Holiday Toy Shopping and Toy Safety Tips from the Toy Industry Association Available

Websites Offers Parents Information on Toy Safety, Trends and Play

For parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, ‘tis the season to go toy shopping. With the economy keeping many families on tight budgets, consumers are looking for the perfect toys and games that offer the children in their lives the most safe and fun play value.

Reports from the federal government’s U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and consumer groups such as the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) and Consumers Union agree that toys on the shelf this holiday season are safer than they have ever been.

“The right toy – one that is age appropriate, properly designed and manufactured, and matches the interests of the child – will provide hours of fun and safe play,” explains Joan Lawrence, vice president of safety at the Toy Industry Association and a mother of three young children herself. She advises all shoppers to keep safety top of mind when selecting toys this holiday season and throughout the year.


Detailed information on toy safety and toy buying tips are just a click away – on the newly enhanced consumer website from the Toy Industry Association, www.ToyInfo.org.

Among the resources available on the www.ToyInfo.org site are the following toy safety tips for this holiday season:

At the store
-- Check and follow age guidance and other safety information on packaging (age grading is based mostly on safety and not on how smart a child may be)
--Avoid toys with small parts for children under age three (3) and children who mouth toys
--Inspect toys at the store, looking for sturdy parts and tightly secured joints
Make sure that batteries in toys are firmly enclosed and inaccessible to children
--For children under 18 months of age, avoid toys with strings, straps or cords longer than twelve (12) inches
--Check to see that plush (stuffed) toys have age-appropriate features such as embroidered or secured eyes and noses for younger children and seams that are reinforced to withstand an older child’s play
--Avoid toys with sharp points or rough edges, especially for younger children
Shop at a reputable retailer you know and trust

Once the presents are opened
--Read instructions carefully; save directions, warranties and assembly hardware
--Role play the right way to use the toy or game and explain to your child the importance of proper use
--Dispose of all unnecessary toy packaging and gift-wrap as soon as possible (piles of discarded gift-wrap can conceal sharp objects or the edges of hard plastic packaging that can cut small fingers)
--Store toys safely in an easily accessible storage bin; lidded toy storage should be non-locking and have special safety features such as air holes, spring-loaded hinges and clearances at the hinges to make sure little fingers won’t get caught
--Keep a separate toy chest for older children whose toys may contain small parts; enlist their help in keeping their toys out of reach of younger siblings

After the holidays and throughout the year
--Engage grandparents and caregivers in a discussion about toys and safe play; help them become familiar with these toy safety tips and the importance of age- and interest-appropriate toys
--Be a good role model for the safe use of toys and stay engaged in active adult supervision of children at play
--Keep plush (stuffed) toys out of the cribs of infants
--Keep toys organized and off stairs or high-traffic areas in your home
--Keep toys away from unsupervised areas (pools, bathtubs, driveways or streets with traffic) so they don’t lure a child into a dangerous situation
--Engage older children in keeping their toys away from younger siblings
--Inspect toys regularly and repair or replace damaged or broken parts immediately

A video of holiday shopping tips can be found on the www.ToyInfo.org website (see the tab for “Toys”).


“Moms of Toy Safety” Highlight Toy Industry’s Commitment to Safe and Fun Play

In the toy industry’s take on the popular daytime talk show “The View,” six senior executives — all moms themselves — engage in a conversation that helps parents better understand topics such as how toy makers design safety into toys, how to select the correct toy for a child, and how to use toys safely once they are at home.

Moderated by Alan Korn of Safe Kids USA and father to a nine-year-old son, the “Moms of Toy Safety” panel discusses topics ranging from the age grading of products and secondhand goods and older toys to safe play at home and the importance of adult supervision.

“Our goal for this project was to gather leading experts in the area of toy safety – moms all – for a breezy, informative discussion of toys and safe play from a parent’s point of view,” explained Stacy Leistner, TIA vice president of strategic communications. “We felt it was important to introduce parents and other caregivers to some of the people ‘behind the scenes’ that are helping to assure the safety of toys.”

The topics addressed and discussed by the panel are questions that moms across the country have been asking TIA on a regular basis. “These videos are intended to serve as resources for them,” said Leistner.

