There is yet another recall this week -- this time about 1 million play yards are being recalled because the Consumer Product Safety Commission says that their '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.'

These play yards include a number of models made by Kolcraft, Carter's, Sesame Street, Jeep, Contours, Care Bear and Eric Carle Play Yards and were sold from January 2000 to January 2009 in stores nationwide. There have been at least 347 reports of play yards collapsing and 21 injuries to young children.

If you have a recalled play yard, you should stop using it until you can get a free repair kit from Kolcraft.

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CPSC: Kolcraft Play Yard Recall Alert
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Baby Product Recalls
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We are still dealing with several food recalls right now, including the E. coli cookie dough recall that has affected 72 people in 30 states and an E. coli outbreak from beef products that has affected 23 people in 9 states.

There is a new recall now -- various foods made with instant nonfat dried milk, whey protein, fruit stabilizers, and gums (thickening agents) manufactured by Plainview Milk Products Cooperative. It is thought that these food products might be contaminated with Salmonella.

In addition to Malt-O-Meal Hearty Traditions Maple & Brown Sugar Instant Oatmeal and other brands of instant oatmeal , other recall food products include some brands of non-fat dried milk powder, other drink mix products, and butter flavored toppings from Kroger. If you have any of these recalled products, throw them out or try to get a refund, and call your pediatrician if your child recently ate any of the recalled products and has any symptoms of salmonella.

July is National Hemochromatosis Awareness Month, and since most parents, and many pediatricians, don't know about any of the signs, symptoms, or problems associated with hemochromatosis, it is a great time for everyone to learn more about it.

Hemochromatosis is a genetic disease that can be inherited from a child's parents, and which causes the child to absorb too much iron, leading to extra iron being stored in the child's liver, heart, pancreas, and other organs. And although this usually doesn't cause any symptoms in childhood, later in life it can cause them to have arthritis, heart problems, liver disease, diabetes, and many other medical problems.

Learn if your child is at risk for hemochromatosis, especially if any adult family members, including parents, aunts, and uncles, have already been diagnosed with hemochromatosis.

The news that Accutane is being taken off the market has likely worried a lot of parents whose teens are taking this powerful acne medicine.

Although most people know about the possible serious side effects of Accutane, including severe birth defects if a women becomes pregnant while taking Accutane, serious mental health problems, including depression, psychosis, and suicide, bad headaches, gastrointestinal problems, bone and muscle problems, and vision and hearing problems, many continue to take it to treat their severe nodular acne that has not responded to other treatments.

The good news for these patients is that only brand name Accutane is being taken off the market. Other generic versions of Accutane (isotretinoin), including Amnesteem and Claravis, will still be available. According to Roche Holding AG, the maker of Accutane, the decision to take Accutane off the market was not because it was not safe, but rather because they could no longer compete with generic versions of the drug.

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Acne Treatments
Acne Questions, Myths, and Facts
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