News & Events
Stillbirth Parents: Your Help is Needed August 17th, 2010
Dear parent,
First Candle is collaborating with the International Stillbirth Alliance as part of a global network to better understand how individuals and communities perceive stillbirths to help reduce the numbers of babies who are stillborn and families who suffer this tragic loss.
We would value your views through completing a short questionnaire. This is a “rapid response” questionnaire and will feed into a journal series and also to be disseminated via the ISA website to help with addressing the global challenges of stillbirth. Please note that the survey is multi-cultural in focus.
Please respond to the online questionnaire before August 21 – it will take about 10 minutes to respond.
Click here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2XLN3S7
If you find completing the survey upsetting, please contact us at info@firstcandle.org.
Please note that once you have opened the questionnaire, you will be able to navigate back and forth, but not to exit and return from the same computer. This is the second phase of recruitment to this survey, if you were contacted in the first phase, we thank you for your response and apologize for the repeat email.
Your contribution will be very much appreciated.
Sincerely,
Marian Sokol, President
First Candle
Michigan House Passes Stillbirth/Kick Counting Legislation August 16th, 2010
Michigan passes stillbirth/kick counting legislation through its House of Representatives. Now it’s on to the Senate!
Representative Kevin Green (R-MI) recently announced that his legislation to help expectant mothers become better educated about the dangers of stillbirth and how they may be able to prevent it has passed through the House on its way to becoming state law.
The legislation, HB6091, requires doctors to distribute information to their pregnant patients about the risk of stillbirth and the importance of kick counting to help reduce the risk of stillbirth. Green, the legislation’s sponsor, has personal experience with the issue after losing his daughter Skylar Anne to stillbirth in 2007.
“Stillbirth is an equal opportunity destroyer,” Green told the House Health Policy Committee during emotional testimony. “Getting this information to expectant mothers early on in their pregnancy could help them prevent stillbirth. Kick counting is such a simple thing to do that could save your child’s life.”
The cause of Skylar’s death is still unknown, as is the same for nearly half of stillbirth cases each year. Despite the relatively high incidence of stillbirths in the U.S. (nearly one in 150), there is little research into the causes of this heartbreaking loss of pregnancy.
HB 6091 would amend the Public Health Code to require a health care professional to inform a woman during her pregnancy of the potential risk of stillbirth and the importance of monitoring a child’s movements in the last trimester.
“It allows women to have ownership in their own healthcare by being informed about this potential risk,” Green said.
“We lost a big part of our future when Skylar passed away,” Green said. “By passing this legislation, we acknowledge parents who have lost a child due to stillbirth and hope to find ways of preventing this from happening to other families in the future.”
Charity Gala 2010 – Save the Date! August 10th, 2010
October 28, 2010 is the date for this year’s Charity Gala! This fabulous event will take place at The Lighthouse at Pier Sixty in New York City to once again raise money to help save the lives of our nation’s babies. We hope you can join us!
First Candle Announces New CEO! August 9th, 2010
Dear friends,
First Candle is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Susan Gerber Berning as its new Chief Executive Officer. Ms. Berning is a creative visionary leader, strategic collaborator and proven executive administrator, with extensive experience as a child advocate and in working with diverse populations.
This announcement comes as part of a comprehensive strategic process to evaluate the priorities and direction of the organization. In the coming months, First Candle will be accelerating its work in the research arena and formalizing an information referral and bereavement continuum to better support and engage parents. Other ongoing efforts include: continued progress and success with the Bill & Melinda Gates Bedtime Basics for Babies initiative, hosting a 2012 SIDS/SUID/Stillbirth International Conference, increased emphasis on safe sleep practices in preventing infant deaths and our new Kicks Count! campaign.
“We are thrilled to have someone of Ms. Berning’s caliber at the helm,” said Gordon P. Jones, First Candle Board Chair. “After an extensive six-month search, the board is confident we have hired the best candidate to lead the organization to the next level as we work to save babies’ lives.”
First Candle is proud of its past progress and success and is poised for the future. We look forward to continuing to work hand-in-hand with our many friends and partners to advance infant health and survival. We hope you will join us in welcoming Susan to her new role. She can be reached at susan@firstcandle.org or 1-800-221-7437.
Warm regards,
The First Candle Board of Directors
Pacifiers Recalled by Antonio Flores Due to Choking Hazard July 21st, 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 consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.
Name of Product: Kariño Baby Pacifiers
Units: About 44,900
Distributor: Antonio Flores, of San Ysidro, Calif.
Hazard: The pacifier fails to meet federal safety standards. The nipple can separate from the base easily, the pacifier handle is too long, the mouth guard is too small and there are no ventilation holes on the mouth guard. The pacifier could pose a choking and aspiration hazard to young children.
Incidents/Injuries: None reported.