>> VIEW THE ‘MOMS OF TOY SAFETY’ VIDEO << TIA Launches Consumer Website Naming Hot Toys for the Holiday Season

A second website has also been launched by TIA in time for the holiday shopping season. Consumer visitors to www.ToyAwards.org will find descriptions of toys nominated as finalists in the prestigious industry-sponsored Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards. The Toy Awards site features a free, downloadable gift shopping list which parents and caregivers can take with them to stores to aid in selecting the most innovative and desirable toys this holiday season. Kids, parents and caregivers can also identify their favorite toys using an electronic polling system and opt-in to register for one or more of eleven (11) prize packages.

Intertek

CPSC to Vote on Intertek Recommendations for Sensible Testing Practices

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) released a Guidance Document last night to be voted on by the Commission that would adopt recommendations made by Intertek and the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA) in their petition to the agency last July. (See full text of the petition here.)

The CPSC’s approval of the Guidance Document on Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) testing and certification procedures would codify Intertek and AAFA’s recommendations as formal, accepted agency policy. With decades of research and expertise with regards to consumer product safety, Intertek anticipates that successful adoption of these policies will save manufacturers millions while improving reliability of product testing for children’s toys, apparel and other childcare items.

The landmark Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA) mandates certification and testing requirements. Testing labs, like Intertek, are restricted to test only final finished products for defined safety standards, such as lead paint, under strict Commission implementation policy. Because children’s products are often sprayed or painted in small areas, such as in the fingernails of a doll, a large number of finished product samples needed to be provided, destroyed and discarded in the testing process. This represented an enormous cost to manufacturers and related businesses, while also impacting the environment with needless waste.

In response to this dilemma, Intertek and the AAFA asked for formal recognition of three specific test methods to detect lead in paint and other surface coatings. The two groups had requested the CPSC to approve processes of “spray sampling” (painting an entire product with the same color of paint, giving lab workers more surface coating to test), “multiple stamping” (stamping products repeatedly with the same paint or ink appliqué to garner a larger sample), and “finished component testing” (allowing painted buttons, for example, to be tested before they are sewn onto the garment). All three recommendations are currently included in the published Guidance Document to be voted on by the full Commission.

“We believe that the recommendations outlined in our petition represent sound science and good public policy,” said Gene Rider, President of Intertek Consumer Goods, North America. “It is possible to implement CPSIA in ways that both ease the regulatory burden on industry and are environmentally friendly without jeopardizing product safety.”

The Guidance Document to be voted on by the CPSC can be viewed here: http://www.cpsc.gov/library/foia/foia10/brief/102testing.pdf.

Contacts

For further information, please contact:

Rachel M. Huang, Public Relations Coordinator

Telephone: +1 630 207 0539

Rachel.m.huang@intertek.com

Toy Industry Association

Children at Bronx Charter School Receive New School Supplies, Toys and More from Toy Industry Foundation and My Stuff Bags Foundation

The Toy Industry Foundation (TIF) and strategic partner, the My Stuff Bags Foundation, kicked off the school year with a “Back to School” donation on Monday, September 14, at The New York Foundling’s Mott Haven Academy Charter School in the Bronx, the nation’s only public charter school for at-risk students in a foster care or child welfare system. As a result, My Stuff Bag duffels filled with school supplies, toys and more were distributed to more than 120 kindergarten, first and second grade students in need. The special event helped to kick-off the school’s second academic year.

Each year an estimated 300,000 children enter foster care across the United States and more than 16,000 kids are in the foster care system in New York City alone. Often suffering from abuse or neglect, these children must leave their homes and may arrive at shelters with few personal belongings other than the clothes on their backs. Individual My Stuff Bags, valued at nearly $100 each, are filled with new items such as toys, toiletries, school supplies, a stuffed animal and a handmade blanket or hat.

TIF, the nonprofit arm of the North American toy industry, has pledged to My Stuff Bags a contribution of $400,000 in addition to 50,000 new toys over a two year period. The toys are donated via The Toy BankTM, which is generously stocked by contributions from toy manufacturers, retailers and distributors.

During the month of September, five hundred “Back to School” bags in total will be sent to New York area agencies and five hundred more will be sent to foster children across the country.


