Agency on the look out dangerous baby products

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Posted 8:35 AM 10/16/2012 : Agency on the look out for dangerous baby products

(NBC NEWS) - A warning for parents: there are dangerous baby products that can cause injuries, even death - and some of them are still on store shelves.

Bring home a new baby and you bring home a house full of new equipment - products parents presume are safe to use.

"One of the most serious challenges there are products that may appear to give parents a false sense of security," said David Butler, Deputy Director for Consumer's Union in Washington D.C.

The C.U. says products are designed and sold, and only after being used by children do some safety problems surface.

"That's always the challenge, is making sure that those products are the very safest that they can be and when necessary trying to get these dangerous products off the store shelves but it is a very complex process that can take a while," Butler said.

The U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission is in charge of tracking injuries and working with manufacturers to redesign products and sometimes issue a recall.

At the CPSC's lab, Products are tested for safety and dangerous designs discovered. For starters, drop side cribs - more than eleven million have been recalled.

"It was specifically the drop-side detached hazard and what happens, the baby can get caught, feet first - get caught at the head and neck area and strangle." said CPSC spokesperson Nikki Fleming,

Thirty-two babies have died.

Beware of soft bedding. The CPSC says nearly half of all crib deaths are from suffocation. It warns: never put pillows, quilts, cushions or even bumpers in the baby's crib.

As for sleep positioners, the CPSC says don't use them. There have been at least 12 deaths.

"Never want to use a sleep positioner, baby can turn to their side, get caught at the head area on the bolster and suffocate," Fleming said.

Another worry is baby sling carriers. At least 14 deaths have been reported.

"The commission is concerned about babies suffocating with the fabric against the nose and mouth or when the baby is in a curved position and gets caught chin to chest and can no longer breathe," Fleming said.

How does the CPSC want parents to use these safely?
"Consumers should always make sure baby's head is exposed when using the sling carrier," says the CPSC.

Falls also injure children. Recently, Bumbo seats were recalled for a fix. Twenty-one skull fractures were reported after babies fell out of seats placed on elevated surfaces.

"You want to get the restraint strap and add it to your Bumbo seat," Fleming said. "A safer place is to always use the Bumbo seat on the floor."

Baby bath seats are another problem. The seat can tip over and the baby can slip through the leg opening and drown.

Baby walkers have been dangerous around stiars - the CPSC says stairs and falls are the number one injury there. The walkers can be, "extremely dangerous and can be deadly," said Fleming, showing off a newer model. "Here we have the newer style with the anti-skid device, it stops at the top of stairs."

"When you're setting up a house for a baby it's overwhelming the number of products being marketed to you, and the essential things that you really do need that's why it's so important to do your homework to find out what you really need and what is considered safe," Butler said.

Find out what consumers are complaining about when it comes to all kinds of products before you go shopping. Check the government website:

Saferproducts.gov - It includes potentially dangerous products and products that have already been recalled.

Also check CPSC.gov for more recall and product safety information.