I see them on little kids at our local playground all the time—bicycle helmets that look like big bubbles, perched high on the crowns of the children’s heads. They look a little silly, but worse, they’re not fitted properly. Getting the right helmet fit is essential in case of an accident.
The front of the helmet should be level and no more than one or two finger widths above the brow. (See the video at right for more information.) The helmet should fit snugly, with the head partially compressing the soft foam pads inside, even before the straps are tightened. The straps should form a "V" under each ear, and the buckle should be centered under the chin, not to the side or along the jaw. The straps should be snug enough that the helmet is pulled down when the mouth is opened.
See our full bike helmet report, and check our bike helmet Ratings to learn which models held up in our tests.
—Artemis DiBenedetto
Inflatable injuries are upPopular at carnivals and kids' birthday parties, inflatable amusements come in all shapes and sizes. Unfortunately, the fun can end quickly. Kids pile on top of other kids, breaking bones, chipping teeth or worse, or when the structures deflate unexpectedly, trapping children inside. Learn how to keep your child safe in the full post on our Safety blog.
How to fight mosquito bitesMosquitoes can ruin your backyard barbecue, camping trip, or just about any outdoor summer activity, but there are ways to fight them. Learn more about mosquitos and how to fight them in the full post on our Health blog.
My 21-pound 11 month old is outgrowing his infant car seat. To save money, can I skip a convertible car seat and just buy a toddler booster?
You could—but it’s not the safest idea. That’s because a convertible car seat can be used rear facing and a toddler booster seat can’t. In fact, many convertible models offer the potential to keep babies and toddlers rear facing until they weigh 35 pounds (depending on the model), and the rear-facing mode offers the greatest protection in the event of an accident. “The longer you can keep your baby rear-facing, the better,” says Kisha Price, a health educator and certified child passenger safety technician at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Safety Center in Baltimore. (Learn more about why rear-facing longer is better.)
At the 35-pound point, you turn a convertible car seat around and your child faces forward until he reaches the seat’s weight limit in that mode, which is generally up to 40 pounds, though some convertible seats have front-facing weight limits of 65 pounds or more. Models typically have an adjustable five-point harness system, which we recommend based on our tests. (See concerned about rear-facing babies?)
With a toddler booster seat, on the other hand, your child rides front facing with the car seat’s own internal harness from 20 to 40 pounds, though some toddler booster seats go up to up to 65 or even as high as 80 pounds, for kids who are heavier or larger than average for their age. (Learn more about all car seat types.)
Because a convertible car seat keeps your baby riding rear facing initially, we recommend buying one with a five-point harness instead of a toddler booster as your baby’s next-stage car seat (when he outgrows his infant car seat). To save money, consider buying a convertible car seat with a weight limit of 65 pounds or more. That move will allow you to possibly skip a toddler booster and jump to a belt-positioning booster when your child is ready. A belt-positioning booster is designed for kids weighing 40 to 100 pounds. A belt-positioning booster uses only the vehicle’s own safety belts to restrain your child but it’s designed to correctly position both the lap and the shoulder portions of the vehicle’s belt correctly across the stronger parts of your child’s body, the collarbone and hip area. It should be used until your child is at least 57 inches tall—the minimum height at which car seat belts will fit a child correctly.
See our latest convertible car seats report and Ratings (for subscribers).
Some infant formulas contain sucrose (a.k.a. cane sugar or table sugar), which can harm a baby’s tooth enamel faster than any other sugar, according to Diane M. Paletta, DDS, a dentist in Charleston, W. Va., and a spokesperson for the Academy of General Dentistry.
Sucrose is the sweetener in Similac Organic formula, as well as some protein-hydrolyzed formulas and some lactose-free infant formulas, such as soy formulations. All infant formulas have some added sweeteners, to help infants digest the protein from cow’s milk or soy. Along with lactose or sucrose, you might find corn syrup solids and maltodextrin. “Sucrose acts on bacteria in the mouth to produce acid and form plaque, which can begin to erode tooth enamel if it has direct contact with teeth for just 20 minutes,” Paletta says. Check the ingredients on the label if you want to avoid a formula sweetened with sucrose. (See our post on soy vs. milk-based formulas.)
After every formula feeding, wipe off your baby’s teeth with a wet or dry gauze pad so that a layer of plaque never has the chance to form. You don’t need toothpaste, Paletta says. “Just the mechanical action of wiping is enough to get rid of plaque, and that’s even true for adults.
