Liquidation Sale! Baby Sprout Naturals is Closing

Due to the current economy &  in light of the CPSIA, Baby Sprout Naturals will be liquidating instock inventory. The CPSIA which has put an undo burden on small businesses that strive to sell natural baby products in a corporate competitive market is one of many reasons we’ve decided to put a hold on the business.

I started my online business, just as many of you have, because of my passion for natural baby products. I began cloth diapering my second son when I learned about cloth diapers and I was hooked! It was my small way of contributing to saving the planet from unnecessary waste and provide a much safer alternative for my son than toxic disposable diapers. Then my passion grew and I added more unique products that I thought were well worth the extra money because they were safe, funky and unique, not just the run-of-the-mill platic junk you can buy at the big box stores.

Alas, for now Baby Sprout Naturals will have to wait for a better market and without the threat of the CPSIA looming over our heads. Everything is on sale. Tell your mother, tell your friend, tell your neighbor that everything we carry in stock  is on sale until liquidated!!

Items on sale include:

• Baby Legs - leg warmers
• Happy Heiny’s Cloth Diapers
• Cloth Diapering Accessories
• Vulli Natural Teethers and Toys
• Cuskiboo Baby Lovey
• Deglingos Funky Plush and Teethers
• Zee Spot Organic Onesies
• Baby Slings/Carriers

This was not an easy decision to make as I have poured my heart and soul into this business. I appreciate all the support of my friends, family and business associates through this difficult year and hope to work with you all again in the near future.

Wholesale inquiries will also be considered. Contact me directly for details.

Sincerely,

Dawn Michelle
Baby Sprout Naturals

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Who is impacted by the CPSIA?

That’s the million dollar question here is the million dollar answer.

Everybody. Who is impacted? Every single person in this country will be impacted by the CPSIA. Every single product sold for children 0 - 12 years whether it be ATVs, motorcycles, clothes, dolls, educational material, furniture, bottles, diapers, EVERY SINGLE THING! Come February 2010 you will be required to test each and every “Batch” of your product and each and every component for lead and Phthalates. ATVs have lead in their brakes and other parts. Even though they are sold to older children who typically do NOT put things in their mouths, they will be ILLEGAL under this law. Right now the CPSC has granted them a stay on this rule for a year but that will do nothing.

Let’s say you sell 100% organic cotton baby dolls. Do they contain lead? Um, I think a person with even a limited intellegence would say “Of course not! It’s cotton!” Doesn’t matter. Under the CPSIA common sense makes NO sense. Your wonderfully hand made 100% organic cotton baby doll will be illegal to sell unless you 1. Test each batch ($300 - $800 per test), Test each fabric ($300 - $800 per test), and test it redundently on each VERSION. SO if you use 3 different fabrics on 6 different dolls. You have to test all 3 fabrics 6 different times (one test for each item or batch thereof). Am I starting to make some sense? I didn’t think so. The LAW doesn’t make any sense.

So all this testing elliminates small manufacturers. Etsy - GONE!  The only businesses to afford testing will be Walmart and Target and other plastic monsters from China. Lucky us Americans can buy crap for our kids. This ellimates retailers too, small to medium since they won’t be able to carry the more custom “unique/boutique” style products for children because either: 1. They won’t exist any more or 2. They won’t have a GSS (General Conformity Certificate) under this law and will therefore be illegal to sell in the United States of America. They will then only be legally sold abroad to countries who’ve consistently and for decades had stricter laws regarding manufacturing - but laws that made sense.

This law will elliminate textile manufacturers. What will companies like Harmony Art do who sell a significant portion of their materials fto manufacturers who make children’s products? What if Harmony Art is certified by other more stringent textile standards like GOTS? Doens’t matter. Other testing certifications do not qualify for compliance under the CPSIA. So CPSIA GCC testing is redundant and irrelevant.

