Do you RECALL when....

In the news in the last couple days there has been a report of recalled infant formula (my baby nurses by the way). I got to thinking about all the baby items lately that have been recalled. Like the cribs a couple months ago, or the baby slings (we were affected by that one) or the baby pain/fever reducer (got nailed with that one too). I was trying to think if I am just uber-sensitive to all these recalls and that’s why I am noticing them, or have there been recalls on baby products for years, but I never noticed, because I didn’t have to? What’s going on with all these? Is it cheap manufacturing? Why does it have to take a death of a child for something to be done? Is there not testing on these products before they are released for consumer consumption? It scares me to think I could un-knowingly be giving my child or allowing my child to interact with dangerous items. Is it just that there are soooo many new products for the little ones that were never available before? People used to put their baby to sleep in a dresser drawer, for goodness sake!


Part of me wonders if it just people blaming the product for something terrible that has happened? My case in point is the blame parents put on Pampers for their child’s bad diaper rash. Testing performed after these accusations state that there is NO FAULT of Pampers. Pampers took quite the heat on that one… it’s unfortunate that their image took a dip for something that wasn’t even their fault! Some babies do better with other diapers… it’s just the way it is. I can’t wear some make-up. I know that, it doesn’t make it the make-up manufacturer’s fault. It’s just the way MY body reacts to it. That’s probably why I don’t wear it at all. Not that you can just let your baby crawl around sans a diaper.

One thing as a new mom, I hear all the time is: “It was good enough for my kids” or something along those lines… and there is truth to that statement. My mom never thought twice about letting me eat from the same baby food jar two days in a row, however “they” (who are they anyways?) say that it’s not safe to let a child do that. When are “they” being too… protective? And when are they not being protective enough?

I guess as mothers or fathers, we need to make educated opinions on everything we are doing. Research the product yourself and make your own decision on what you think is right for your kids. By the way, my kid eats from the same jar of baby food two days in a row. If I can eat Chinese food from the same container two days in a row, my baby can eat squash or strained peas from the same jar too. My decision - my kid.