week! Lots of American buy TVs to watch the big game. Sometimes the old television ends up in a bedroom. There is one step in these purchases and moves that many families miss – anchoring the television. According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, 11,300 are treated in a hospital emergency room each year due to TV, furniture and appliance tip-overs. Some children don’t survive these tip-over incidents and 77% of fatalities involved children under 6

I try to keep things out of the landfill as much as possible so I love to give thoughtful and practical gifts. I tend to fill my family's stocking with a few surprises but mostly extremely practical things like toothbrushes,lotion, socks, etc. Your family's safety is important so I thought I would share a few simple ideas for safety-related stocking stuffers and gifts. Stocking stuffers Smoke detector with 10-year battery (new law in IL requires all homes to have them) Carbon

Azucena Lopez is a Master of Public Health candidate at Northwestern University in the Community Health Research concentration. She is a Chicago native passionate about creating safe and healthy neighborhoods through conducting and applying public health research. Children and Guns “Is there an unlocked gun in your house?” Asking [SK1] about guns and safe storage can keep your child alive. Too often children gain access to a loaded firearm and tragically shoot themselves o

You may have seen the major recall for the MamaRoo Baby Swing and RockaRoo Baby Rockers sold by 4moms. About two million units were recalled after a death of a toddler that got entangled in a strap that formed a closed loop below the seat. We’ve seen a lot of questions on social media, so here are a few answers. What’s being recalled? About two million MamaRoo swings and 220,000 RockaRoo rockers sold in the U.S. are being recalled. The recall includes the MamaRoo models that

According to the American Association for Poison Control Centers, children younger than six make up approximately half of all exposure cases that are reported to poison centers. Ordinary household items can pose serious poisoning threats to children. This week is National Poison Prevention Week . Read on for ways to protect children: Laundry Packets : Colorful laundry packets may be attractive to young kids. Store these in their original packaging out of sight and reach of c

Dear Parent, Thank you for taking care of me and thank you for trying to protect me but I must ask you a favor... please avoid having a gun in the house where I am using all my senses to discover everything around me, and if you decide that my safety entails you buying one, please read the following numbers: · In 2019, there were 171 deaths related to firearms in the age group 0-19 years old in the state of Illinois. · In the age group 0-14 years old there were 17 deaths in

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning: Prevention, Politics, and Policy Andy Rapoport is a student in the Masters of Public Health (MPH) program at Northwestern University, pursuing a concentration in Community Health Research. Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, there were several times that our house fire alarm by the kitchen began to beep; thankfully, it was a mere nuisance, due to smoke from cooking, and not from an actual fire. With my grandfather and uncle as former firefighters,

Want to make your home safer for your family in the New Year? Here are a few simple steps. They don't take a lot of time to do and you'll feel a sense of accomplishment when you complete them. 1) Subscribe to product recall alerts. Products are recalled all the time. In the last week, swimsuits, infant rompers, candle holders and ceiling fans were recalled. I would venture to say that you may not have heard about any of them. The fact is that very few recalled products ac

We're still in COVID times and families are home together more than ever. Recently, poison centers are reporting increased calls about unintentional marijuana edible poisonings in young children. The fact is that even though we have laws in Illinois about the shapes of edibles, to curious kids, they look a lot like regular treats. Edibles also contain high concentrations of THC which can be quite dangerous to kids. Parents - please keep you marijuana edibles up high and out

It's National Poison Prevention Week. Here's a story from my family. It was the evening of the 4th of July several years ago and I was at a fireworks display with my family. I looked over at my young son and his whole mouth was glowing in the dark. He had bitten his glow stick. I panicked for a second because it looked so awful - how could something like that NOT be toxic? Then I remembered I had a number in my cell phone contacts that I could call for help. 1-800-222-1222

The Holiday Season is upon us and it's time to deck the halls. With the Holidays come lots of decorations. If you have a young child at home, follow these simple tips for decorating safely. - Make sure to keep small ornaments or other small decorations that may be choking hazards up high and out of reach of young children. -Button batteries found in toys, flameless candles and many other items are very dangerous if swallowed. Make sure these batteries are secured . -Do you k

If you’re thinking about decluttering your home to get it ready for the holidays, here are a few child safety tips to keep in mind: If you donate or sell any used children’s products, crosscheck with the CPSC website and SaferProducts.gov for any recalled or reported products. It’s illegal to sell recalled products. Car seats and helmets are unsafe to purchase second-hand because of the possibility that they have been in an accident rendering them unsafe for further use. I

Question - What's colorless and odorless but definitely not harmless? Answer - Carbon Monoxide (CO). It's that time of year in Chicago when we are all turning on our boilers and furnaces. Once we've turned them on, it's time to make sure we also have working CO detectors in our home, especially near all sleeping areas. Carbon monoxide is created when fossil fuels (like natural gas) are burned. Since we can't see it, taste it or smell it. it's critical to have working CO detec