Baby Products Industry Daily Noise News

Johnson & Johnson Baby Products Under Scrutiny

2005-04-13T10:21:00.000-07:00

Last week Indian authorities accused Johnson & Johnson of misbranding their products. In particular Johnson's Baby Oil, which contains liquid paraffin an ingredient which some believe to be a carcinogen. Sources report FDA officials have cautioned that the oil should not be exclusively marketed as baby oil because liquid paraffin is not recommended for infant use.

New Baby Products Invented From Neccessity

2005-04-11T10:27:00.000-07:00

A coffee drinking, baby stroller pushing San Francisco Dad has invented a baby gadget to help him push his daughter's baby stroller with one hand.

He built the "Stroller Stretcher" with supplies from bike and garden-supply shops.
His invention that won him an award last year from the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association. His baby stroller stretcher idea resulted in a new business for him that includes 10,000 stroller stretchers waiting to be sold! He hopes it will be a successful and useful product for baby stroller users.

Other recent baby inspired inventions include: luggage that can be used as a seat and mobiles that can be fastened above a baby's car seat. The Teeny Towel is a dispenser for baby wipes that clips on to a stroller and the SuperBlankie holds on to your baby's car seat or stroller with Velcro straps.

Baby Car Seat Manufacturer Graco Will Pay Settlement

2005-03-22T14:27:00.000-08:00

Car seat manufacturer and baby product maker Graco Children’s Products Inc. will settle charges that it belatedly reported problems with car seats, high chairs, strollers and other products that resulted in hundreds of injuries and at least six deaths by paying $4 million dollars.

Graco has also issued a recall on Toddler Beds they sold from 1994 to 2001.

Reports say car seat maker Graco and its subsidiary, Century Products, did not report defects in 16 different products. The products — more than 12 million in all — included car seats, infant carriers, high chairs, strollers, swings and beds.

Six deaths were linked to Graco Infant Swings. Recently, 140,000 Graco Travel Lite Infant Swings were recalled in July after the company received 100 reports of children slipping out of faulty seat belts and sustaining injuries such as bloody lips, bumps and bruises.

Baby Products Like Portable Cribs Lack Safety Testing

2005-03-21T14:35:00.000-08:00

Reports say only a handful of children's products, including full-size cribs, car seats, pacifiers and rattles, are covered by mandatory safety standards.The Consumer Product Safety Commission governs recall processes but there are worries about their effectiveness.
Apparently many baby products reach the consumer market with little or no testing.
Experts suggest if you have young children, be especially careful of used items from friends and family and items you find at flea markets or garage sales. A lot of Older cribs have bars that are spaced too widely. You should also look out for wear and tear, especially on items in which you may leave a child unattended. In October, Dorel Juvenile Group recalled 102,000 Cosco Zip n Go, Okie Dokie, and Carters playpens after a child's death.

A safe bet is to use portable cribs & playpens that do not have a hinged rail. Fisher-Price is a good choice as they have never made a portable crib with a hinged rail.

Baby Strollers and Baby Joggers - New "Dad Fad"

2005-03-09T11:03:00.000-08:00

Several news sources are saying that fancy baby strollers and souped up baby joggers are the new fad among Dads.

The Bob Trailer Sport Utility Ironman is actually a baby stroller (though the name and marketing makes you think of an SUV). The Ironman Triathlon has licensed the baby buggy as its first official baby stroller. The manufacturer, BOB Trailers Inc., says it has been a big draw among men.

It seems that anything with wheels is attractive to men - the baby stroller included. A new generation of strollers and baby joggers now come highly engineered with sleek designs and colors suited more to adults than babies. Dads have been found to compare notes about wheel suspension and off-road handling.

A New York lawyer, age 33, says his child rides in a Pliko P3, made by Italian stroller-maker Peg Perego. He loves the new models of baby jogging strollers - not because he jogs but because "they just look so great." He admires his neighbors' Bugaboo Frog baby stroller, often called "the Hummer of strollers" because of its shape and big wheels.

