Fun Indoor Activities For Toddlers & Kids To Aid Development

The leaves are turning, the wind is blowing and a ton of leaves are sprinkled all over our lawn, waiting for their yearly clean-up! It’s fall in New Jersey! That means I have to come up with countless activities to keep our active and busy 2 year occupied, entertained and happy.

Since putting her in front of the TV is not typically my style, I’m always on the lookout for intelligent fun toys for her to play with.

Some of our favorite indoor activities right now are art, finger painting, puppet shows and reading! This clever art easel from Moma can be used as a chalkboard, a white dry-erase board, and even a puppet theater. Great for toddlers!

Pretend play and art stimulate children’s imagination and strengthens their language skills and aids in proper social development. We enrolled Kayla in pre-school a few weeks ago, and they seem to be doing an art project every time I take her there. We are signed up for 3 times per week, 3 hours per day. The arts and crafts they seem to create are fantastic for their age. It’s awesome!

These cityscapes templates from the MOMA store could be a little too advanced for a child under 2 1/2  to trace around, but they can definitely occupy a 3-year old. A set of four, these templates feature iconic images from New York City, London, Tokyo, and Paris. For ages 3 and up.

So there you have it. A few ideas on entertaining your toddler indoors. Hopefully, you have prepared yourself for the winter months with tons of activities up your sleeve and a ton of patience!

Nine Companies Penalized for Knowingly Selling Children’s Products that Violated the Federal Lead Paint Ban

Hate to be such a nagging voice of reason and hate to say “I TOLD YOU SO!”. But I TOLD YOU SO! Apparently 9 companies are paying fines for knowingly selling previously recalled products that violated the federal lead paint ban in 2008 and 2009.

We say this here all the time – just because they sell it at Toys R Us or Michael’s, doesnt mean it’s safe for your child! Do your homework and supervise your children while they play.

Seemingly innocent educational products such as wooden blocks or toy cars can be lurking in your playroom mocking you and poisoning your child.

I dont mean to sound soooo paranoid!! I think I’ve been writing too many recall product blogs posts!

You can read the article below or check it out for yourself here.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced today that nine children’s product manufacturers, importers and sellers have agreed to pay more than $500,000 in civil penalties for violating the federal lead paint ban.

The penalties settle allegations that the firms knowingly manufactured, imported, or sold toys and other children’s articles with paint or other surface coatings that contained lead levels in violation of federal law. The settlements have been provisionally accepted by the Commission.

These products were recalled in 2007 and 2008, and include items such as toys, children’s metal jewelry, children’s pens, metal water bottles, pencil pouches, sunglasses and children’s Halloween pails and baskets. Tests showed that paint or surface coatings on these children’s products contained lead in excess of 600 ppm, or 0.06 percent, by weight. One firm’s testing revealed that its products contained surface coatings with nearly 60 percent lead. In 1978, a federal ban was put in place which prohibited toys and other children’s articles from having more than 0.06 percent lead (by weight) in paints or surface coatings. Lead can be toxic if ingested by young children and can cause adverse health consequences.

CPSC has ordered the following firms to pay civil penalties to the federal government:

• Cardinal Distributing Co. Inc., of Baltimore, Md., $100,000
  • Recall: #07-157
  • Settlment Agreement (pdf)
• Dollar General Corp., of Goodlettsville, Tenn., $100,000
  • Recalls: 08-007, #08-068, #08-080
  • Settlment Agreement (pdf)
• Family Dollar Stores Inc., of Matthews, N.C., $75,000
  • Recall: #08-051
  • Settlment Agreement (pdf)
• Hobby Lobby Stores Inc., of Oklahoma City, Okla., $50,000
  • Recalls: #08-084, #08-229
  • Settlment Agreement (pdf)
• First Learning Company Ltd., of Hong Kong, $50,000
  • Recalls: #08-141, #08-174
  • Settlment Agreement (pdf)
• Michaels Stores Inc., of Irving, Texas, $45,000
  • Recall: #08-248
  • Settlment Agreement (pdf)
• A&A Global Industries Inc., of Cockeysville, Md., $40,000
  • Recall: #07-144
  • Settlment Agreement (pdf)
• Raymond Geddes & Co, of Baltimore, Md., $40,000
  • Recall: #08-096
  • Settlment Agreement (pdf)
• Downeast Concepts Inc., of Yarmouth, Maine, $30,000
  • Recall: #08-231
  • Settlment Agreement (pdf)

In agreeing to settle the matters, the firms deny CPSC’s allegations that they knowingly violated the law.