Description: The pacifier has a ring-shaped handle and a round-shaped mouth guard. “Kariño” is printed on the handle side of the mouth guard, and “Mygra” is printed on one side of the handle. The nipple is filled with corn syrup.
Sold at: Independent grocery stores in California and Texas from October 2009 through March 2010 for about 25 cents.
Manufactured in: Mexico
Remedy: Consumers should immediately take the recalled pacifiers away from children and contact Antonio Flores for a refund or exchange.
Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Antonio Flores collect at (619) 395-4543 Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. PT.
To see this recall on CPSC’s web site, including pictures of the recalled product, please go to: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10305.html
Child’s Death Prompts Recall to Repair Portable Playard Tent by Tots in Mind Due to Strangulation Hazard July 16th, 2010
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Health Canada (HC), in cooperation with Tots in Mind Inc., of Salem, N.H., is announcing the voluntary recall today of about 20,000 (and 85 in Canada) Cozy Indoor Outdoor Portable Playard Tents Plus Cabana Kits.
Clips that attach the tent to the top of the playard can break or be removed by a child. A child can lift the tent and become entrapped at the neck between the rigid playard frame and the metal base rod of the tent, posing a strangulation hazard.
CPSC is aware of a death of a 2-year-old boy in December 2008 in Vinalhaven, Maine. The boy was found hanging with his neck entrapped between the playard frame and the metal base rod of the tent that had been partially tied by pieces of nylon rope and partially attached by clips. The tent was tied to the playard because the child was able to pop off the clips. Apparently, the child became entrapped while attempting to climb out of the playard. In three other incidents, children were able to remove one or more clips and place their necks between the tent and the playard. The children were not injured.
The dome-shaped white-colored mesh tent is designed to fit over playards as small as 28 inches by 40 inches or as large as 31 inches by 44 inches to contain a child. There are 12 plastic clips to secure the base of the tent to the top rail of the playard through button holes along the bottom of the tent. The tent has a zippered side for putting in and taking out the child.
The cribs were made in China and sold at Walmart, Amazon.com and various baby and children’s stores nationwide from January 2005 through February 2010 for about $60.
Consumers should immediately stop using the playard tents and contact Tots in Mind to get free replacement clips. Replacement clips will be available in late August or early September 2010. Contact Tots in Mind toll-free at (800) 626-0339 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit the firm’s website at www.TotsinMind.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=1109
To see this recall on CPSC’s web site, including pictures of the recalled product, please go to:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10303.html
CPSC Proposes New Rules for Full-Size and Non-Full-Size Cribs July 15th, 2010
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) voted (5 to 0) today to approve proposed new mandatory standards to address the hazards posed by full-size and non-full-size cribs.
Serious safety hazards with cribs have ranged from drop-side hardware or other drop-side entrapment issues to failures of the mattress support and detachment or breakage of the crib slats. All of these defects can create hazardous gaps allowing a baby to become entrapped and suffocate or fall out of the crib.
The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA) directs CPSC to issue mandatory safety standards for durable infant or toddler products. CPSC’s notice of proposed rulemaking (”NPR”) for cribs includes:
- a standard for full-size cribs that is substantially the same as ASTM F 1169-10, Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Full-Size Baby Cribs, with one modification. The one modification that CPSC is proposing to the ASTM full-size crib standard would require cribs to be tested without the re-tightening of screws between tests in order to ensure that the tests reflect the lifetime use of the crib; and
- a standard for non-full-size cribs that is substantially the same as ASTM F 406-10, Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Non-Full-Size Baby Cribs/Play Yards, with certain modifications. These modifications include adding certain requirements that apply to full-size cribs, such as the mattress support performance requirement, the side-impact test, and the order in which performance tests are to be done, applicable to non-full-size cribs so that the new standard for non-full-size cribs is more stringent. The proposal also would restore movable side latch tests to the non-full-size crib standard and would clarify that the proposal does not extend to play yards.
Through close collaboration with ASTM International, consumer groups, industry and other juvenile product experts, improved consensus standards were approved June 1, 2010, that incorporated key safety requirements recommended by CPSC staff. The ASTM standards and the proposed CPSC standards contain design requirements that essentially prohibit traditional drop sides (up and down movement of an entire side of the crib).
CPSC staff is working to finalize the proposed mandatory crib standards in 2010.
To see this release on CPSC’s web site, including links to CPSC Commissioner statements, please go to:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10301.html
Pottery Barn Kids Recalls to Repair Drop-Side Cribs Due to Entrapment, Suffocation and Fall Hazards July 15th, 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 consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.
Name of Product: Pottery Barn Kids drop-side cribs
Units: About 82,000
Retailer: Pottery Barn Kids, a division of Williams-Sonoma, Inc., of San Francisco, Calif.