This law will impact all business that have anything to do with baby products. You name it, or find it in a craft store. If you buy it and use it to make something and then sell it on ebay - you will be breaking the law!!! If you buy yarn that the manufacturer makes for anyone - not just for baby products but you don’t certify it under CPSIA and you sell that baby product you will go to jail. 5 Years and/or $100,000. per occurance. Move over Martha Stewart, we are going to have a lot more crafters in jail!

I could write a detailed list of all the supply chains impacted by this law as you so requested, but it would be easier to list who wouldn’t be affected. Even the consumer will be affected negatively. We all will be forced to buy plastic, mass-produced, boring, breakable CRAP! Wooden rocking horses made by a retired Veteran and sold from his front porch? Illegal, baby diapers hand made by a grandmother who loves to sew, illegal.  It will even be illegal to sell any and all current merchandise producted BEFORE the law was inacted. This law specifically states that it is retroactive.

And come August of  THIS year - the labeling will also be a requirement and a daunting task in and of itself as it poses even more confusion, cost, and impracticality in it’s application requiring that every single item be tracable back to it’s GCC!

This is ludicrously with a capital L we are talking about. And it is happening with the children’s product industry, the costmetic industry, the organic food and small farmers industry, & even private radio just to name a few. And the list is getting bigger every day with more and more independent industries that are being impacted by LARGE LEGISLATION of this mulitude and impracticality. The government is trying to make ALL the decisions for us and is had GOT TO STOP!

One one last note as I close this evidently long winded reply to your question; I am starting to not care anymore about this. I have fought and fought and tried to garner support to sue Congress and stop this law. But alas, the small businesses this will kill are either too poor, too weak or too scared to participate. And as far as I’m concerned, the group fighting this on their behalf cannot fight it alone any longer. It’s larger than we ever thought possible and we need EVERYONE on board to fight it. Skateboarding industry, apparel industries, sporting goods industries, food, clothing, bedding, hiegene, - sheesh EVERYONE in this NATION should be fighting these laws! Congress is not longer doing their job. They are making THEIR decisions and telling us how things will be run.

Please take a look and watch the video below. It is not a joke and it is 200% the truth. Our nation of people are blind to what is being done to them yet we do NOTHING. We will get what we deserve in the end.

We want safe products for children but we want the right to stay in business! YET THEY IGNORE US!!!

A Second Revolutionary War

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President Obama Fills New CPSC Posts

Announces expansion of CPSC leadership;
Agency will receive 71 percent more funding than in FY2007

WASHINGTON – Today, President Obama announced his intent to nominate Inez Moore Tenenbaum as Chair of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Robert S. Adler as a new Commissioner of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Furthermore, in the President’s budget, the CPSC receives $107 million, a 71 percent increase in resources since FY 2007. This is almost three quarters of the way to meeting the President’s goal of doubling CPSC’s funding.

President Obama believes strongly in the mission of the Consumer Product Safety Commission: to protect the public, especially children, from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from consumer products, including children’s products such as toys and strollers.  For over fifteen years, CPSC has operated with only three Commissioners.  To revitalize the agency, President Obama is going to expand the Commission later this summer, to include five Commissioners at CPSC.  If confirmed, Robert Adler would fill one of these new posts.  The addition of extra Commissioners is tangible evidence of President Obama’s commitment to restoring the health of the agency, and will ensure opportunity for additional viewpoints to be expressed at the top of the agency.

President Obama said, “It is a top priority of my administration to ensure that the products the American people depend on are safe. We must do more to protect the American public – especially our nation’s children – from being harmed by unsafe products. I am confident that Inez and Bob have the commitment and expertise necessary to fill these roles and raise the standard of safety.  To ensure these goals are met, I will also increase the number of Commissioners at the CPSC.  I am confident this new leadership at the CPSC will revitalize the agency and achieve the high standard of product safety that the American people deserve.”