Collectors Clamor for Classic Toys in “Birthday Bids” Auction to Benefit TIF

Beginning on Wednesday, September 23 at 12 p.m. (EST) and closing Wednesday, September 30 at 5 p.m. (EST), the Toy Industry Foundation (TIF) will host an online charity auction on eBay GivingWorks to benefit children at-risk, abused, abandoned, ill or otherwise in need. The auction features exclusive character-based toys and collector items celebrating signature anniversaries for Barbie, G.I. Joe, SpongeBob Square Pants, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Each of the characters is celebrating a milestone anniversary in 2009:

· Barbie Collectors can bid on five custom dolls – each from a limited edition line of 1,000 produced for the icon’s 50th birthday and this year’s national convention – including Voyage in Vintage, the Tribute Gift Set, the Auburn Ponytail Gift Set and the 50th Anniversary Silkstone Barbie.

· G.I. JoeAn exclusive leather golf bag and movie poster signed by the producer, director and cast of the blockbuster G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra are being auctioned in honor of the “granddaddy of all action figures” turning 45 in 2009.

· SpongeBob SquarePantsThe most well-known resident of Bikini Bottom turns 10 this year, and two of the limited-edition gold SpongeBob plush toys produced for the occasion are available for bidding.

· Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles A set of hand-painted limited-edition cold cast statues of the four action heroes – along with a certificate of authenticity signed by the creator – help “shell-ebrate” 25 years of “Turtle Power.”

The auction is the latest in a series of initiatives to promote individual giving in support of the Foundation’s philanthropic activities. 100% of proceeds will benefit TIF programs such as The Toy Bank™ which provides “millions of toys for millions of kids” through donations of newly manufactured toys to charities supporting underserved, homeless and at-risk children around the world.

Toy Industry Association

A Resource for Parents on Toys and Play – Gets Makeover

This summer, the Toy Industry Association (TIA) has worked on enhancing its consumer website, http://www.toyinfo.org/, to create a more robust resource for parents on the topics of toys and play. As the updates continue and the site evolves, TIA invites members of the Safe Kids Worldwide community to provide additional recommendations for new content.

When it was originally developed, http://www.toyinfo.org/ was primarily focused on educating consumers about toy safety standards and testing processes. The site will continue to feature independent expert perspectives on toy safety from the medical and child safety communities, behind-the-scenes toy testing and design videos, recall notifications, and toy buying tips. The redesign adds a broader range of content – including a comprehensive “Play Is Forever” section – that will help to foster consumer awareness of the positive influence of play in the development of children.

Working alongside strategic partners such as Safe Kids Worldwide, AARP, and others, TIA is leveraging online tools to generate traffic and engagement on the site. Discussion boards and a new “ToyTalk” blog – penned by Michelle Burford, a founding Senior Editor at O: The Oprah Magazine – have been added.

Likely the young people it serves, http://www.toyinfo.org/ is growing and developing every day. TIA invites all stakeholders to explore the website and to provide feedback and recommendations for additional content. From tips for choosing age-appropriate toys, suggestions for play activities, comments on toy trends, recommendations of expert spokespeople (e.g., safety experts, educators, medical professionals, developmental psychologists discussing the value of play, etc.), and more … content of all types is welcome and encouraged!


Toy Industry Association Joins CPSC Chairman at APEC Toy Safety Initiative Workshop

Members of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) – a forum of 21 Pacific Rim economies that come together to promote trade and investment in the region – took steps to strengthen consumer product safety standards and practices through the new APEC Toy Safety Initiative that launched on August 1st in Singapore.

APEC member economies produce roughly 85% percent of the world’s toy supply; 19 of the 21 APEC member economies exported toys in 2008.

The new Toy Safety Initiative is a focused regional effort to increase transparency, encourage better alignment of standards, and reduce unnecessary impediments to trade related to current and future toy safety standards and practices.

The keynote address during the two-day opening workshop, entitled “A Regulator Dialogue on Toy Safety,” was given by newly appointed Chairman of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Inez Tenenbaum.

TIA President Carter Keithley provided an overview of the various types of conformity assessment approaches (first-, second- and third-party assurances) used to both assess and assure conformance with rigorous toy safety standards. Tenenbaum and Keithley also provided a briefing on new requirements under the 2008 Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act.

