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Posts Tagged ‘crib mattresses’

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Have Your Baby or Child Items Been Recalled for Safety Reasons?

Sunday, January 31st, 2010


Find out about Consumer Product Safety Commission recalls on infant and child products

Find out about Consumer Product Safety Commission recalls on infant and child products

The Babies”R”Us second Great Trade-In Event, the first was in August/September 2009, gives parents the opportunity to get a 25% discount on replacing several types of baby items – cribs, car seats, bassinets, strollers, travel systems, playards, toddler beds or high chairs – that may no longer be safe for your child.

You just take your products into your local Babies”R”Us or Toys”R”Us store and purchase new ones from participating manufacturers at the discounted price. Your products don’t have to have been recalled, and you don’t have to provide proof that your product is faulty.

However, there are probably millions of parents out there who are unaware of the fact that items they’re using may have been recalled.

How can you find out if a baby or child’s product you’re using is potentially dangerous? The Consumer Product Safety Commission has a comprehensive list of infant and child product recalls that provides all the details of each recall, including what to do about replacing the faulty items or parts.

Unfortunately, crib mattresses are not included in the types of items that can be traded in, but if you’re looking for information on what makes a crib mattress safe, you can find it on our site.

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Take Advantage of Babies”R”Us Great Trade-In Event to Protect Your Children

Friday, January 29th, 2010


Babies"R"Us Great Trade-In Event - Be Safe and Save

Babies"R"Us Great Trade-In Event - Be Safe and Save

Today marks the first day of Babies”R”Us The Great Trade-In event. You can return as many qualifying items as you want and replace them with new items from participating manufacturers or brands. This gives consumers a break on replacing recalled items or older and used baby items that are “potentially unsafe for a variety of reasons, including damage or lack of compliance with recent advances in product safety standards.”

We contacted Babies”R”Us to find out if the event includes crib mattresses – there has never been a recall on waterproof crib mattresses containing phthalates, for example. Unfortunately, crib mattresses are not on the list: a sure sign that awareness of unsafe chemicals and consumer demand for safer materials needs a boost.

That said, the safety issues regarding the trade-in are vital to resolve. The majority of recalls were for things like crib sides that could fall off because they aren’t properly secured, platforms for mattress that don’t allow the mattress to be lowered to the necessary extent (the baby could fall out of the crib), car seats with bases that ‘fail’ if there’s a collision so the baby isn’t protected, strollers with failing brakes or that kids can easily fall out of, or that amputate fingertips.

So, while you generally don’t have the opportunity to return items that contain potentially hazardous or toxic materials, you do have the opportunity to return a long list of items – cribs, car seats, bassinets, strollers, travel systems, play yards, toddler beds or high chairs – even those that haven’t been recalled, and get new ones at a 25% discount. Any parent concerned about the safety of their children will want to take advantage of this deal.

It’s much easier than replacing faulty parts or waiting for a recalled item to be replaced by the manufacturer (it obviously can’t be used while it’s being fixed). And it’s much safer than continuing to use an older product that may be damaged or not meet current safety standards.

To find out about participating manufacturers and other details, check out The Great Trade-In Event. It ends on February 20th – so don’t delay.

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Does Your Baby’s Crib Mattress Have Dust-mites?

Friday, January 22nd, 2010

High levels of dust-mite allergens are present in 50% of American homes – they cause several health problems, and they love to hide in your mattresses.

dustmites2A recent article in the Wall Street Journal, Does Mattress Cleaning Treat Dust-Mite Allergies?, prompted this blog post about dust-mites. They really are a big problem – at least half the homes in America contain enough dust-mite allergens to cause health problems. How do you get rid of those allergens? The answer to the question in the headline “Does Mattress Cleaning Treat Dust-mite Allergies” appears to be ‘no.’ And I’ll explain why. But, first, a little info about dust-mites.