Also, never put your baby to bed—or even down for a nap at home or on the go—with a bottle of milk, breast milk, or formula, or give your baby juice or water sweetened with table sugar, all of which can lead to baby-bottle tooth decay.
If you’re in the market for a stroller and infant car seat, this question has undoubtedly crossed your mind. A travel system offers one-stop shopping: It consists of an infant car seat, a car-seat base for your car, and a separate stroller all in one. With these systems, you create a carriage by snapping an infant car seat into a stroller. When your baby can sit up, then you use the stroller without the car seat. The snap-on car seat is generally positioned atop the stroller so the infant rides facing you—the person pushing. Once your baby can sit up, she can ride in the stroller seat without a car seat.
Pros: A travel system allows you to move a sleeping baby in an infant car seat undisturbed from car to stroller and vice versa. Some also have a seat that fully reclines, so you can use it as a carriage, with the infant car seat. (See all stroller types.)
Cons: With travel systems, a car seat and stroller are typically sold together. But you can also create your own by combining a car seat and stroller. If you select the car seat first, you have to live with the stroller it works with (and vice versa). An alternative is to choose a stroller that holds car seats from a number of manufacturers. With all travel systems, you have to push around a car seat and a stroller, which can be bulky and unmanageable on stairs.
Verdict: Consider your lifestyle before buying a travel system. If you’re a city dweller who negotiates more subway stairs than highways or if the trunk of your car isn’t too roomy, you may be better off with a separate car seat and a compact stroller that offers a reclined, safely-enclosed space that’s appropriate for a newborn, or an infant car seat with a car-seat carrier frame. Buying a travel system forces you to think about the type of stroller you’ll want to use now and later. If you’re not ready to make that decision, buy an infant car seat and an infant car-seat carrier frame. That should tide you over until your baby outgrows his infant car seat (at about a year).
Thrift tip: It can be cheaper to buy a travel system as a unit rather than as separate components. We estimate that you can save $60 to $100 that way. Plus you won’t have to match the car seat and stroller yourself. But be sure to evaluate the stroller as a stand-alone item first, since you’ll be using that longer than the infant car seat that goes with it.
Learn more about every kind of baby product in our latest Consumer Reports Guide to Baby Products, available in our bookstore and in bookstores nationwide.
This week, Kolcraft recalled one million play yards because the side rail can unlatch unexpectedly, posing a fall hazard to children. Kolcraft has received 347 reports of play yard sides collapsing, resulting in 21 injuries to young children, including bumps, scrapes, bruises and one concussion, the Consumer Product Safety Commission reported.
The recall involves more than 20 models, including the Travelin’ Tot series sold under a number of brand names. In addition to Kolcraft, the play yards were manufactured for Carter’s, Sesame Street, Jeep, Contours, Care Bare and Eric Carle (check the recall notice for model numbers). Some of the units have a bassinet and/or changing table. Some models have a mobile, vibrating unit or a parent organizer. The model numbers can be found on a white sticker on one of the feet of the play yard.
Read more about this recall in the full post on our Safety blog. Learn more about play yards, inlcuding other models not to buy, in our full report.
You’ll change thousands of diapers by the time your child is 2 to 3 years old and ready for the potty. Fortunately, diaper quality is better than ever, which makes the task easier. Although cloth diapers are making a comeback, disposable diapers continue to be a popular choice because they’re so convenient. (Learn more about diaper pails.)
Your first major decision in the diaper department will be between the cloth (a.k.a. “reusable”) or disposable (“single-use”) kind. Both types have their benefits and drawbacks. Disposable diapers are undeniably convenient, but they’re costly: You can expect to spend $1,500 to $2,000 or more on disposables by the time your baby is out of them. If you use “eco-friendly” disposable diapers, which are biodegradable or not bleached with chlorine, you’ll pay even more, an average of $1,600 to $2,500, depending on the number of diaper changes per day.
Cloth diapers can be much less expensive, especially if you wash them yourself. After paying the start-up costs—namely the waterproof covers you’ll need to lock in moisture, the diapers, diaper inserts (cloth pads added to increase absorbency), and flushable liners that help contain the mess and eliminate the need to rinse cloth diapers before depositing them in a diaper pail—you’ll spend hundreds of dollars less in diapering supplies over the years because you’ll wash and reuse them again and again. You might even be able to use them for more than one baby.