Elizabeth Borrelli, executive director of the TIA-sponsored Toy Safety Certification Program (TSCP), gave an overview of the program and explain that it was created to take a proactive stance in developing and promoting a conformity assessment system to verify that toys produced for sale in the United States comply with relevant standards. Ms. Borrelli addressed how recent changes in global standards and regulations are changing the way toymakers are doing business on a global scale.

During a panel discussion on the increased harmonization of toy safety standards, Ms. Kitty Pilarz, director of worldwide product safety at Mattel, introduced the U.S. standard ASTM F-963, Consumer Safety Specification for Toy Safety. Additional speakers introduced the international (ISO 8124) and European regional (EN-71) standards.

Altogether, regulators from 20 of the 21 APEC economies were represented and 12 of the nations gave formal presentations to share their best practices related to toy safety.A second event, “An Open Dialogue on Toy Safety for All Stakeholders,” will be held on the margins of the Hong Kong Toy Fair in January 2010.

It is funded by the U.S. Toy Industry Association (TIA) and the U.S. Government with matching funds from APEC. The governments of Chile, China, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Malaysia, and Vietnam have signed on as co-sponsors.

Intertek

Intertek Joins Retail Led Consumer Product Safety Effort

The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) announced today that Intertek, a leading international provider of quality and safety solutions, has joined RILA and the British Retail Consortium (BRC) as a sponsor in the creation and implementation of a meaningful global manufacturing standard for consumer goods. This retail industry led standard will enhance the safety of products worldwide.

RILA members embrace their role as leaders in the product safety arena. Earlier this year RILA and the BRC forged a partnership to develop a global product safety standard in North America. BRC/RILA standard will help retailers comply with the new regulations by establishing a meaningful, achievable and certifiable worldwide measure by which manufacturing operations are set. The BRC/RILA standard will be a truly global product safety standard.

Intertek will join RILA and the BRC as third party auditor and one of three select non-voting members of the RILA Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). With participation from many of America's leading retailers, TAC is responsible for guiding the development of these standards.

"Our progress thus far has been tremendous, and we are delighted to welcome Intertek to this important effort," said Jim Neill, vice president of product safety. "Intertek's proven success in assessing risk and ensuring the safety of products in a manner that is effective and efficient adds a strong new champion to our efforts and we look forward to working with them to reach our product safety goals."

Gene Rider, Vice President Global Retail Leader and President of Intertek Consumer Goods North America adds, "Intertek is proud to contribute to global public policy efforts in support of consumer product safety. We are happy to offer our expertise in the areas of testing, inspection, certification and quality assurance to RILA, their membership and the BRC."

The target date for release of the new standard (North American version) is October 2009, with implementation of the new standards anticipated by Spring 2010.

BRC/RILA Partnership
The BRC has developed global standards that have gained support from European retailers. Standards have been developed for food, packaging, storage and distribution, and consumer products.
RILA in partnership with the BRC, are adopting the consumer products standards in North America, making them truly global to enhance the safety of products worldwide. RILA's vision is to proactively protect consumers and retail brands by partnering with suppliers to adopt and implement these industry-wide, global safety standards, while advocating effective legislation and regulatory compliance.
RILA and the BRC are working to enhance an already established international network of approved certification bodies and a proven process to deliver third party certification through global supply chains. As a certification body, sponsor and a TAC member, Intertek will provide input into the guidelines and implementation schedule for the role out of the product category guidelines.

About RILA
The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) promotes consumer choice and economic freedom through public policy and industry operational excellence. RILA members include the largest and most successful companies in the retail industry. RILA provides its members with unique educational forums, effective public policy advocacy, and advancement of the retail industry.

About Intertek
Intertek (ITRK.L) is a leading provider of quality and safety solutions serving a wide range of industries around the world. From auditing and inspection, to testing, quality assurance and certification, Intertek people are dedicated to adding value to customers' products and processes, supporting their success in the global marketplace. Intertek has the expertise, resources and global reach to support its customers through its network of more than 1,000 laboratories and offices and over 23,000 people in 110 countries around the world.

