Home Organization and Safety

The death of a 3-week-old Tucson infant in his home Thursday morning shows the dangers of a controversial yet popular practice called co-sleeping.

Co-sleeping — a parent and an infant sharing a bed — was a contributing factor in the death and in two other infant deaths here this year.

Thursday's is the 11th such case Sgt. Carlos Valdez, a detective in the Tucson Police Department's dependent-child unit, has handled since he began his job in July 2005.

"It's heart-wrenching when a mom asks me 'How did my baby die?' and we have to say 'It's possible it was from sharing the bed with your baby,' " Valdez said.

Co-sleeping is debated in medical and parental circles.

On one side there's the added bonding that mom and dad can have with a baby who is sharing a bed with them. For moms who are breast-feeding, it's convenient. There are cultural and economic reasons adults and infants share beds, too.

Full report: Risks of parent and baby sharing a bed

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Toymaker Mattel Inc on Tuesday announced a third recall of Chinese-made toys, saying it would take back more than 800,000 units globally that contain "impermissible" levels of lead.

In total, 522,000 U.S. toys and 322,000 outside the United States are being recalled. The toys were shipped between August 3, 2006, and July 31, 2007, the company said.

The latest recall involves three Fisher-Price toy models and eight Barbie brand playsets. No Barbie dolls were included.

Mattel instructs people to go to its Web site (www.service.mattel.com) to establish whether they own an affected toy. After they fill out a form and send back the affected parts, Mattel will send them replacement and bonus parts.

Full report: Reuters

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Microsoft Corp., facing its second Xbox 360 headache of the summer, will replace parts of its Wireless Racing Wheel video game controllers after 50 reports that they overheated and released smoke.

The $130 steering wheel-shaped controllers mimic the physical sensations of race car driving for games such as "Forza Motorsport 2." About 230,000 have been sold to consumers worldwide, the company said Thursday.

When the unit is plugged into an electrical outlet, its AC/DC adapter can overheat, Microsoft said, adding that it’s safe to continue using the gadgets with battery power.

Full report: SFGate.com
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The 2008 BMW 5 Series was the worst performer in new side-impact crash tests of luxury sedans by the insurance industry.

The Acura RL, Kia Amanti and Volvo S80 all earned the highest safety rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, according to results released Thursday. The Cadillac STS and Mercedes E-Class earned the second-highest rating.

The tests were designed to show what would happen if a truck or sport utility vehicle hit the side of the sedan at 31 mph, the speed of a serious crash. Side-impact crashes are the most common type of fatal crash after a frontal crash, killing around 9,000 people on U.S. roadways in 2005, the institute said.

Full report: The Associated Press
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Mattel announced recalls Tuesday for 9 million more Chinese-made toys, including popular Barbie, Polly Pocket and “Cars” movie items, and warned that more could be ordered off store shelves because of lead paint and tiny magnets that could be swallowed.

The recalls came nearly two weeks after Mattel Inc., the nation’s largest toy-maker, recalled 1.5 million Fisher-Price infant toys worldwide, which were also made in China, because of possible lead-paint hazards for children.

The government warned parents to make sure children are not playing with any of the recalled toys.

Full report: The Washington Post

See also:
Answers on toy recall for worried parents
Fisher-Price to Recall Nearly 1M Toys