News & Events

Advocacy Alert – Your Help is Needed! March 12th, 2010

advocacy-alert-graphicToday, First Candle is requesting your help. Just a few minutes of your time can help propel a movement that will save thousands of babies’ lives for future generations to come.

We are joining our friends at the C. J. Foundation for SIDS, to seek co-sponsors for S.1445 and H.R. 3212…the Stillbirth and SUID Prevention, Education and Awareness Act. This act is sponsored by D-NJ Senator Frank Lautenberg and Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr., and quite simply the single most promising piece of legislation crafted in the past decade to promote infant survival and address the sudden unexpected death of young children related to SIDS, SUID, SUDC and Stillbirth. An incredible amount of legislative staff time has been put into understanding the issues and defining ways in which we can reduce the risk for future families.

Nothing you can do today will have more meaning and prevent more tragic losses.

PLEASE CONTACT YOUR CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS IN THE HOUSE AND SENATE TODAY.

By clicking on the following link provided by the C.J. Foundation for SIDS, it will be easy to type in your zip code and automatically direct your letter to the appropriate congressional offices. You may personalize the letter or send the template as is.

http://www.votervoice.net/groups/sids

My personal goal is to have a minimum of 81 co-sponsors by Mothers’ Day…equivalent to the number of babies who are stillborn plus the number of babies who die of Sudden Unexpected Infant or Child Death EVERY DAY here in the United States.

Won’t you please help?????????? Please do it in honor of the babies and children whom you love in your life.

Thanks from the bottom of my heart!!!

Marian-Signature2


Marian Sokol, President of First Candle

Luke’s Rock N’ Stroll II – May 1, 2010
May His Smile Last Forever
A West Village, New York City Event February 23rd, 2010

Lukes Rock N Stroll HeaderJoin us May 1st for Luke’s Rock N’ Stroll II!  The two-mile run, walk and stroll begins and ends at Pier 46 in New York City’s West Village. All ages and abilities are welcome to participate in this moving event for runners, walkers, families and strollers. Proceeds benefit the Luke Edward Becton Memorial Fund established at First Candle by his parents, Laura and Steve Becton, to support research and grief support services.

Visit the Luke’s Rock N’ Stroll II website for more details.

Tiny Love, Brittax and Manhattan Group LLC Post Recalls February 18th, 2010

Click the recall below to see the full story:

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Tiny Love Recalls Wind Chime Toys Due to Puncture and Laceration Hazards

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following products. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

  • Name of Product: Wind Chime Toys
  • Units: About 600,000 in the United States and 200,000 in Canada
  • Distributor: Tiny Love Inc., of New York, N.Y. and the Maya Group Inc., of Huntington Beach, Calif.
  • Hazard: The wind chime toy can be pulled apart exposing sharp metal rods, posing puncture and laceration hazards to the baby.
  • Incidents/Injuries: The firm has received five reports of babies pulling apart the wind chimes exposing the sharp metal rods, including a report of a minor injury to a 24-month-old baby who punctured his cheek with the rods.
  • Description: This recall involves wind chime toys sold separately, with the Gymini Kick & Play Activity Gym and Tiny Smarts Gift Sets. The toy produces the sound of a wind chime. “Tiny Love” is printed on a tag on the toy. The following names and item numbers are included in this recall:
    Name / Item Number
    Baby Wind Chime / # 493
    Baby Wind Chime – Ocean / # 593
    Tiny Smarts – Baby Bunny / # 512
    Wind Chime – Duck (*The Wind Chime – Duck is sold with the Gymini Kick and Play Activity Gym. Only the Wind Chime is affected by this Recall.) / # 811
    Wind Chime – Louie / # 516
    Wind Chime – Ella / # 517
    Tiny Smarts Gift Set (*Bunny Wind Chime is the only product affected by this Recall.) / # 539
    Wind chimes sold with other Tiny Love Activity Gyms are not included in this recall.
  • Sold at: Toys R Us, Walmart, Target, Buy Buy Baby and TJ Maxx stores nationwide from February 2002 through February 2010 for about $8 separately, $22 for the Tiny Smarts Gift Sets and $70 with the Gymini Kick & Play Activity Gym.
  • Manufactured in: China
  • Remedy: Consumers should immediately take the recalled wind chimes from babies and contact Tiny Love to receive a free replacement toy.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Tiny Love toll-free at (888) 791-8166 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.tinylove.com.