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Intertek and the American Apparel and Footwear Association Petition U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission for Sensible Testing Practices

Intertek and the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA) jointly submitted a petition today to formally request the CPSC to expressly approve certain lab testing procedures to determine the presence of lead paint on toys and other children's products--methods the two groups believe will save manufacturers millions of dollars without any loss of test reliability.

Since the enactment of the landmark Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008, some assert that the law only allows testing labs like Intertek to test final, finished products to mandatory safety standards, including the ban on lead paint. Because some products may have only a small area of paint (like the fingernails on a doll or painted buttons on a child's garment), this interpretation requires the destruction of an unnecessarily large number of product samples, since the paint must be scraped from the samples, rendering them unusable. These samples--sometimes several hundred per product--are then discarded. This represents a huge cost to manufacturers, especially crafters and other small businesses, which discourages companies from testing and needlessly impacts the environment with discarded samples.

To solve this dilemma, Intertek and AAFA have today asked the CPSC to formally recognize, as acceptable under the CPSIA, certain test methods to detect lead in paint and other surface coatings--procedures that result in the destruction of far fewer samples but with the same or better reliability of those tests. Specifically, the two groups have requested the agency recognize the acceptability of "spray sampling" (painting an entire product with the same color paint, giving lab workers more surface coating to test), "multiple stamping" (stamping products repeatedly with the same paint or ink appliqué to garner a larger sample) and "finished component testing," allowing painted buttons, for example, to be tested before they are sewn onto a garment rather than destroying the finished garment during testing.
"Intertek is continually striving to find cost-saving, pro-safety solutions for our customers and partners, like the AAFA," said Gene Rider, President of Intertek Consumer Goods, North America. "What we are today proposing to the CPSC represents a win-win-win: saving our customers money and time, preventing the wasteful destruction of finished products, and at the same time enhancing the reliability of testing and the safety of children's toys, garments and other items."

Under its regulations, the CPSC has a "reasonable time" to act on this Petition, and the Petitioners have also requested a public hearing to discuss these proposals. The text of the Petition to the CPSC is at: http://www.intertek-labtest.com/brochures/intertek_aafa_petition

About Intertek
Intertek (ITRK.L) is a leading provider of quality and safety solutions serving a wide range of industries around the world. From auditing and inspection, to testing, quality assurance and certification, Intertek people are dedicated to adding value to customers' products and processes, supporting their success in the global marketplace. Intertek has the expertise, resources and global reach to support its customers through its network of more than 1,000 laboratories and offices and over 23,000 people in 110 countries around the world.

For more information, visit www.intertek.com/consumergoods

Britax

Technology Update: Anti-Rebound Bar

Rebound is a force that doesn’t receive much attention as a subtopic of child passenger safety. As technicians, we know that every force has an equal and opposite reaction. Rebound, in the context of vehicle safety, is the equal and opposite reaction to an initial frontal impact experienced in a vehicle crash. The CPS curriculum defines it as the “reactive motion in the opposite direction after initial impact has occurred.”

To better understand the benefits of a rebound-limiting device, think about the events of a typical frontal and rear impact crash without a rebound-limiting device.
In a frontal collision, a CR continues to move forward, using the stretching of the belt webbing, and down through the compression of the vehicle seat cushion. After the initial impact, the CR “wants” to move back to its original state, but due to the elongation and compression previously mentioned, the CR dramatically overshoots its original position and comes into contact with the vehicle seat back. As a result, the child’s head often comes into contact with vehicle seat or other parts of the vehicle, such as the “C” pillar, mirrors or video screens.

With a rear-facing convertible CR, several manufacturers manage rebound energy via the use of a rear-facing tether. This tether limits the amount of travel the seat is allowed to make once past its original position. In the infant carrier category rebound is being (and has been) addressed with a feature appropriately named an Anti-rebound bar. This component is affixed to the in-car base of the infant carrier and limits the movement described above by forming a rigid “L” shape with the base bottom pressed against the bottom and back seat cushions of the vehicle. The reduction in child restraint movement then allows the harness in the restraint to perform its designed function and also keeps the child’s head from contacting the back of the vehicle seat and/or other items previously mentioned.

In a rear impact collision, the CR will attempt to rotate toward the rear of the vehicle, which is towards the point of impact. The same impact risks occur as described in a frontal rebound. The rebound of a rear crash event will cause the seat to move back to its original position similar to the initial impact of a frontal crash.

