As I trip the light fantastic at the latest Mom-2-Mom, I only have one thing in mind: deals. Part of the resale shopping high is price comparison; I gloat about my steals to anyone who will listen. I have lost track of the hundreds of dollars I have saved over the past years by buying second-hand items. Not only do I get a thrill by saving money, I also feel I am doing my duty as a good citizen of Earth. Reusing is a great way to be green. But as a very smart consumer, I really should be considering another aspect to this surprisingly risky business: recalls.
I sold an infant sling to a young new mom this weekend who instantly wanted to try it out with her newborn son. I helped him in and refitted the strap for her and off she went, smiling at her great find. This morning my mom's stomach turned as she heard the latest recall on the news--my infant sling, which has caused three infant deaths so far.
Go with me if you will a few months back to a clearance end cap at Target. I am 8 1/2 months pregnant, swollen feet, and nesting--which means I am on a mean bargain hunt making preparations for my son. We find a great stroller to replace the not-so-great bargain stroller I had to have a couple pregnancy-moment months before. The not-so-great bargain stroller I purchased on Craigslist and agreed to buy it before looking at it. When we got it home, I was sorely disappointed after discovering the replacement parts, which I had convinced myself of all the way home could be easily found on the manufacturers website, were no longer in production and despite my meticulous searches to find a supplier, the had-to-have product was a bust. I was pleased as punch when the shiney new stroller was assembled and ready for D-day.
To my chagrin, it has recently been recalled because the canopy can lacerate or cut-off a child's finger tip. A new canopy can be reordered through the company.
But I've been down that road, too. Our crib, another great find on Craigslist, was recalled just a week after we purchased it. The hinges holding the matress board in place were not as strong as they needed to be and were breaking and causing serious injuries. New hinges were sent to us as a replacement. The second serious recall on the same crib was the drop-down siding, which could cause a child to be caught in between the rail and the matress, causing strangulation deaths across the country. We were informed that a new fixed rail would be making its way to us...eventually. After eventually waiting four months where our child had to sleep in his pack-n-play, we collapsed the apparent death trap and took it to Babies R' Us' own cash-for-clunkers and got a discount on a brand new not-yet-recalled crib.
Perhaps getting the best bargain on a gently used baby item doesn't have as much glory as I thought. Can I risk a recall on an unknowingly dangerous older item because I want to save the planet?
Of course I'm wondering, "Who's to blame?" In discussing this with my friend, a co-mother, we both admitted tossing aside the instruction manuals at the excitement of the finished product. Are people out there really that naive in thinking, "That won't really happen to my child," and use the product inproperly? Are American's misuing product and then turning their unhappy outcome feelings on the people who made the item? Are we really that sue-happy? Or maybe it really is the baby gear companies' fault. Perhaps in an effort to boost sales, they put quantity over quality and push out new stuff each season without really taking the time to test and re-test the very things which hold our precious cargo. I imagine millions of products being recalled can't be good for business.
I'm second, third, and fourth reguessing my trust in all these seemingly safe baby products. And I thought H1N1 and SIDS were my biggest contenders. I guess I'll have to rely on good ol' instinct and common sense if my child is going to make it to age 10.~*
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