President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals today:

Inez Moore Tenenbaum, Nominee for Chair, Consumer Product Safety Commission

Inez Moore Tenenbaum was elected South Carolina’s State Superintendent of Education in 1998 and completed her second term in 2007.  Throughout her career, Tenenbaum has been an energetic and determined advocate for children and families and has extensive experience in administrative and regulatory matters.  During her tenure as South Carolina’s State Superintendent of Education, student achievement in South Carolina improved at the fastest rate in the nation, with scores increasing on every state, national, and international tests administered.  At the end of Tenenbaum’s tenure, the prestigious journal Education Week ranked South Carolina number one in the country for the quality of its academic standards, assessment, and accountability systems. Tenenbaum also ran as the Democratic candidate for retiring Democrat Fritz Hollings’ seat in the U.S. Senate in 2004.  She previously practiced health, environmental, and public interest law with the firm Sinkler & Boyd.  Before attending law school, Tenenbaum served as the director of research for the Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs Committee of the South Carolina House of Representatives.  She carried out the Committee’s responsibilities for all legislation relating to public health, the environment, child welfare, social services, adult and juvenile corrections, state military affairs, and local government.  Tenenbaum has also served on numerous task forces that provide oversight on children and family services in the state.  She received her Bachelor of Science and Master of Education degrees from the University of Georgia and her law degree from the University of South Carolina.  Tenenbaum is the recipient of several honorary degrees and has been recognized by numerous state and community organizations for her civic work on behalf of children and families.  She currently serves as special counsel to the McNair Law Firm in the area of public school finance.

Robert S. Adler, Nominee for Commissioner, Consumer Product Safety Commission

Robert S. Adler has a breadth of experience in consumer product safety issues and an extensive knowledge of the CPSC.  He is currently a Professor of Legal Studies at the University of North Carolina and the Luther H. Hodges, Jr. Scholar in Law & Ethics at Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.  He has served as the Associate Dean of the MBA Program and as Associate Dean for the School’s Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Program.  A recipient of teaching awards both within the business school and university-wide, Adler’s research and teaching focus on consumer protection, product liability, ethics, regulation and negotiation.  Before joining the UNC faculty, Adler served as Counsel on the Committee on Energy and Commerce where he advised on CPSC legislative and oversight issues under the leadership of Henry Waxman.  Prior to that, he spent eleven years (from 1973-1984) as an attorney-advisor to two commissioners at the CPSC in Washington, D.C.  One of the commissioners for whom he worked was David Pittle, an original appointee at the inception of the CPSC.  Before joining the CPSC, Adler served as a Deputy Attorney General for the Pennsylvania Justice Department, where he headed the southwest regional office of the Pennsylvania Bureau of Consumer Protection.  Adler has been elected six times to the board of directors of Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports magazine.  He also served on the Obama-Biden Presidential Transition Team and co-authored the agency review report on the CPSC.  Adler graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and received his J.D. from the University of Michigan.

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CPSIA Awareness - Celebrity Twitter Names

Okay so finding the REAL celebs isn’t always easy so here is my ongoing list. I’ve learned you gotta kinda read their tweets if they sound like they are trying to be Brad Pitt, they probably aren’t. If they post something as mundane as - I’m going to bed, I’m tired. That’s more likely the real thing. And then I look at the people they are following. Most celebs, unless in a more political light, don’t follow all that many and usually nobody other than other celebs.

Not everyone here is necessarily a perfect target for us but you just never know. Tweet away my dear friends for CPSIA Awareness!!!!!

And one other note, I know this isn’t a novel idea to tweet, but I’m putting in my time on this and for those of you who have - thank you so much! Send me their twitter names so I can tweet them too!