Hazard: The cribs’ drop-sides can detach when hardware breaks, creating a space into which a young child can become entrapped, which can lead to suffocation. A child can also fall out of the crib. Drop side incidents also occur due to incorrect assembly and with age-related wear and tear.
Incidents/Injuries: CPSC and Pottery Barn Kids have received 36 reports of drop sides that have malfunctioned or detached, resulting in seven minor injuries when children fell out of the cribs or got their legs caught between the mattress and the drop side. One child became entrapped at the head between the drop side and crib mattress but was freed without injury.
Description: This recall involves all Pottery Barn Kids drop-side cribs regardless of the model number. Pottery Barn Kids is printed on a label attached to the crib headboard or footboard.
Sold at: Exclusively through the Pottery Barn Kids catalog, www.potterybarnkids.com, and at Pottery Barn Kids retail stores nationwide from January 1999 through March 2010 for between $300 and $600.
Manufactured in: Canada, Malaysia, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Indonesia and Italy
Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled cribs, inspect the hardware to make sure it is not broken, and contact Pottery Barn Kids to receive a free fixed-gate conversion kit that will immobilize the drop side.
Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Pottery Barn Kids at (877) 804-3847 between 7 a.m. and midnight 7 days a week or visit the firm’s website at www.potterybarnkids.com
Important Message from CPSC: CPSC reminds parents not to use any crib with missing, broken, or loose parts. Make sure to tighten hardware from time to time to keep the crib sturdy. When using a drop-side crib, parents should check to make sure the drop side or any other moving part operates smoothly. Always check all sides and corners of the crib for disengagement. Disengagements can create a gap and entrap a child. In addition, do not try to repair any side of the crib. Babies have died in cribs where repairs were attempted by caregivers. Age is factor in the safety of any crib. At a minimum, CPSC staff recommends that you not use a crib that is older than 10 years. Many older cribs may not meet current voluntary standards and can have numerous safety problems.
To see this recall on CPSC’s web site, including pictures of the recalled products, please go to:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10302.html
Farwell to First Candle’s Heather McGraw July 13th, 2010
It is with heavy hearts we announce that Heather Boyer McGraw has left her position as Development Manager for First Candle. Heather has been a wonderful supporter and advocate for our many bereaved families and we wish her well in her new endeavors.
Her dedication to helping families create memorial funds and special events in memory of their precious babies is a talent that will be truly missed.
We are, however, pleased to announce that beginning September 1, 2010, Erin Leatherwood will take over the position of Development Manager. While she has some big shoes to fill, we are confident that Erin has the compassionate nature and event experience needed to take on this important role on behalf of the families we serve.
Erin can be reached at erin@firstcandle.org or 1-800-221-7437.
CPSC Urges Parents and Caregivers to Consider Safety Before Opening Windows July 7th, 2010
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Opening windows in your home to enjoy the warmer temperatures may seem harmless, but windows have proven to be sources of injury and death for young children. In recent weeks, several children have fallen from windows and U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) data indicates that on average, about eight deaths occur yearly to children five years or younger while an estimated 3,300 children five and younger are treated each year in U.S. hospital emergency departments. Hospitalization was required for about 34 percent of these children after falling from a window.
These deaths and injuries frequently occur when kids push themselves against window screens or climb onto furniture located next to an open window.
“The deaths and life-altering injuries we have seen here at CPSC are heart-breaking and in many cases preventable,” said CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum. “We want parents and caregivers to think safety before opening the windows where young children are present.”
“Window falls increase dramatically during the spring and summer months but they can be prevented,” said Chrissy Cianflone, Director of Programs for Safe Kids USA. “It takes active supervision on the part of the parent or caregiver, and a device called a window guard. Screens are meant to keep bugs out, not kids in. Window guards are easy to install and have a release mechanism in the event of an emergency.”
“The window fall season is upon us. The harmless act of opening a window to enjoy the beautiful weather can lead to tragedy unless parents and caregivers of young children exercise proper safety precautions,” said Mindy A. Bockstein, Chairperson and Executive Director of the New York State Consumer Protection Board. “Let’s not be lulled into a false sense of security by window screens but properly install window guards and follow other safety measures.”
To help prevent injuries and tragedies, CPSC recommends the following safety tips:
- Safeguard your children by using window guards or window stops.
- Install window guards to prevent children from falling out of windows. (For windows on the 6th floor and below, install window guards that adults and older children can open easily in case of fire.)
- Install window stops so that windows open no more than 4 inches.
- Never depend on screens to keep children from falling out of windows.
- Whenever possible, open windows from the top — not the bottom.
- Keep furniture away from windows, to discourage children from climbing near windows.
- Some jurisdictions require landlords to install guards. Check your local regulations.
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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 (301) 595-7054. 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.
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