“People have this leftover image of rubber pants and pins,” says Betsy Thomas, co-owner of Bummis, a Montreal-based company that makes washable waterproof diaper covers and sells prefolds and fitted diapers to go with them. But cloth diapers that close with snaps or Velcro can be almost as easy to use as disposable diapers. Yet you still have to wash them. Despite a resurgence in the popularity of cloth diapers, disposable diapers continue to be an accepted choice among today’s parents, day-care centers and hospitals.
Learn more in the latest edition of Consumer Reports Guide to Baby Products, available in our bookstore and in bookstores nationwide.
When shopping for a bouncer or "bouncy" seat, here are some comfort and safety features to look for.
Seat belts. Most models have a soft fabric three-point crotch strap as a restraint; others have a five-point harness, which is ideal for newborns because they tend to list to the side or slide to the end of the seat. Check all fasteners on models with three-point or five-point harnesses to see that they’re strong, secure, and easy for you to work, and that they won’t poke your baby. They should be stiff enough to be safe without being so rigid that they pinch or are difficult for you to operate.
Head support. Seats with an adjustable, removable cushioned head support are ideal for newborns.
Seat positioning. Some bouncer seats recline more than others. At least two seatback positions—upright and recline—are a definite plus. The recline feature is necessary for infants, since they don’t have the head control that sitting, even on a slight incline, requires.
Canopy. Some models have a canopy to block light. The canopy can be a sunshade if your baby spends time in it outdoors, but be sure to position the bouncer in the shade so your baby won’t become overheated or get sunburned. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that infants under 6 months old not be exposed to direct sunlight. Even with a canopy, keep the bouncer in complete shade and dress your baby in clothes that cover her arms and legs as well as a hat with a brim.
Cushiness. Seat padding can vary from basic to extra-thick. Because wet diapers are bound to come in contact with the fabric covering, upholstery should be removable and machine washable (check the label). There also shouldn’t be any loose threads or gaps in the seams.
Frame. When you’re in the store, give the various display models a “bounce,” if possible. Bring your own batteries, in case the display models don’t have them. A bouncer seat should have a wide, stable base and be springy. If it seems stiff, it probably won’t bounce with your baby in it.
Seat fabric. Fabric patterns range from kiddy prints and colors to sophisticated solid and patterned color combos like gray and mandarin (orange), chili (red), or wasabi (lime green). A cloth seat cover is the norm; make sure it’s removable and machine washable.
Toy bar. Besides watching you and your family from the sidelines, your baby may enjoy the sensory stimulation of toys, sounds, and lights that many bouncer seats come with. A toy bar isn’t necessary in the early months, since your baby may not want to play with the toys all the time or even know what to do with them. Toy bars come into play around 4 months of age, though music and vibration features will likely be appreciated well before then. Toys usually are suspended from a removable play bar. Some models have toys that are pastel colored, which won’t make as dramatic an impact on your baby as brighter colors will. If your baby can’t reach the toy bar, position it so she can kick at it. Most bouncers allow you to take the play bar off and use just the seat for snoozing and quiet time. Not all models have toy bars, though many parents believe they’re a must-have, especially starting at around the 4-month mark. Don’t use the toy bar as a carrying handle.
Learn more about how to save money on bouncer seats for babies.
For your baby’s first thermometer, go with an inexpensive digital model. Look for an LCD display that’s easy to read and a start button that’s easy to press. But don’t be swayed by digital thermometers that claim to take a reading in an instant. A reading in 20 to 60 seconds is quick enough.
Get more quick shopping tips in the 10th edition of the Consumer Reports Guide to Baby Products, and learn more about baby thermometers and taking baby's temperature in our full report.
The American Pyrotechnics Association, an industry trade group, tracks injuries relative to sales. While use of fireworks doubled from 1997 to 2007, injuries per 100,000 pounds dropped 40 percent.
That’s good news, of course, but it doesn’t mean much to the 9,800 adults and children who ended up in emergency rooms in 2007 because of fireworks, and it means even less to the 11 people who died.
As we approach the Fourth of July holiday, when fireworks injuries peak, it’s a good idea to know both the laws for your state (five states ban all consumer fireworks; five more allow only sparklers), and the best ways to stay safe around all those incendiary devices.
Read the rest of this post on our Safety blog, and learn more about fireworks safety from the American Acadmey of Pediatrics.
