In accordance with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Meijer of Grand Rapids, Michigan, is recalling approximately 3,200 units of their product, "At Home with Meijer" and "Innovations" Roman shades and roll-up blinds, due to strangulation hazards to infants and young children. The Meijer company previously recalled approximately 240,000 units of their products due to the same hazards in March 2010. Additional retail sales after March 2010 have prompted the latest recall.

Parents of infants and young children are cautioned that strangulation can occur with the Roman shades "when a child places his/her neck between the exposed inner cord and the fabric on the backside of the blind or when a child pulls the cord out and wraps it around his/her neck." With the roll-up blinds, "strangulation may occur if the lifting loops slide off the side of the blind and a child's neck becomes entangled on the free-standing loop or if a child places his/her neck between the lifting loop and the roll-up blind material." http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml12/12012.html

Consumers are advised to stop using the At Home with Meijer and Innovations roll-up blinds and Roman shades immediately and may contact Meijer for more information on (800) 927-8699 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern time,　or visit the company's website atwww.meijer.com　 They 　may also contact the Window Covering Safety Council for a free repair kit at (800) 506-4636 anytime or visit www.windowcoverings.org. To learn more about this recall and view photos of the blinds and shades being recalled, visit the CPSC website at: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml12/12012.html.

October 18, 2011--We want to share some very important notes we've gathered for parents, family members and caregivers of young children about why children should wear helmets when using a riding toy or riding a bicycle. The statistics are stunning. According to Nemours' Kids Health, each year approximately 300,000 children pay a visit to the emergency room due to bicycle-related injuries, and at least 10,000 of those visits are for injuries that require more than one day's stay in the hospital. Some of these head injuries are so serious that children die. http://kidshealth.org/kid/watch/out/bike_safety.html.

Properly wearing a helmet can save a child's life in the case of a fall or crash while riding a bicycle or other riding toy. Many head injuries can be prevented simply by wearing a helmet. If your young child rides a bicycle, uses a skate board or other riding toys where a fall or a crash could occur, please put a helmet on your child's head. Little heads need protection! Kids Health warns parents, "Head injuries may mean brain injuries." And suffering brain injuries can be life-changing for both children and parents.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recommends that a helmet should fit snug and be flat on top of the head. It should have a buckled chin strap and should not move up and down or wobble from side to side. If your child has a helmet that may have been in an accident already, the protection of the helmet may be compromised, so it's best to replace it. http://www.cpsc.gov/onsafety/?s=Helmet+safety+for+children

One more caution, according to the CPSC, helmets belong on the head when riding a bicycle, but not when playing on a playground. Please teach your child to remove their helmet before he or she is on a playground. Bike helmets can get stuck on playground equipment, creating a strangulation hazard. The CPSC also says that wearing a properly fitted helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by 85 percent. That's significant!

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