Renting Baby Clothes?
What’s better than accepting hand-me-down baby clothes? Renting them. New parents find out, if they don’t know already, that babies go through clothing quickly. T-shirts and onesies that fit just a few weeks ago become too big in the near future. While a baby shower or receiving hand-me-downs can be helpful for getting infant-size clothing, the parents often end up purchasing new onesies, pants, and shirts every few weeks.
Plumgear, a new site for renting baby clothes, wants to change that. Reported by Consumer Reports, Plumgear was set up by Caroline O’Connor, a new mother who found that hand-me-downs and baby shower gifts provided limited options for new parents. Much like Netflix, Plumgear is a subscription service for parents to rent outfits for their baby. Once the child outgrows the clothing in a few weeks, they send it back to Plumgear for the next size up.
The website offers sizes 0-3 months through 2T, and clothing is purchased wholesale from quality brands like Rabbit Moon, Petit Bateau, Angel Dear, Soy Baby, Le Top, and Mini Muffin. Parents, when using the service, can order clothing in packs of five, 10, or 15, and a typical order includes tops, pants, and onesies; for a girl, a dress, leggings, and tights may also be added.
The cost of subscription covers the return of clothing, and all garments are laundered with fragrance-free Seven Generation detergent. If clothing ends up getting stained or damaged, the parents are not charged, and the garment is donated.
If you’re a parent tired of purchasing new baby clothing every few weeks, would renting the basics appeal to you? Clothing won’t sit around your home used and outgrown after several weeks, you only need to pay the subscription fee, and all garments are wearable, unlike questionable hand-me-downs. If you’re looking to save money with a new baby, would you opt to rent baby clothing, or purchase it secondhand and accept hand-me-downs?
Reconsidering Childproofing Around the Home
Babies and toddlers, when left alone for a moment, get into everything. Although out of pure curiosity, this need to touch and explore everything is best done when a parent is present and alert. But if a parent isn’t paying attention every single second, how can a child stay out of trouble? A home needs to be childproofed.
Yet, the childproofing methods of yore, including outlet covers and baby gates, just aren’t enough, according to a parenting advice piece from the New York Times. According to the experts cited, homes have changing hazards and childproofing methods need to stay updated with them.
What new hazards should parents now think about?
• Cords are now considered strangulation hazards. Parents, in response, need to make sure their home is as cord-free as possible. Baby monitors, power tools, and even blinds need to be cord-free. Otherwise, the child can grab it and end up choking.
• Outlet covers are outdated, and parents removing them may forget to put them back in. Instead, experts recommend putting a horizontal slide plate over every outlet.
• Televisions and furniture can fall on babies and toddlers. Parents, to prevent any injuries, need to secure all such objects in their home.
• Homes have many small objects. As you look around your home for hazards, examine each small object and see if it can move through a toilet paper tube. If it can, it poses a choking hazard to a young child and needs to be kept out of reach.
As far as checking your home is concerned, examine it from a child’s level and make any necessary changes. But because each home has its own individual hazards, the experts suggest having a consultant come in to survey your home. All childproofing, as well, should be done before the baby arrives.
If you have childproofed your home, what advice do you have for new parents?
FDA Warns Against SIDS-Preventing Baby Products
No parent wants to find a child dead from SIDS, yet products that make claims to prevent the condition are not safe, according to a recent statement issued by the FDA. In general, the government agency tells parents to avoid commercial devices marketed to reduce risks for SIDS.
Most parents have likely come across such products. Regardless of brands, however, typical SIDS-preventing baby products come as wedges, sleep positioners, mattresses, sleep surfaces, bedding, pillows, or tents. Such products, in concept, position a baby to prevent rolling over and suffocating during sleep. Yet, the baby itself can slip out of such products, which may in fact end up suffocating the child. The FDA reports that 13 deaths from SIDS-preventing products have occurred over the past 13 years.
In its statement, the FDA goes on to say that such baby products are unnecessary and, based on the evidence, may be dangerous to a child. Additionally, manufacturers of these SIDS-preventing products, some of which state medical claims, are urged to remove all statements from packaging. As the agency has never approved a product to be SIDS-reducing or preventing, the FDA wants all manufacturers to wait until their products receive clearance or approval to put such claims on packaging.
But, if a parent is looking to reduce risks of SIDS, what are his or her options? Although a study indicated that some babies may be predisposed to SIDS because of serotonin levels, general rules of thumb for putting a baby to sleep are clear the crib of any object and put the baby on its back. SIDS-reducing products aside, a crib should not contain any stuffed animals, toys, or crib bumpers, as a baby could roll over and end up suffocating on one of these surfaces. Additionally, cords from baby monitors, lamps, or other devices should not be within reaching distance of the crib.
Recall of Bugaboo Bee Strollers
A brand associated with luxury baby products, Bugaboo introduced the $1,500 Donkey stroller earlier this year. Yet, just recently, the high-end stroller brand experienced a recall of its Bee model.
The Bugaboo Bee presents a tipping danger, resulting from a front wheel that sticks when swiveling. Because of an earlier shimmying problem for the same part, the brand switched a metal bearing with a plastic one.
All recalled models were sold from January to September 2011. In terms of what to do, Bugaboo has provided directions for parents. To sum up the major points:
• Parents can continue using the stroller as long as the front swivel wheels are locked for the time being.
• A repair kit is being issued to those who registered with the brand.
• Those who did not register, however, can fill out a request form online for a repair kit.
• The repair kit sent out will include a wheel replacement set with metal bearing wheels to prevent sticking.
Bugaboo also has a newer Bee model available, but this, too, still may have a shimmying problem. If you have the newer Bugaboo Bee stroller and the front wheel still shimmies, contact the brand for a washer ring set and instructions for correcting the issue.
In regards to the recall, Bugaboo issued a statement. They wrote:
“The safety and wellbeing of our customers and their children is paramount to Bugaboo. Previously this year we found that, although non-swiveling wheels affect the driving experience, we believed it did not affect the safety of the stroller.
“However, the latest safety assessment by an independent expert concluded, following further tests, that there is a small chance that the stroller’s front wheels could jam, which could make the stroller tip over.
“In light of this we believe that the safety profile of this product is inadequate and not up to our quality standard. We take this very seriously and therefore we immediately stop shipment and sales of the Bugaboo Bee.
[…]
“We believe that these metal bearing swivel wheels will be the solution to the non-swiveling issues some Bugaboo Bee customers are experiencing and remove any potential for tip-over and the risks associated with tip-over.”