Baby rockers, baby food and even baby bottles can lead to health problems.  Some of the most common “baby-friendly” items can be filled with harmful chemicals that are dangerous to a child’s health.

“I have heard about why they put out those recalls,” registered nurse Lucila Menchaca said. “There have been several children that have been hurt or even killed with some of the products.”

A baby is exposed to these chemicals by inhaling, consuming or absorbing them through their skin. 

“For children they should not be using deodorant at a small age because deodorant has a lot of aluminum in it,” chemistry teacher Marissa Flores said. “Aluminum can affect their growth because they are still growing.”

Products such as home cleaning items, soap, shampoo and lotion contain harsh chemicals. “Gentle ” baby powder some with talc, contain asbestos and is known to cause cancer when inhaled.   

“I would say all cleaning products, detergent and the little Tide Pods, people were eating them,” Salcido said. “Children were eating the pods because it looks like candy to them so they start eating them.”

Recalls come out on the media to ensure people are warned about the latest product safety hazards. 

“Make sure to pay attention to any of the recalls that come out on TV,” Menchaca said. “Register your product because a lot of times we buy items that we may not necessarily be thinking that we need to register. Fill out paperwork or you might not necessarily find out about it if you are not paying attention to the news.”

Toys are a fun part of every child’s development but can come with risks. 

“The Fisher-Price Rock’n play, came out in April in 2019 and they were recalled because they are a suffocation risk,” child development teacher Yvonne Salcido said. “It is called positional asphyxia because of the angle and sometimes a baby’s head goes down and can asphyxiate. 

When a baby is sick, the immediate response is to go to the doctor or pharmacy to buy medication. However, some medicines are not safe to consume.

“Steroids can cause leukemia when children get older so we know children that have used that medicine that doctors prescribe a lot now for allergies,” Flores said. “A lot of kids have allergies and breathing issues, so they prescribe steroids.”

Just because some medication is available does not mean it is safe. 

“It surprised me that I could not take just plain Advil or Tylenol,” Salcido said. “Because it could cause birth defects to a baby.” 

Some foods are better to avoid until a baby is older. 

“When kids are little you do not give them whole grapes,” Salcido said. “You have to cut them in half because the grape can cause choking.” 

Anything can easily put a baby’s health at risk. 

“Be careful, do not leave any sharp objects lying around especially where there are electrical outlets,” Salcido said. “A child can pick up a pair of scissors and if they are sitting next to the outlet and stick those scissors in there, they are going to get electrocuted.”

Replacements for harmful products can include using more natural ingredients or home remedies. 

“Anything that is natural, if you go online there is a lot of information about how to make your own soap and shampoos,” Flores said. “There are products that are not as harmful that they sell at Walmart that do not have a lot of chemicals.”