Evenflo Recalls Telephone Toys Due to Choking Hazard

Evenflo is just getting a bad rep around THIS house! I am seriously thinking about checking every item in my daughter’s room to make sure it’s not made by them.

Here is another toy being recalled  (You can read about the details here) due to a a mirror decal attached to the front of the toy that can peel away and create a potential choking hazard for an infant or toddler.

The recall involves Evenflo Switch-A-Roo telephone toys made between October 2008 and June 2009. The model number is 6391911.

We all know children love gadgets and phones and anything that makes noise and plays music.

Check your playrooms for this item and in general, always supervise your child during play.

Evenflo Expands Recall of Majestic™ High Chairs Due to Fall and Choking Hazards

Evenflo is recalling yet another infant high chair. What a shame for this company.

You can read about the recall here.

The reason for the recall is that apparently the plastic caps and metal screws on both sides of the high chair can loosen and fall out, allowing the seatback to suddenly fall back or detach from the high chair. Children can fall backwards or fall out of the high chair and suffer bumps and bruises to the head, broken bones, abrasions, cuts and bruises. Detached hardware also poses a choking hazard to children.

This is almost identical to the Envision High Chair recall we covered here.

This is just too bad for this company.

Evenflo Recalls Envision™ High Chairs Due to Fall and Choking Hazards

Ok. Here is another recall for a highly used piece of equipment in the toddler household. I cannot tell you how many times per day I get my 2-year old in and out of her high chair per day!!

This model is being recalled due to the recline fasteners and metal screws on both sides of the high chair loosening and fall out, allowing the seatback to detach or recline unexpectedly.

This would cause your baby to fall backwards or fall out of the high chair and suffer bumps and bruises to the head, abrasions, cuts and bruises.

Detached hardware also poses a choking hazard to young children crawling around on the floor or to your child after the incident.

You can read about this recall here.

This is another one of those items you cannot cheap out on. I remember when my husband and I were shopping for our first car seat, high chair, pack and play and looking at all the different options. I absolutely refused to sacrifice on price when it came to any of our items.

Just not worth it when you look at the big picture.

You can always make more money but you can never replace your baby.

Keep safe!

Kolcraft Recalls 1 Million Play Yards Due to Fall Hazard

Ok. Just in case you didn’t catch this in the title! ONE M-I-L-L-I-O-N DIFFERENT PLAY YARDS ARE BEING RECALLED HERE!!!

Please please go and read about it here. The CPSC is listing each and every model being recalled and showing you a few dozen pictures as well. If you do have a Kolcraft play yard, make sure you check it’s model number and get your refund ASAP! They are being recalled because the play yard’s side rail can fail to latch properly and when a child pushes against the rail it can unlatch unexpectedly, posing a fall hazard to children.

My sister is having ababy in 3 weeks and belive me I KNOW how important it was for us to find a good play yard. One of her good friends purchased the Graco Pack-N-Play for her and believe me, one of the things I just did when writing this article was to check whether there were any injuries reported from using that particular model.

So, please go and be safe. We have enough battles to fight in our daily mommyhood than to worry that our child will unexpectedly fall out of their pack and play and get a concussion!

Unbelievable!

Toy Maracas Recalled by Tupperware U.S. Due to Choking and Suffocation Hazards

We try to keep up with toy recalls here at Gigi’s Crib since many of our readers and editors have young children. Here is another baby toy recalled due to choking hazards that may be a child’s favorite. These particular ones by Tupperware U.S. can break and expose small parts, posing a choking hazard to young children. In addition, the handle poses a suffocation hazard to young children.