Maria Shriver - mariashriver
Demi Moore - mrskutcher
Angelina - realangiejolie (I think)
Ellen - theellenshow
Rachele Maddow - maddow
Ryan Seacrest - ryanseacrest
Oprah - oprah
Katy Perry - katyperry
Larry King - kingsthings
Brad Pitt - therealbradpitt
Mark Wahlberg - mark_wahlberg
Courtney Cox - CCArquette
Brad Paisley - brad_paisley
Sara Jessica Parker - spj65
Meryl Streep - MerylStreepX

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Twitter Celebs to Join CPSIA Fight!

TWITTER! I am not a twitter genious by any means but lately I’ve heard that a lot of celebrities really love it and use it. Maybe THAT’s a way to reach out to the celebrities that CARE about safe products for children. If we all could “follow” them or send them a message to please follow us - then maybe that’s a good way to get the word out. If enough of us get on Twitter and talk about it, maybe it will spread like wildfire!!!

Here is a brain dump of celebs/media mogules I think would be interested in our cause and that we should target:

• Jenny McCarthy & Jim Carey
• Jenny Garth
• Angelina Jolie
• Julia Roberts
• Demi Moore
• Oprah
• Ellen
• Soleil Moon-Frye - Punky Brewster co-owns an eco baby boutique called “The Little Seed”.
• Will Smith and Jada Pinket-Smith
• Katie Holmes
• Dave Matthews - cloth diapers son August Oliver
• Gwynth Paltrow
• Michelle Williams
• Tori Spelling
• Brad Paisley (country music star) cloth diaper
• Madonna
• Maggie Gyllenhaal
• Ellen Pompeo - Grey’s Anatomy expecting!
• Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick expecting!
• Gillian Anderson (x-files) had baby last year.
• Courtney Cox - activist for EB
• Maryl Streep - activist for healthy baby products

I know I’m targeting mostly celebs with young babies but anyone with children is great! Or anyone who is an activist. Please add to this list and pass it on! Send me more by emailing me here to add to the list: dlapolla@gmail.com

What do ya’ll think of this? Who else twitters or would be willing to twitter? All hands say “I”!!

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Peapods Pushes for CPSIA Rules Reforms

Just wanted to share a recent article in Ed Play about Dan, his wife Millie and their store, Peapods in MN.  The link below talks about what Dan is doing with the CPSIA.  The actual magazine does a wonderful highlight about his and Millie’s store in MN with lots of pictures.  You need to subscribe to the magazine in order to see the in depth article about the store.  Congrats Dan and Millie on this well deserved recognition of your success in your store and all you have done for those of us in the Handmade Toy Alliance!

Click here to view the article.

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Amend the CPSIA - April 1st Rally Video

If you missed the Rally we have included it here for you!

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Lawsuit Status April 28th

I apologize for not posting an update to the Lawsuit. I got heavily involved in the DC Rally and neglected this site. Suffice it to say, the lawsuit is NOT moving forward. For the 600+ inquiries for the lawsuit, I think we ended up with less than 20 signed contracts. We were hoping for a minimum of 100 so that we could dispurse the fees and make it more affordable to participate. However, I think in this economy, and the general dislike of lawsuits, not many people could commit. Rachele and I still strongly believe that this will be the only way to make Congress act on this. Only time will tell.

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CPSIA Awareness Celebrity Gift Baskets

In the month of May, Style Cafe Moms is preparing 3 CPSIA Awareness celebrity baby gift baskets for Tori Spelling, Anglina Jolie and Julia Roberts. Items included in the gift baskets must be directly affected by the CPSIA.

I will be sewing like a mad woman this weekend, to complete my custom designed baby lovies I call Wuggli’s for the younger children of these celeb-moms. It is similar to the plush animal/baby blanket combo except that is is also a puppet! And it is made out of 100% organic fabric and super  soft! I was a week away from launching my new product when I found out about the CPSIA in January 2009.

In addition to this CPSIA Awareness basket, Jenny Garth, has signed a letter asking for reform of the CPSIA. We are reaching out to as many celebrities as possible hoping that maybe they can help us make a difference by raising awareness.

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CPSIA for Dummies

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