I thought this story, and advice, might be useful to those of you with young children:

New rules for booster seats
Make sure your kids are safe

Autumn Skeen's son, Anton, was killed in a car crash 4 years ago. He was 4 years old, and although his seat belt was on, he was not in a booster seat.
       Autumn didn't want other parents to suffer as she has. So she got the state of Washington to pass Anton's Law, which states that until a child is 80 lbs and 58 inches tall, he or she must remain in a booster seat in a car.
  Dr. Flaura Winston, a pediatrician from Children's Hospital in Philadelphia published an article in this month's Pediatrics magazine, stating the same requirements for kids.

If you want more information on when car booster seats should be used, go to:

http://depts.washington.edu/booster/

[This message has been edited by chelseabelle (edited 06-08-2000).]

Thank you for great an important tip chelseabelle! Helping to keep our children safe is one of the best tips in the world.

Ford Motor Co. has launched a $30 million nationwide campaign to get parents and caregivers to use booster seats to protect children ages 4 to 8. Safety experts say children weighing between 40 and 80 pounds and under 4-foot-9 are too large for baby seats and too small to be protected by adult seat belts. A booster seat raises a child up so the regular seat belt fits low across their hips and snuggly across the chest. A 50-state survey of 12,000 people conducted by Wirthlin Worldwide of McLean, Va., found only 21 percent use a booster seat. Ford President and CEO Jacques Nasser said the Boost America! program has already distributed educational materials to 152,000 elementary and pre-schools for use in the classrooms. "As many as three out of four parents probably are using the wrong adult safety device for older children, including placing them in adult safety belts that do not protect them properly," said Nasser at Anthony Bowen Elementary School. "That's an alarming number." The U.S. Department of Transportation says more than 500 children ages 4 to 8 are killed in motor vehicle accidents annually. Boost America! is getting a push with a video featuring actor/singer Will Smith and his wife, actress Jada Pinkett Smith, and an endorsement from Nickelodeon's "Blues Clues." In January, Ford said it would give away 1 million booster seats from Evenflo and Graco-Century this year. Half of the seats are earmarked for poor families, and vouchers for another 500,000 seats are being handed out to Ford customers at dealerships.

Source: Copyright 2001 by Pulse Direct, Inc. & United Press International

WASHINGTON -- The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced Thursday what it said is the largest-ever recall of baby strollers. Century Products Co. is recalling about 650,000 multi-use baby strollers because they can collapse without warning, or the car seat/carrier adapter can unexpectedly detach. When this happens, an infant or young child inside the stroller or an attached car seat/carrier can fall to the ground and suffer serious injuries. The company said it had received reports of 681 incidents, resulting in 250 injuries. Three toddlers suffered concussions, two had skull fractures, one fractured an elbow and two chipped teeth. Others had cuts and bruises. "We had to find out about them through our own detective work," said CPSC Chairman Ann Brown. "There have been 250 injuries, some quite serious." The 4-in-1 strollers -- manufactured by Century Products Co., of Macedonia, Ohio -- include models "Take 2," made in 2000; "Travel Solutions," made from 1999-2000; "Pioneer," made from 1998-2000; "Travelite," made from 1997-1998 and "Pro Sport," made from 1996-1999. The model names are imprinted on the footrest, seat pad and legs on the frame or on a white label on the side locks. The strollers were sold in mass merchandise, juvenile products and discount stores nationwide for between $100 and $200. Consumers can order a free repair kit by contacting Century at 800-766 9998 anytime. They also can log on to the company's Web site at www.centuryproducts.com or write to Consumer Affairs, Century Products, Box 100, Elverson, PA 19520. Parents should continue to use these carriers as car seats. Other recalls announced by the CPSC:

- KB Toys, of Pittsfield, Mass., is recalling about 115,000 Electronic Light N' Learn activity gyms. Five detachable hanging rattle toys have small round pegs at the top of the toys that can break off, posing a choking hazard to young children. The CPSC and KB Toys have received six reports of the pegs breaking off, including two reports of a 6-month-old-boy and a 14-month-old-boy beginning to choke off of a broken piece of the rattle attachment. The Electronic Light N' Learn activity gym is a multi-colored toy that converts into three different toys -- including a crib toy, a floor gym and a musical keyboard. The gym's main console has five buttons with numbers that make music when pressed and automatically light up when the continuous song play option is selected. Five detachable rattles in the shape of a bear, snail, star, half-moon and horse hang from the bottom of the console. A label under the handle on the gyms' main console reads in part "ELECTRONIC LIGHT N' LEARN ACTIVITY GYM MODEL: 8735, MADE IN CHINA." KB Toy stores, KB Toy Works, KB Toy Outlet, Big Lots, Odd Lots, Pic N Save and MacFrugals nationwide sold the toys from September 2000 through January 2001 for between $20 and $30. The toys also were sold online at KBKids.com. Consumers should take these toys away from young children immediately and return the toy to the store where purchased for a refund. Consumers who purchased the toy online should return the toy to the closest KB Toy store or contact KB Toys for return information. For additional information, they can contact KB Toys at 800-279-5066 between 8 a.m. and 1 a.m. ET Monday through Saturday and between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. ET Sunday. Consumers also can visit the firm's Web site at http://www.KBKIDS.com

- The Gymboree Corp. of Burlingame, Calif., is recalling 5,500 short -sleeve Baby Boy Bodysuits that have a wheel-shaped zipper-pull that can twist off, posing a choking hazard. Gymboree had no reports of injuries. The one-piece bodysuits, for toddlers sizes 0-3T, were red and green and have a patch on the left arm reading "1st Place Soap Box Derby." A white care label reads: "Made in Thailand" and "2000 Gymboree." The garments were sold at stores nationwide and on the Gymboree Web site from March through May for about $17. Gymboree is offering a full refund. Consumers can call 800 222 7758 for more information or long on to http://www.gymboree.com

Source: United Press International