Dust-mites are microscopic arachnids (same family as spiders) that live in dust. They hide in dark places like upholstered furniture, dust bunnies under couches and beds, in blankets, sheets, stuffed toys, mattresses – even your baby’s crib mattress.

Although they do bite, they generally they feed off dead skin cells and hair. However, their waste is usually the source of allergic reactions. In fact, up to 30% of people in the U.S. are allergic to this waste and even those who are not allergic can develop a sensitivity if there’s enough of the allergen in the environment. A recent study conducted by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences found that half the homes in the U.S. have enough of these allergens to trigger a sensitivity – which can have the same symptoms as an actual allergy.

What are the symptoms?

  • Asthma
  • Hay fever
  • Eczema
  • Itchy, watery eyes
  • Persistent stuffy nose or ears
  • Repeated sneezing upon awakening
  • Sneezing
  • Runny nose

Generally, the symptoms are worse at night and when you first wake up. And they improve when you’re out of the house.

There are various services available that clean mattresses to remove dust-mites. It costs about $50 for a twin mattress, more for larger sizes. One such service (using ultraviolet light) was tested and found to reduce the mites by 98%.

That statistic sounds good, but it’s only one test and, worse, the mites build up to their previous levels within a month, according to Peyton Eggleston, a pediatric allergist and professor emeritus at Johns Hopkins Children’s Hospital in Baltimore. At that rate, the average household (cleaning all their mattresses) would have to spend about $150 to $200 a month to get their mattresses cleaned – which is hard to fit into the average budget.

So, what are your other alternatives? For your baby, get a Naturepedic crib mattress with a waterproof covering made with food-grade polyethylene. Dust-mites cannot penetrate this covering, so all you have to do is wipe down the surface.

For your own mattresses, and for bigger kids, get an organic waterproof mattress pad or airflow sheet. These will provide dust-mite protection for the top of the mattress which is where the majority of the problem lies.

There’s nothing worse than sick kids – especially babies. Their under-developed immune systems need all the help they can get. Handle the dust-mite problem, and that will be one less thing you have to worry about.

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New Study Links Phthalates to ADHD – One More Reason to Use Organic Crib Mattresses

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010


cdc_logoIt is troubling to see how many children are suffering from ‘learning disorders.’ Parents are tearing their hair out trying to find solutions, and often resort to putting their kids on drugs when they see no other solution. However, a new study linking ADHD to the chemical plasticizers ‘phthalates’ may offer some hope.

The study, published in the journal Biological Psychiatry, found that the higher the concentration of phthalates in the urine, the more apt the children were to have ADHD symptoms. The researchers also found “significant relationships” between urine concentrations and errors in continuous performance tests (CPTs), which measure the child’s sustained and selective attention – the ability to focus on the right things at the right times – and impulsivity. CPT is used to support an ADHD diagnosis.

So, where are these phthalates coming from?

According to other studies, it starts in the womb: phthalates in mom’s body transfer to the child. Mom may have gotten them into her body via her hand lotion, nail polish, or a variety of other personal care products, or from food containers and packaging, laundry detergents or even the enteric coating on pharmaceuticals.

So, the kids get off to a bad start. Then, right from infancy, they sleep on crib mattresses with PVC/vinyl waterproof coverings made pliable by the use of phthalates. We’ve never used phthalates in our Naturepedic crib mattresses, and we never will.

From the crib mattress, the very long list of products containing phthalates continues: Plastic toys, building materials, textiles, the same liquid soap and detergent used by mom – it goes on and on.

According to a study published in Atmospheric Environment in 2008, manufacturers produce about 800 million pounds of phthalates each year (those figures are from 2004, the latest available at the time), and they contribute 10-60% of plastic products by weight.

Fortunately, the U.S. government is getting wise to phthalates. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) banned phthalates in crib mattresses and some children’s products last year – although only three phthalates were banned and several others are still used. Both the CPSC and the EPA are doing further investigation, and the EPA now has a Phthalates Action Plan by which they hope to determine the degree to which these chemicals should be restricted – or perhaps banned altogether.