Note: Health Canada’s press release is available at http://cpsr-rspc.hc-sc.gc.ca/PR-RP/recall-retrait-eng.jsp?re_id=974

To see this recall on CPSC’s web site, including pictures of the recalled products, please go to: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10136.html

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Britax Recalls Strollers Due to Risk of Fingertip Amputations and Lacerations

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following products. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

  • Name of Product: Britax “Blink” Umbrella Strollers
  • Units: About 14,000 in the United States and 900 in Canada
  • Importer: Britax Child Safety, Inc., of Charlotte, N.C.
  • Hazard: The stroller’s hinge mechanism poses a fingertip amputation and laceration hazard to the child when the consumer is unfolding/opening the stroller.
  • Incidents/Injuries: None reported.
  • Description: This recall involves all Britax “Blink” single umbrella strollers. “Blink” is printed on the metal frame on both sides of the stroller, below the hand grips. The recalled “Blink” strollers have model numbers U261813, U261814, U261815, U261816, U261817, U271813, U271817 and U271815 and were manufactured between May 2009 and September 2009. The model number and manufacturing date can be found on a white label on the stroller frame, near the bottom of the stroller basket.
  • Sold at: Buy Buy Baby and other juvenile product and mass merchandise retailers nationwide in the U.S. and Canada and on the Web at www.Amazon.com, www.babiesrus.com, www.Target.com and www.Diapers.com from July 2009 through February 2010 for about $150.
  • Manufactured in: China
  • Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled strollers and contact Britax to receive free stroller hinge covers.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Britax toll-free at (888) 427-4829 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s website at www.BlinkRecall.com.

Note: Health Canada’s press release is available at http://cpsr-rspc.hc-sc.gc.ca/PR-RP/recall-retrait-eng.jsp?re_id=971

To see this recall on CPSC’s web site, including a picture of the recalled product, please go to: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10137.html

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Pull Toys Recalled by Manhattan Group LLC Due to Choking and Aspiration Hazards

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following products. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

  • Name of Product: Pull-A-Long Friends Toucan™, Pull-A-Long Friends Alligator™, and Pull-A-Long Friends Sharky™
  • Units: About 2,400 in the United States and 400 in Canada
  • Manufacturer: Manhattan Group LLC, of Minneapolis, Minn.
  • Hazard: The toy has wooden components that can break or come loose, posing a choking/aspiration hazard to young children.
  • Incidents/Injuries: None reported.
  • Description: This recall involves three types of pull-toys: Pull-A-Long Friends Toucan™ with lot code 210720GB, Pull-A-Long Friends Alligator™ with lot code 210750GB, and Pull-A-Long Friends Sharky™ with lot code 210530GB. The Toucan has a large yellow and black beak and blue striped wings. The crocodile is green and has a red ridge on its back and red wheels with yellow polka dots. The shark has blue swirls painted on its wheels and an orange wooden fish on the pull string. The lot code is printed on the bottom of the toy.
  • Sold at: Gift and specialty stores nationwide, online and through catalogs from September 2009 through January 2010 for about $22.
  • Manufactured in: Thailand
  • Remedy: Consumers should take the toys away from young children immediately and return them to the store where purchased for a refund or a replacement toy.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Manhattan Group at (800) 541-1345 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday or visit the firm’s Web site at www.manhattantoy.com.

Note: Health Canada’s press release is available at http://cpsr-rspc.hc-sc.gc.ca/PR-RP/recall-retrait-eng.jsp?re_id=973

To see this recall on CPSC’s web site, including pictures of the recalled products, please go to: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10138.html

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SIDS Research Breakthrough! February 2nd, 2010

Dear Friends of First Candle,

It is with great pride and excitement that we share with you today news of a new study out of the SIDS Center of Excellence at Children’s Hospital Boston, led by Harvard researcher Dr. Hannah Kinney, regarding another breakthrough in SIDS research!