Another 33 year old father in California recalls running into Bugaboo baby stroller pushing guys while his wife was pregant - he'd ask if they liked their strollers and they would "light up" like when they used to talk about mountain bikes. He chose a black one for his child.

Makers of all types of baby products are now going after the hip-Daddy market. JJ Cole makes a khaki "Adventure" baby carrier and Due Maternity now has a "Dads" section on its Web site - resulting in a huge spike in traffic. Diaperdude sells diaper bags in messenger style camouflage or black with electric-guitar and dragon motifs.

According to industry experts Baby Strollers and Baby Joggers have seen the biggest change in the baby products market, with all the new baby strollers having struts and shocks and big wheels making some of them look more like mountain bikes than baby strollers. The Stokke Xplory baby stroller, a Norwegian model with a higher than average seat has an adjustable handle-bar which is supposed to work great for tall guys.

Baby strollers can cost as little as $10, but many of the new high end models sell for over $300. Models like the Stokke baby stroller and Bugaboo baby stroller are more than $700. Middle-market baby stroller makers like Evenflo are trying to mimic the high end market. Evenflo has just introduced the Ellipsa baby stroller which has chunkier wheels than its previous models.

Baby Food Maker Mellin Purchased by Numico Food Group

2005-02-28T08:46:00.000-08:00

Royal Numico, a Dutch food and nutrition group announced they have signed an agreement to purchase baby food company Mellin, of Italy, from Findim Group at a reported price of US$529.87m.

"The acquisition of Mellin baby represents an important step forward for our Baby Food strategy in Western Europe,” CEO of Numico, Jan Bennink, stated. Adding that “Mellin complements and significantly strengthens our existing operations in terms of product range, channel presence and market position. The resulting competitive number 2 position in the Italian baby food market provides Numico with the necessary platform and scale to drive growth in this underdeveloped and fragmented market.”

Mellin currently has a 21 percent market share of the Baby Food market in Italy. The weaning food categories and the surging grocery channel are particularly strong positions for Mellin. In recent years Mellin has grown at a rate of 10%, substantially outperforming the growth of the Italian Baby Food market in general.

Recall of Baby Food Product Issued

2005-02-25T09:54:00.000-08:00

A public release by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and La mère poule Aliments pour bébé Inc. was issued warning consumers from eating Mother Hen Strained Lamb Baby Food due to the product possibly being contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

Food that is contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes may not smell or look spoiled. Consuming food contaminated with this bacterium can cause listeriosis, with symptoms of severe headache, high fever, neck stiffness and nausea. Pregnant women, babies and infants, young children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems are especially at risk. Also, infected pregnant women may feel only mild, flu-like symptoms, however, infections during pregnancy can cause premature delivery, infection of the newborn, or possibly even stillbirth.

The only affected product, Mother Hen Strained Lamb Baby Food, is sold frozen, in a package of 6 units that have the label UPC 6 23067 16001 4 and code 601101016001. The individual unit is labelled with the code 601101. La mère poule Aliments pour bébé Inc. is the manufacturer, and the company is voluntarily recalling the affected baby food product from the marketplace.The affected product has been distributed in Ontario and Quebec Canada. To date, there haven't been any reported illnesses associated with the consumption of this product.

Big Save Baby Strollers Recalled by CPSC

2005-02-22T10:33:00.000-08:00

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), an official federal agency, recently announced along with baby strollers and walkers maker Big Save International the recall of an estimated 12,000 baby walkers. The CPSC warns that the product fits through standard doorways and are also not designed to stop at the edge of a step. The baby walkers also can tip over, the report states. The bulletin added that babies which are transported in these walkers may be seriously injured or killed. No injuries have been reported to date.

The Big Save baby walker models included in the recall are 9026, 9028, 9090, 90110 and 90111. The strollers were distributed and purchased by consumers at toy and baby products stores nationwide, for a retail price of $15-$25, from September 1998 through December 2004. The Consumer Product Safety Commission and Big Save are urging owners of these baby strollers to immediately stop using them and return the products to the store where they were purchased to receive a refund on the item.