Product responsibility or Poor parenting?

It's the same old story - You can't legislate or design products against stupidity. You always get some people that do stupid stuff like putting Kerosene or petroleum in soda pop bottles :mad Whereas I agree that oven cleaners shouldn't look like a Cuppa-Chup, for example, but locks and correct labeling solve most issues.
There is no substitute for an alert Parent. Can't be bothered thinking? Then don't become a parent, i.m.o.
We had two kids. Neither had any major accident or illness. Not because we were perfect parents, but because we were actually careful and explained what was dangerous and why, (when old enough to understand, obviously).

 

Of course no one wants to hear or see a child hurt regardless of how it happens. Just makes me sad!

There have always been products that are dangerous to humans if used the wrong way or if a child gets ahold of it. That is not a new thing. Just to name a couple our great-grandparents or older people used everyday, Lye Soap's main ingredient is lye and that is toxic, Kerosene Oil for lamps also toxic and dangerous.

I agree with you that it is the parents or child care giver's responsibility to keep the child safe. The point is you know the dangers and you keep them out of the reach of children.

This goes for adults being careless also. The courts are backlogged with frivolous lawsuits against companies. It is easier to blame someone else than to take responsibility yourself. Law suit against McDonalds from the woman who put hot coffee between her legs and drove off and got burned by the coffee comes to mind. Of course the coffee was hot!

If there is manufacturing defect that could cause injury or death, like child restraint seats that fail, that is the manufacture's fault and they should be responsibly. But irresponsible behavior by the consumer is not a manufacture's fault. Just as not watching your child while they are in a shopping cart in a grocery store is not the store's fault if the child falls out, it is the parents' fault, in my opinion.

 

Actually we need these products to improve the breed by natural selection. :yum

 

Ome of the biggest prolems we have today is that we are no longer able to chastise our own kids because the stupid bad parents have empowered the children into a state where they do anything they wish without conceqences.

 

Look around, you will see many that think kids are a god given right and that the community should raise the kids. Community child care works in a tribal situation, but not in larger social structures.
Wifey is a teacher and often she is accused by parents of "not raising my child correctly". This comment usually comes from a background of unstable home environment. I consider it a parent crying for help rather than taking responsibility for their child.

 

I think you read something into that statement that isn't actually there.
He's not saying it's bad or wrong or making a judgement.
It's just a simple statement of fact that people, especially parents and other adults commonly around children, need to realize.
All children are living in an environment that is, with certain exceptions, primarily designed for people who are older and more experienced.
Risks don't magically disappear at a specific age, but some are expected to diminish through childhood,
while other risks increase during adolescences and later teen years, which are much more dangerous than chewing on soap.

 

I am having a REALLY hard time comprehending how or why she needs to carry laundry detergent in any form in her diaper bag. What...she's gonna suddenly have a surprise opportunity to wash some clothes?

Other than that, personal responsibility is a beautiful, necessary thing. Yes, it's sad that kids are getting sick or dying because they eat the wrong thing. Yes, that can happen in an instant, especially with toddlers. But seriously... don't put your detergent pods in a place where kids can get at them, and 95% of the problem is solved. Child locks for your cupboards can be bought at the dollar store... use them. It's not rocket science. But it might just be Darwinism at work, correcting the fact that ignorant people unwilling to expend a minimal amount of effort toward the safety of their children should never have had them in the first place.

Sorry. I have no tolerance for this kind of stuff. Put your phone down and parent your child; it'll make a world of difference.

 

Agreed, LauraR.

Unfortunately, even with parents that are conscientious, some things are overlooked or not even recognized as dangerous.

One of the most heartbreaking stories I've read was about children dying from accidental overdose after eating a bunch of vitamins,
that look like candy cartoon characters.

What a horrible thing for parents to endure.
The vitamins were intended as a form of nurturing and to promote the child's health.
For those to then be the cause of their child's death, is too painful to imagine.

The only thing the manufacturer can do is to always use "child proof" bottle caps and put highly visible warnings on the outer package and the bottle itself.
I don't know if there were any lawsuits in any of those cases.

 

Exactly. It's a parent's job to keep such things out of the hands of small children. When my first son was born, I crawled all around the house on my belly like a reptile so I could get a better idea of what things were going to be on his level when he became mobile. Ditto for the household detergents and medicines . . . I either made sure the storage for such items was secure or, better yet, secured them up high where a small child could not reach them.

The responsibility of a manufacturer of laundry detergent to make sure people keep their product out of the hands of small children ends with the warning on the product packaging. The notion the manufacturer should make the product "less appealing" to children just sidesteps the issue of parental responsibility. It's a specious arguement. Anyone who has kids knows that very small children might put pretty much anything in their mouths, regardless of whether it is brightly colored, or gray and covered with lint and cat hair.

I blame the lack of tort reform in this nation for a lot of this "I'm not responsible for my actions" insanity. It's nobody's responsibility to make sure your toddler doesn't eat laundry detergent but you. Period dot.

 

On the other end of the spectrum we had candy cigarettes, they took those off the market years ago. Unfortunately if it looks like candy, and is packaged like candy, most folks would assume it is candy. The manufacturer should be more proactive to that end, and of course a loving and nurturing parent goes that extra mile for their inquisitive candy loving child. And although we have no small children in the house at present, we have stopped using the aforementioned product, and did realize the potential danger when we first saw it on supermarket shelves.

 

Never once did I ever even remotely suspect a real cigarette was a candy cigarette and try to eat it. Not once. The comparison is a stretch. And the fact remains that if you do not keep your laundry detergent (regardless of its form or packaging) where your children can reach it, they cannot eat it. Ditto anything else poisonous to them.