The findings from the study indicate we are closing in on a defect in the brainstem related to serotonin as a likely cause for SIDS. This recent study built on the research team’s 2006 study that identified potential problems with serotonin and serotonin receptor bindings in the brainstems of babies who die of SIDS. The results of the study are based on a comparison of brainstem samples from infants dying of SIDS to brainstems of infants dying from other, known causes. The findings will be published in the February 3 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association.

The results are compelling and send a strong message to parents on the importance of good prenatal care and safe sleep in protecting babies from SIDS, the leading cause of death for babies one month to one year of age.

For those that would like further information, please refer to First Candle’s press release, the press release out of Harvard and the full text of the article.

  • There will be significant media coverage of the event beginning with the NBC nightly news at 6:30 this evening. View a schedule of additional media coverage
  • Our friends at Scripps Howard News Service have been instrumental in bringing the issue of sudden infant deaths in America to the forefront of infant mortality issues. Link to this article.

We would also like to recognize Dr. Henry Krous of the SIDS/SUDC research project at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego. Critical to Dr. Kinney’s work is the availability of tissue samples. Dr. Krous’ is the only project currently collecting tissue samples for research purposes .

First Candle has been nationally recognized as key supporters of these projects throughout the past 20 years, and we would like to thank you, our many supporters, for the role you have played in this success; we couldn’t have done it without each and every one of you.

We would like to close with a call to action.
It is critical that we continue to move this research forward to find out what causes this defect, identify babies at risk and develop preventive treatments for the serotonin deficit.

  • Please consider making a donation to SIDS research through First Candle. We are happy to direct your dollars to either of these worthy projects.
  • We will keep you apprised of advocacy efforts and other ways you can help make SIDS a thing of the past.

Thank you in advance for your ongoing support of our efforts – in the belief that every baby should live.

Warm regards,

The board and staff of First Candle

Regal Lager Announces Recall to Repair CYBEX Strollers January 27th, 2010

Regal Lager Announces Recall to Repair CYBEX Strollers; Risk of Fingertip Amputation and Laceration Hazards

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following products. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: CYBEX Strollers

Units: About 1,100 in the United States and 90 in Canada

Distributor: Regal Lager Inc., of Kennesaw, Ga.

Hazard: The stroller’s hinge mechanism poses a fingertip amputation and laceration hazard to the child when the consumer is unfolding/opening the stroller.

Incidents/Injuries: The firm has received one report of a child placing his finger in the stroller’s hinge mechanism, resulting in a finger fracture.

Description: This recall involves Ruby, Onyx and Topaz models of CYBEX umbrella strollers. “CYBEX” is printed on the side of the strollers.

Sold at: Department and juvenile product stores nationwide between August 2009 and November 2009 for between $140 and $260.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled strollers and contact Regal Lager to receive a free hinge cover retrofit kit.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact the Company Service Center at (800) 593-5522 between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit the firm’s Web site at www.regallager.com/recalls – consumers can also email the firm at info@regallager.com.

Note: Health Canada’s press release is available at http://cpsr-rspc.hc-sc.gc.ca/PR-RP/recall-retrait-eng.jsp?re_id=953.

To see this recall on CPSC’s web site, including pictures of the recalled product, please go to:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10123.html

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‘CPSC 2.0′ Launches Product Safety Agency into Social Media — Learn more at http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09346.html.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from thousands of types of consumer products under the agency’s jurisdiction. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard. The CPSC’s work to ensure the safety of consumer products – such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals – contributed significantly to the decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.

To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC’s Hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC’s teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270. To join a CPSC e-mail subscription list, please go to https://www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx. Consumers can obtain recall and general safety information by logging on to CPSC’s Web site at www.cpsc.gov.

Call for Parents & Young Infants to Participate in National SIDS Research Study January 26th, 2010

Dear Parents,

I am a SIDS researcher at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC. I have been working on the issue of SIDS in day care settings for many years now. Babies experience a lot of change when they start day care. These changes may affect the baby’s risk for SIDS. We want to see how these changes for the baby during the weeks before and after s/he starts day care affect the baby.

I would like to study young babies, half of whom are entering day care and half of whom are at home during the day with a parent, by measuring sleep patterns and hormones that are markers for stress and circadian rhythm in infants.

