NEWS: Warning on Geotagging Photos

I always knew you could geotag your photos, which is when the photos on a smartphone like the iPhone are tagged with latitude and longitude coordinates, but I never thought about the dangers of that tool. When you take a photo with your smartphone, then post it publicly online, the location of where those photos were taken is saved in the metadata. I certainly never thought someone could download software to grab the metadata, complete with the exact location, of those photos and then stalk (or worse) those children photographed.

I have to actually thank my mother for this information, which is VERY strange for ME (who used to write about technology) get news from my mother (who still has trouble opening Skype up properly after a year), about technology. Goes to show you, technology and technology news really is everywhere!

If you worry about such things like your children's safety and you post photos publicly online, make sure to turn off the geotagging service on your iPhone or other smartphone. If you have an iPhone you do this by going to the Settings, Location Services and then it has a list of which applications are using the GPS in your phone to geolocate you.

Many of the iPhone applications, like Around Me (that finds restaurants, gas stations etc...around you) or Sit or Squat (which shows you bathrooms in the area--very handy when you are pregnant), you might want to keep on, but you can turn it off just for the camera.

Don't be fooled it's not that a ton of stalkers are using this every day. It's not that easy and they'd have to really really want you or your kid to be going through this kind of trouble, but for me it's definitely worth turning off the service for a bit more safety.

More on this

NEWS: Stronger Crib Standards May Cause SMBs Financial Loss

While I feel for the small businesses (SMBs) out there selling cribs no longer deemed safe by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, I can't argue that it is for the best.

See back in Dec. 2010, the CPSC voted to put very high safety standards on cribs sold in this country, making drop-side cribs illegal and creating overall more structurally sound cribs. The Commission put a June 28 deadline on companies, large and small, to get rid of their older, less safe cribs.

Now, some SMBs are having a hard time selling their older cribs and some are looking for an extension to the June 28 deadline. But the commission is not having it and so it looks like about 100,000 cribs may have to be trashed if they are not sold by the deadline.

I feel for those SMBs losing out on the already-hard-to-get dollars in this economy, but seriously, I can't feel too bad. The CPSC is doing a great thing by making sure more infants will be safe in their beds while they sleep (or don't). There has to be a deadline and it has to be enforced or it'll just drag on. So to the CPSC, I say kudos to you and thanks for helping all us parents rest a little easier in our own beds.

Read the CPSC Chairman's statement here.

NEWS: FDA Warns Against Using Teething Gels

You know that any medication has side effects, tylenol can do harm to your liver, ibuprofen can cause heart arrhythmia and even allergy medicine can cause allergy-like symptoms. So it should come as no surprise that even medicine for babies and toddlers can cause harm too. The difference is your baby's immune system has not fully developed, like yours, so they are at more risk with medicines causing side effects.

Long story short the FDA has issued a rare (and take that into account here please) but fatal (also note that) side effect to using teething gels that contain benzocaine. Benzocaine can lead to lack of oxygen in the blood stream and in extreme cases a disease called methemoglobinemia that can be fatal.

If your child experiences any of these symptoms, the FDA says to immediately seek medical attention for your child: pale, gray or blue colored skin, lips, and nail beds; shortness of breath; fatigue; confusion; headache; lightheadedness; and rapid heart rate.

Click here for more on this safety release.

RECALL: Disney Princess Plastic Trikes

Kiddieland Toys Unlimited of Scituate, Mass. recalled about 9,000 U.S.-bought Disney Princess Trikes sold at one the stores all middle-class moms visit weekly--Target (among other stores like JCPenny, Meijer and H.E.B.).

The trikes either come with a castle or princess figurines on top of the handlebars. The problem is if kids suddenly stop short, they could cut themselves on the figurine(s).

From the release, it's unclear if anyone actually got injured. Hmmm....

The Consumer Product Safety Commission recall info on this product click here.