In the case of a rear impact the CR will attempt to rotate toward the rear of the vehicle towards the point of impact, but the rear facing tether (in a convertible CR) or the anti-rebound bar (in an infant carrier) will significantly reduce the distance it will be able to rotate toward the vehicle seat back during the crash event. Again, this reduction in motion allows the harness in the restraint to perform its designed function, while keeping the child’s head from contacting the back of the vehicle seat.

On infant carriers, an anti-rebound bar has been used on the Britax Companion® Infant Carrier and is currently used on the Britax Chaperone® Infant Carrier, Safe-n-Sound™ Unity Infant Carrier in Australia and the Britax Baby Safe in Europe (all companies are part of the Britax Childcare Group, Ltd).

The Chaperone infant carrier and stroller come in four fashions. The Chaperone infant carrier (SRP: $229.99) will be available in independent and mass retailers in June 2009; the stroller (SRP: $299.99) starting in August 2009. A single adapter strap will be available to allow the Chaperone stroller to be used with other major manufacturer’s infant carriers. The strap will also allow the Chaperone infant carrier to be used in other major manufacturer’s strollers.

Submitted by: Sarah Tilton, CPS Advocate, Britax Child Safety (Charlotte, N.C.)

JPMA

Lifespan of Durable Juvenile Products

Cribs Built to Last

The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) actively promotes the safe use and selection of juvenile products and wants to remind parents and caregivers that durable products such as cribs are intended to last for years (or multiple births) when properly cared for.

The safest sleep environment for a child is in a crib. Before placing a child to sleep in a crib, it is important to understand the proper use, assembly and reassembly of the crib and how to provide the safest sleep environment for a child.

All new cribs on the market today meet minimum government requirements. When you assemble a crib to the manufacturer's instructions and use it properly, a crib provides a safe and comfortable environment for baby. For added assurance that the crib you purchase was built with safety in mind, look for the JPMA Certification Seal and know that crib went through an extra set of rigorous testing.

Crib manufacturers today go through great lengths to ensure instructions are easy to read and understand. In fact, most instructions include information on assembly, maintenance, cleaning, storage and use.

JPMA suggests the following safety tips to sustain the proper lifespan of a crib:

• Infants should ALWAYS sleep in a crib, which meets current Federal and ASTM standards.


• Make sure there are no missing, loose, broken, or improperly installed screws, brackets or other hardware on the crib or the mattress support. Helpful tip: Crib assembly is best completed before the baby arrives to ensure there are no missing parts and the crib is in working order.


• Read and follow all instructions and warnings provided with the crib. If the instructions are not clear or parts are missing, call the manufacturer or retailer. Under no circumstances should substitute or makeshift hardware be used.


• When disassembling crib for storage, retain all the parts and instructions. Helpful tip: store parts and instructions in a Ziploc® bag and tape to the bottom of the crib.
  When reassembling crib, be sure you have all the parts.
  Do not substitute hardware.


• Always send in the product registration card that comes with every new crib (most crib manufacturers offer this service online as well). By returning the card, you ensure you'll be notified if your crib is recalled.


• Check your crib often for missing hardware, loose screws or anything out of the ordinary. Helpful tip: Make it part of the routine to inspect the crib every time you change the sheet.

JPMA is pleased to note that the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recognizes the importance of urging parents and caregivers to closely inspect the hardware and stability of their cribs to ensure all parts are in place and secure when assembling and re-assembling cribs.

Voluntary recalls to replace missing parts for secondhand or second use cribs highlight the importance of proper assembly and use of cribs. Many older cribs do not meet all current safety standards. Even if you are on a tight budget, you should not purchase an old crib at a garage sale or accept a hand-me-down that does not meet current Federal and ASTM standards.

The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association is a national trade organization of more than 250 companies in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. JPMA exists to advance the interests, growth, and well-being of North American prenatal to preschool product manufacturers, importers, and distributors marketing under their own brands to consumers. It does so through advocacy, public relations, information sharing, product performance certification, and business development assistance conducted with appreciation for the needs of parents, children, and retailers.

For tips on how to keep baby safe, including a list of JPMA Certified cribs, please visit www.jpma.org.