Here are the criteria for participating in the study:

  1. Your baby has to be less than 3 months of age when you begin the study.
  2. If your baby will be entering day care, it needs to be a licensed day care center (not a family day care home), and your baby has to start at the day care center when s/he is between 60 days (2 months) and 120 days (4 months) of age.
  3. Your baby has to be born full term (at least 37 weeks gestation) or with a birth weight of at least 5-1/2 pounds.
  4. Your baby cannot have any medical problems that require ongoing care by a subspecialty doctor.

If you agree to participate in the study, this is what we will be doing:

  1. We will ask you to sign an informed consent form, basically stating that you understand the study and what your and your baby’s roles in the study are. Someone from our research team will review this document with you.
  2. We will ask you questions about yourself, your baby, and what you do at home with the baby, such as what the baby eats and where the baby sleeps. This will take approximately 10-15 minutes and can be done over the phone.
  3. We will ask you to put an Actigraph watch (see picture) on your baby’s ankle for 4 weeks. If your baby will be starting day care, you will put the watch on the baby’s ankle 2 weeks before s/he starts day care. The Actigraph looks like a small watch and measures your baby’s movements, so that we can tell when s/he is asleep and when s/he is awake. The watch is waterproof and shockproof, so you do not have to take it off.
  4. You will fill out a diary of the baby’s feeds and sleep times on the days that the Actigraph watch is on.
  5. On 6-8 different days, we will ask you to collect your baby’s urine and the baby’s mother’s urine in the morning and the evening. We will give you a special pad (it looks like a sanitary pad) to put in the baby’s diaper to collect the urine. It does not stick to the skin or cause any pain or discomfort. You will then use a syringe (which we will give you) to draw out the urine from the pad and put it in a special container. You will need to put the urine samples in your freezer (we will give you a special box to put it in) until you are ready to send them to us. The urine will be tested for two hormones that tell us about stress levels and about your sleep and awake patterns.
  6. We will remind you, by email, phone call, and or text message, on the days when you have to collect the urine. We will also remind you when you are to place the Actigraph watch on your baby’s ankle.
  7. You will be in the study for approximately 4 weeks.

index_clip_image002If you live in the Baltimore-Washington area, we will likely come to your home to bring the Actigraph watch and other study materials to you. If you do not live in this area, we can send the materials to you in the mail and provide instructions on returning it back to us (we will pay for the shipping).

Families that complete the study will receive a total of $150 ($50 at the beginning and $100 at the end). If your child is in day care, the day care center will receive a total of $50 at the end of the study. The $150 will be in the form of gift cards. (Target has been the most popular for participants in other studies; I am open to other suggestions.)

We have received approval from the Children’s National Medical Center institutional review board to assure that there are no ethical concerns with the research study. If you are currently pregnant or have a baby who is 3 months or younger, I hope that you will consider participating in this study.

If you are interested in participating, or if you have questions about the details of the study, please contact me directly. I’m happy to answer any and all questions.

Thank you very much for considering participation.

Best,

Rachel

Rachel Moon, M.D.
Director, Academic Development
Associate Chief, Division of General Pediatrics and Community Health
Goldberg Center for Community Pediatric Health
Children’s National Medical Center
Professor of Pediatrics
George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Tel: 202-476-5476
Email: rmoon@cnmc.org

Vote for the Trisomy 18 Foundation in the Chase Community Giving Challenge January 21st, 2010

Dear Friends,

Your Help is needed – Vote for the Trisomy 18 Foundation in the Chase Community Giving Challenge so they can win $1 million dollars to save babies’ lives!

We have exciting news to share regarding an amazing opportunity for one of our partner organizations to receive $1 million to save babies lives! The organization is Trisomy 18 Foundation, whose mission is to guide the search for a cure and treatment for Trisomy 18 Syndrome. After Down’s Syndrome, Trisomy 18 is the second most common chromosomal disorder diagnosed in pregnancy with 1 in 3000 live births annually. It is a condition linked with high rates of stillbirth and infant deaths, heart defects and neurological problems and growth retardation.