But, unlike Europe – where phthalates were banned a decade ago – we’re a long way from full protection.

What is the answer? The obvious solution is to avoid them. Fortunately, there are more and more products out there that do not contain phthalates. Look for them. If you have questions about specific products, contact the manufacturer. If they can’t guarantee ‘no phthalates,’ switch to a brand that can.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, up to 10% of U.S. children have been diagnosed with ADHD. Wouldn’t it be great if an environment free of phthalates and other dangerous chemicals could change that?

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Going Green in 2010 – A Few Simple Things With A Big Impact

Thursday, December 31st, 2009


GoingGreenNew Year’s Day is the traditional time to turn over a new leaf. It’s that time when we decide to lose a little weight, go for that promotion at work, or make some investments that will pay off. This year, a lot of people will be putting more effort into going green. Getting your child a new toddler or crib mattress that has been certified by GREENGUARD is a good start, but there are many other things you can do for your children and your entire family. Here’s a brief list.

  • Buy organic products. Everything from food to bed linens and carpets. In addition to protecting your family, organic food and organic products made in green facilities cause much less damage to the environment than other products. No pesticides for the food, and the potentially harmful chemicals used in other products and in the production process are significantly reduced if not completely eliminated.
  • Throw out your cleaning supplies and replace them with non-toxic, biodegradable alternatives. There are many products available in health food stores; even regular supermarkets are now adding them to their shelves. But the labels can fool you. Read more about what to look for on a label in Cleaning Products for the Non-Toxic Nursery. Of course, all the information also applies to the rest of the house!

  • Replace your beds. Babies spend 12 to 15 hours a day in bed, toddlers not much less and, for adults, it’s about a third of their life! There are so many beds out there made with potentially harmful chemicals. Some have even been banned. And with the changes being made in the Environmental Protection Agency, there’s a good chance more will be banned in the future. Start with getting your kids crib or toddler mattresses to help them get a healthy start in life. Then move onto your own.

There are hundreds of other things you can do to go green, but these are a very good start! Going green in 2010 will help create a safer, healthier home for your family, and for families around the world.

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Update on Phthalates Ban in Crib Mattresses

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009


He loves his Naturepedic phthalates-free mattress!

He loves his phthalates-free natural crib mattress!

First, a brief recap:

(If you don’t know about the chemicals called phthalates, read our blogs Is Your Crib Mattress Phthalates Free? Why You Need to Find Out and New Phthalates Research Indicates Male Children Less Male in Play.)

As of February 9, 2009, certain products made for children – including crib mattresses – could no longer contain more than 1,000 parts per million of any of three types of phthalates. That’s 1,000 PPM per phthalate per item. The ban on those three types of phthalates is permanent.

A temporary ban was also put on three other phthalates, but only in products a child could put in his mouth, suck or chew. More research is to be done on the additional three phthalates to determine if they should also be permanently banned like the other three.

The Commission was supposed to post its procedures for accrediting labs to test for phthalates in June 2009 and, as of September, 2009, manufacturers were supposed to have their products certified as compliant with the phthalates limits based on third-party testing by accredited third-party laboratories.

However, the September 2009 certification date was extended to February 10, 2010, and, as of this month, has now been extended indefinitely. Why? Because no third-party labs have yet been CPSC accredited.

There are significant penalties for non-compliance but, since there’s no way of proving anything at this point, it’s hard to say how those penalties will be enforced.

Given that some companies have found it cheaper to pay fines than comply with laws, and given that many chemicals that were once determined safe at certain levels were later found to be hazardous, I’d personally feel safer with a product that uses no phthalates, and never has. Like Naturepedic.

And that’s just one big reason why Naturepedic crib mattresses are the only crib mattresses recommended by Healthy Child Healthy World.

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New Phthalates Research Indicates Male Children Less Male in Play

Tuesday, December 15th, 2009


Thumbs up for no phthalates!

