Foam Playmats-Recent Health Warning

[Miss.B]

Hi,

Don't know if this is in the right place (mods you can move it to a more appropriate area), but has anyone heard that there has been a huge product recall overseas on the foam play mats made in China because there is something in the foam that has been linked to cancer??? I've heard this through a friend today and then I asked another friend who has a mat like mine (the alphabet one from Kmart) and she confirmed she knew about it and someone else told her about it too. I googled it today and apparently they are now testing the foam here in Australia to see if there is a harmful substance it it that is harmful to babies/infants/children. If it is true, it makes me feel sick to my stomach to think that my 11 month old DS has been not only playing but CHEWING on the foam for the last 2 months!!

Beata.

[willow5]

Crap! I have that one too!! I think I'll put it away until it's confirmed. Thank you for posting!

[CrazyLady]

Crap! I have that one too!! I think I'll put it away until it's confirmed. Thank you for posting!

we have it but I put it away too. I didn't like the look of the dust coming off it when it starts getting a little worn!!

[feeb]

I actually got rid of ours ages ago as 1 it always smelt funny even with me pino cleanining!!
Also got sick of moving them to vacum and mop as DS1 always pulled apart and chewed.

Worrying the risks they are talking about.

[Roryrory]

Beata that is scary! I hope the testing shows it is ok. But I would stay away from most things made in China. My reasoning is "Well they put melamine in INFANT FORMULA so I hardly think they would care what goes into anything else..."

[Miss.B]

Gosh, I really hope that the mats are harmless but from what I read on the internet (I google a lot, lol) it doesn't look good. They have recalled them in France and Belgium. The article on the net said that it's the formamides in the foam that has been linked to cancer, but that 'the consumers need to be assured the mats are safe for children'.....WTF????? I honestly feel sick now. I've put my mat away and told mum to put hers away too.

[willow5]

The article on the net said that it's the formamides in the foam that has been linked to cancer, but that 'the consumers need to be assured the mats are safe for children'.....WTF????? I honestly feel sick now.

I just read that too, and thought the same thing! If they are assuring us they are safe, why are they testing them then??? They can't assure us safety until after they test!

[Miss.B]

I agree Willow. They are contradicting themselves! I don't know why they let those kind of products go on our shelves to be sold to probably mlillions of people and put our babies' health at risk! Don't they test the products before they sell them ESPECIALLY if babies will be in contact with them and we all know what babies do, they eat/chew everything in sight!

[helle]

Eek. Half my mothers group has those things. One lady has lined her entire lounge room floor with them

[Shades]

We've got one too - do j just assume that if it was bought for $15 from Kmart or Big W then it was made in China?

[Miss.B]

We've got one too - do j just assume that if it was bought for $15 from Kmart or Big W then it was made in China?

I think so hun, I bought mine from Kmart and it was definitely made in China and it has the alphabet on it so it's probably the one they are talking about and probably the ones you get in the other shops too. I think I paid $19, they are EVERYWHERE!

I wonder, would you get a refund if you took it back and said it was unsafe for the baby??????? Guess it's not proven yet and you'd need a receipt. It just makes me angry that they have been selling these toxic things!

[Mum2SweetCs]

damn it! I lined our old living room with it too because I thought it was more safe to let DD crawl on it than floorboards. She has eczema so I cannot get a rug. Very very angry!!

Ive got another mat thats not the abc but one that is a whole piece now. I wonder if that is affected, its most porbbaly made in china as well.

I got rid of a bunch of play dough i got from coles because i didnt realise they were made in china too! and when i opened one it smelt funny,

[Mum2SweetCs]

wrong thread!

[~Lashes~]

dose that include the big 4 square ones? i got dd a tinkerbell mat from kmart last year, but it is the same (or at the least simmilar) stuff they use on the abc ones....

[Miss.B]

damn it! I lined our old living room with it too because I thought it was more safe to let DD crawl on it than floorboards. She has eczema so I cannot get a rug. Very very angry!!

Ive got another mat thats not the abc but one that is a whole piece now. I wonder if that is affected, its most porbbaly made in china as well.

I got rid of a bunch of play dough i got from coles because i didnt realise they were made in china too! and when i opened one it smelt funny,

I'm not sure about the mat thats a whole piece hun, but the ones they are questioning are the 'Chinese made foam mats' and 'interlocking alphabet and other design ones'. Maybe it's just the interlocking ones with letters and other designs that are made in China.....

[loulabelle]

I was going to get some of these as we've just taken out carpet and put floorboards down. Not now, maybe I'll just get a rug!

[Aligater]

My Mum got one For DD1s Birthday but when it was in our paper we both said "throw it out" wish I was on better terms with SIL she has one to so how do I tell her and get her to listen

[Amaunet]

Which brands? I have ds's playroom floor covered (4 sets!) because they are covering really hard tiles. He doesn't chew on them though. Mine are from kmart? Is it these ones or the crappy ones from the reject shop etc?