You can read about the recall here.

Always inspect your child’s toys before using them. We have a rule around our house – no matter whom it’s from, it has to pass the non-breaking, non-choking, non-suffocating test. Otherwise, it goes in the garbage.

Suntech Enterprises Recalls SunKids Convertible Cribs Due to Entrapment and Suffocation Hazards

All I can say about this one is – Do your homework when you purchase a crib for your infant! I cannot say enough about buying cheap Made in China cradles for your newborn. The sides of this crib are made of mesh that expands, creating a gap between the side and the crib’s mattress if it’s not zipped into place, or a gap between the side and an added mattress. A baby can slip into this gap and become entrapped or suffocate. Also, the crib’s drop side can fail to fully latch posing a fall hazard to young children.

You can read about the recall here.

We have enough to worry about – SIDS, genetic disorders, infertility rates to have to also worry about defective and poorly manufactured baby cribs.

Baby Toy Boxes by Lakeshore Learning Recalled Due to Choking Hazard

Toy Boxes by Lakeshore Learning are being recalled due to choking hazard (you can view the report here). Apparently the head of the stuffed butterfly can detach from the body, posing a choking hazard to children.

Am I the only nut who scrutinizes my daughter’s toys like they were being used in the next terrorist plot?

I obsess over the minutest aspects of each toy and remove anything that can be a choking hazard, tripping hazard, lead poison hazard.

Never mind the mold on the ceiling from our brand new house having a window malfunction. Uuuugh… I know…. where is my applause for “Best Mother Of the Year”!  Biscuits anyone?

No seriously! This does come in handy. Like the time my daughter received a Polish doll from her uncle’s wife that had needles in her hair!!!! Needles!!!

Tiny almost see-through needles that were holding the doll’s hair rag to her shiny blonde hair.

I would have never seen that if it wasn’t for my Supper Mommy spidie senses.

Can you imagine her swallowing or stabbing herself with needles ????!!!??? That would make the 8 stitches on her nose seem like nothing!

Anyway, these toys by Lakeshore Learning Materials seems like a cute idea for a toddler toy! It stimulates all the senses, sight and touch, etc. I can image countless hours being spent playing with these.

Just goes to show you – just because it looks cute, seems like fun and is being sold @ a Toys R Us near you, it doesn’t mean you should take it’s safety for granted.

Now go look for unforceen invisible dangers in your child’s play area and thank ME for it!

Hydroxycut Recalled by the FDA

I’ll admit it…I’ve popped a few diet pills in my life.  Once the baby was out, I couldnt blame my big rump on the pregnancy, and I was sooo tired of being huge,  who could blame me? I needed some instant weight loss gratification! Who wants to sweat and exercise when you can take a magic pill and shed that baby fat in a matter of hours!

Hydroxycut always seemed like the good choice. It’s been around since 2002 – I mean if it caused brain damage or something, wouldn’t the FDA have caught it by now?

Well! Not so fast!! Apparently, they were waiting for someone to die before investigating the contents and side-effects of this ever popular diet pill!

FDA Warns Consumers to Stop Using Hydroxycut Products

Dietary Supplements Linked to One Death; Pose Risk of Liver Injury

Hmmmm…… let’s regroup for a minute! Hydroxycut claimed it was as natural and clean as a baby’s butt! It cornered the market for over 7 years on weight loss supplements, by claiming it was natural (all natural ingredients) and nutritional weight loss supplement. It claimed it was able  to help you lose weight and gain muscle definition. There are no studies proving any of these claims.

Let’s face it ladies! If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

I am actually shocked that people are still popping diet pills after the whole ephedra nonsense. Unfortunately, the victims of these products are young impressionable girls who idolize Photoshoped models on the covers of Vogue and will do anything to look like that. Or desperate post-partum women like me looking for some normalcy again!
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