Thumbs up for no phthalates!

A new study shows that kids don’t have to sleep on crib mattress with phthalates in them or play with phthalates-laden toys to suffer the consequences of these dangerous chemicals. It’s getting into their bodies while they’re still in the womb.

Phthalates are in a long list of products: perfumes, fragrances, cosmetics, scented lotions, shampoos, aftershaves, nail polish, hair spray, food packaging, adhesives, car interiors, medical devices like blood IV bags and tubing, vinyl flooring, vinyl wallpaper, vinyl shower curtains – the list is very long.

So long, in fact, that it would be hard to find a mom who wasn’t exposed to phthalates during or before her pregnancy.

The new study, published in the International Journal of Andrology, tested the urine of women during the 28th week of pregnancy and divided them into four groups based on the concentration of phthalate metabolites or breakdown products. Then they assessed the play behavior of their 145 children when they reached age 3 to 6.

If mothers were in the highest concentration group, the chance that their boys had a less masculine score was five times greater than mothers in the lowest concentration group. They just didn’t do the things that are considered typical for little boys.

One of the researchers, Dr. Shanna Swan, PhD, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Rochester Medical Center’s Center for Reproductive Epidemiology, and an expert on phthalates, said she and other experts suspect that exposure to phthalates affects the level of testosterone crucial for the development not only of male reproductive organs, but also the masculine brain. ”We now suspect that the phthalate [exposure] affects the entire body, not just the reproductive tract,” she told Web MD.

The researchers studied only two types of phthalates, DEHP and DBP, both of which have been permanently banned in certain children’s products – including crib mattresses – as of February 2009. Which doesn’t mean those products aren’t still on the shelves, they just can’t be in products manufactured after that date.

Any woman who is pregnant or considering become pregnant would be wise to look into this. It’s crucial to her health – read Is Your Crib Mattress Phthalates Free? Why You Need to Find Out for more info on the potential health hazards to adults and children – and her baby’s.

We don’t use phthalates in Naturepedic crib mattresses – never have, never will.

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Is Your Crib Mattress Phthalates Free? Why You Need to Find Out.

Thursday, December 10th, 2009


Cute? Yes. But what about phthalates?

Cute? Yes. But what about phthalates?

As of February 10, 2009, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) banned the manufacture of child care articles and toys containing phthalates (pronounced “thalates”). Phthalates are plasticizer chemicals commonly used in crib mattresses and mattress pads: they soften PVC/vinyl to make it pliable so it can be used as a waterproof surface.

They’re also used in many kids’ toys.

Although we’ve never used phthalates in Naturepedic crib mattresses, they have been used for decades by just about every other crib mattress manufacturer out there.

So why the big hullabaloo over chemicals that have been used in baby and child products for decades? Because we now know (have for many years, actually) that phthalates leach out of vinyl over time where they can reach your baby or child. And that is dangerous with a capital D.

Research has linked phthalates to hormonal and endocrine system problems, especially in boys. In 1997, a study published in the International Journal of Cancer found a high risk of testicular cancer associated with exposure to PVC products.

Other research has also linked phthalates to other types of cancer, and to liver problems.

Numerous U.S. government agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, The U.S. Department of Health, the FDA and the Consumer Product Safety Commission have issued public safety statements concerning the use of phthalates.

Also, a study done by The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) concluded that phthalates are animal carcinogens and can cause fetal death, malformations and problems with the endocrine system. The AAP went on to say that the risk to children was even greater because their bodies and organ systems are still developing.

Phthalates have been banned in some European countries for 10 years – finally, the U.S. is catching up.

Read more about phthalates and the phthalates ban on our site.

Phthalates, by the way, are not just in crib mattresses. They can also be found in perfumes and fragrances, cosmetics, scented lotions, shampoos, aftershaves, nail polish, hair spray, toys, car interiors, medical devices like blood IV bags and tubing, vinyl flooring, vinyl wallpaper, and vinyl shower curtains – to name just a few of the most common types of products.

