Every time a new recall is issued, I shutter to think about how many “kid-safe” products I have in my house that are really dangerous. Since my oldest was born (she’s 4 1/2) there have been recalls on all drop-side cribs, her excersaucer, Tylenol (2xs), the curtains I bought for her nursery, a part on her stroller, Bumbos (2xs) and more that I am sure I am forgetting. And those are only the products that we owned in our house that were effected by the recall, there have been countless recalls that did not affect us directly.
I don’t think of myself as an overly paranoid parent, but when a product is recalled — I want it fixed or out of my house ASAP. I am not messing around with something that has already proven itself to be hurtful to other children. That means I want to know about it ASAP.
Sadly, it is hard to keep up with recalls. Outside of regularly checking for recall information from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA) & United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), there hasn’t been an easy way to make sure you are always up to date — until now.
Recalls Plus agreed that an easier way was needed to keep parents in the know and developed an app that actually alerts parents when a recall is issued. To make the app even cooler, you can narrow down categories you are interested in learning recall information about. For example, if you have preschool-aged kids you probably don’t need an alert for baby toys. On the other hand, if you have a newborn, you want to make sure you know about all of the baby gear recalls.
Geniousness! (Why didn’t I think of it?)
Parents of kids with serious food allergies will also appreciate the ability to set up food monitors. Recalls Plus monitors is 8 FDA-mandated food allergy recalls, which means parents with allergic kids can be alerted when products are recalled for possibly containing an allergen that isn’t listed on the label.
Oh wait, one more important detail — all this great info is FREE!
So what are you waiting for? Download it today! I downloaded it my phone, my husband’s phone and both of our Facebook pages — yes, I think notification is that important. The Recalls Plus app is available for download from iTunes, the Google Play Store and there’s even a Facebook app.
Thanks to Recalls Plus for sponsoring today’s discussion.