Please take a minute to learn more and VOTE now! You can be the voice for children who have no voice. Now is your chance to speak for them in the world! The deadline for votes is midnight, January 22, 2010.

First Candle appreciates your support . . . in the belief that every baby should live.

Drop Side Cribs Recalled by Caramia Furniture Due to Fall and Entrapment Hazards January 14th, 2010

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following products. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Diane Crib

Units: About 1,000

Distributors: Caramia Furniture and Mother Hubbard Cupboard’s, of Ontario, Canada

Hazard: The slats on the cribs drop-side can detach from the top and bottom rails, posing fall and entrapment hazards to the child.

Incidents/Injuries: The firm has received 18 reports of slats detaching from the rails of the crib. No injuries have been reported.

Description: This recall involves Caramia “Diane” drop-side cribs. The cribs were manufactured between September 2002 and June 2004. A label affixed to the inside of the headboard or footboard lists the manufacturing dates.

Sold at: Buy Buy Baby and juvenile product and mass merchandise stores nationwide from September 2002 through December 2005 for between $240 and $370.

Manufactured in: Slovenia

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled Diane crib and contact Caramia Furniture to receive a free replacement drop side. The free replacement will be available beginning March 2010.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Caramia at (877) 728-0342 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.caramiafurniture.com.

To see this recall on CPSC’s web site, including a picture of the recalled product, please go to:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10113.html

H1N1 (Swine) Flu Alert: Information for parents and caregivers, pregnant moms and child care providers January 11th, 2010

Information for parents and caregivers, pregnant moms and child care providers

Swine flu is a type of flu virus that causes respiratory symptoms that can spread between people. So far, most Americans have had mild illness, but some have had more severe illness. Young children, pregnant women and people with chronic diseases like asthma, diabetes or heart disease may have a higher risk for complications.

Symptoms

  • Fever
  • Cough
  • Sore Throat
  • Body Aches
  • Headache
  • Chills and fatigue
  • Occasionally vomiting and diarrhea

How to protect yourself  – teach your children these rules too!

  • Wash hands frequently with soap and water for 20 seconds
  • Cough and sneeze into a tissue – immediately dispose of the tissue
  • Stay at least six feet away from people who are sick
  • If there are confirmed cases in your community, stay away from malls, movie theaters or other places where there are large groups of people.

What to do if you or your  child is sick

  • Unless you need medical attention, stay home. Do not go to school, child care programs or work.
  • Drink lots of fluids
  • Rest
  • Stay away from others who are not sick
  • Keep tissues and a trash bag within reach

If you develop any of these symptoms, seek medical care

  • Fast breathing or trouble breathing
  • Bluish or gray skin color
  • Not drinking enough fluid
  • Extreme irritability
  • No urination or tears
  • Symptoms improved but then return

For more information:

Dorel Juvenile Group Recalls Play Yards with Bassinets Due to Suffocation Hazard December 30th, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following products. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Safety 1st Disney Care Center™ Play Yard and Eddie Bauer Complete Care Play Yard

Units: About 213,000

Importer: Dorel Juvenile Group Inc., of Columbus, Ind.

Hazard: The one piece metal bars supporting the floorboard of the bassinet attachment can come out of the fabric sleeves and create an uneven sleeping surface, posing a risk of suffocation or positional asphyxiation.

Incidents/Injuries: None reported.

Description: The play yards are portable and were sold with a bassinet attachment and a built-in changing station. Models included in this recall are 05025, 05026, 05037, 05088 and 05350. The model number is printed on a sticker on one of the support legs underneath the play yard. “Safety 1st” or “Eddie Bauer” are printed near the bottom of the fabric sides of the play yards.

Sold at: Babies “R” Us, Kmart, Sears, Target and Walmart from January 2007 through October 2009 for between $100 and $130.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the bassinet attachment to the play yard and contact Dorel Juvenile Group for a free repair kit including replacement bassinet fabric, bassinet bars and installation instructions.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Dorel Juvenile Group toll-free at (866) 762-2166 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. ET Friday, or visit the firm’s web site www.djgusa.com.

To see this recall on CPSC’s web site, including pictures of the recalled products, please go to:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10097.html

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