What can you do about? Get educated, get rid of crib mattresses and toys containing phthalates and, in general, get phthalates out of your life. An ounce of prevention ….

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Beware Phthalates: They’re Not Just in Crib Mattresses

Thursday, December 3rd, 2009
The Truth About Phthalates

The Truth About Phthalates

In case you’re not up to date on this, changes have been made in the EPA. Finally, it looks like the agency is going to have the resources and power necessary to do something about hazardous chemicals like phthalates. This is not the only chemical the agency will focus on in the near future, but it certainly is one of the most widely used, and dangerous. Why?

Our Stolen Future, a book about phthalates, outlines the animal and human studies that have been done – and the picture is bleak. But, there’s good news as well – it looks like some of the health concerns that have become more common over the last few decades may actually be caused by phthalates, which opens the door to a possible reversal of the prevalence of these conditions.

The effects on the male reproductive system are fairly well known at this point, and they are serious and have very serious implications, but did you know that phthalates may also have something to do with the greatly increased incidence of allergies? A study was done on DEHP’s (one type of phthalates) ability to exacerbate allergic reactions to an allergen. The author of the book said this might provide a “possible clue as to why allergy rates have gone up so much in the developed world.” But the list of potential effects goes on.

We don’t use phthalates in our crib mattresses so, on that front, your baby is safe. But phthalates are used in other flexible vinyl products – flooring and wall coverings, food contact applications, and medical devices. They are also used in personal care products (like perfumes, lotions and cosmetics), as solvents and plasticizers for cellulose acetate, and in making lacquers, varnishes, and coatings, including those used to provide timed release in some pharmaceuticals.

Phthalates are big news, and definitely something we should stay away from. Here’s a list of some of the most common names you’ll see on labels so you know what to look for:

  • DEHP, also known as di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate or Bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate. Used as a softener in PVC products, such as IV bags, tubing, and other medical devices.
  • BzBP, or benzylbutyl phthalate. Used in vinyl flooring, car-care products, and personal care products.
  • DBP, or di-n-butyl phthalate. Used in nail polish and other personal care products.
  • DEP, or diethyl phthalate. Used in personal care products such as deodorants, perfume, cologne, aftershave lotion, shampoo, hair gel and hand lotion.
  • DMP, or dimethyl phthalate. Used in insect repellants, plastics, and solid rocket propellant.

However, those are not the only names to look for. You should also include DnOP, DnHP, and several others.

Do yourself a favor and start reading the labels to look for phthalates. And just don’t use them.

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Happy Thanksgiving from Naturepedic’s Family to Yours

Thursday, November 26th, 2009

thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!! While it’s true there are improvements needed in the world, the things we have to be thankful for surpass them by orders of magnitude. I’m sitting in my home office looking out the window as the sun filters through the leaves and into the house. My family is coming to an early dinner, and we may drop in on friends later in the day. Millions of people around the world are doing the same.

At Naturepedic we are also fortunate to have the opportunity to create child and crib mattresses and other products that make life a little better, a little safer, a little healthier, and give others the possibility of a better future. Not many people get to do something like that for a living, and we consider ourselves blessed.

But others aren’t so fortunate: Some are spending Thanksgiving with infirm parents, grandparents and even children; thankful they’re still here, even if their time together has been too short.

And some holiday dinners are being eaten in soup kitchens; some people will eat more than they’ve had in a month. Some won’t eat at all.

We can’t help all these people, but we can help some. There are literally thousands of ways to do it – it’s surprising how little it takes to change someone’s life. There are charities, for example, that manage to feed, house, clothe and educate a child for $12 a month.

But if all you have is a kind word and a smile, that will mean the world to someone. Don’t keep those kind words and smiles to yourself – splurge!

Have a joyous Thanksgiving and, where you can, help someone else a little, too. They will be thankful for you.

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