Today, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall of about 5,000 Munchkin Deluxe Bottle and Food Warmers. Munchkin has has received nine reports of the units overheating, with several of them actually igniting and causing damage to counter tops. Fortunately, no injuries have been reported.

The recall involves the Munchkin Deluxe Bottle and Food Warmer with Pacifier Cleaning Basket 2-in-1 Design. This is model #13301, lot number TP-1487. The set includes a main basket, a lift-out basket, an adapter ring, and a measuring cup. You will find the lot number on the bottom of the unit and the word "Munchkin" on the front.

These were made in China and sold at various retailers nationwide as well as the Munchkin company's catalog from June 2007 through April 2008 for about $20 each.

If you have one of these warmers with lot number TP-1487 on the bottom, you are advised to stop using it immediately and contact Munchkin to receive a free replacement. You can reach the company by calling them toll-free at (866) 619-8673 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, or by visiting their Web site.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced the recall of about 17,300 Playground Swing Sets made by Playworld Systems Inc., of Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. The clevis bearing on the swing set can wear out and cause the swing to detach, posing a fall hazard to children.

There are seventeen different swings involved in this recall and the model numbers can be found here.

These were sold through authorized dealers nationwide to day care centers and children's learning centers from January 2007 through February 2008 for between $770 and $3,100.

If you have one of the recalled swings, you should immediately remove it from the swing set until a repair kit can be installed. The company has sent direct mail notices to consumers, but for further information you can contact Playworld Systems at (800) 233-8404 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit their Web site.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced the recall of about 84,000 Children's Storage Bins due to excessive levels of lead in the paint. The bins were made in Taiwan (not China!) for Magus Industry Company and imported by L G Sourcing, Inc., of North Wilkesboro, N.C.

The recalled bins were sold in pastel green (item number 226782) and pink (item umber 226781) and are made of wood with scalloped edges. You can find the item number of the bottom of the bins. No other storage bins are included in this recall.

The bins were sold exclusively at Lowe's stores nationwide from March 2007 through February 2008 for about $6 each.

If you have one of the recalled bins, you should immediately take it away from your child and return it to any Lowe's store for a full refund. For more information, you can call LG Sourcing at (866) 493-6563 anytime, or visit the Lowe's Website.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced the recall of about 71,000 Nintendo character-themed lapel pins due to the presence of toxic lead in the paint.

The pins were sold at Nintendo stores in Redmond, Washington and New York, New York between April 2004 and November 2007 for between $1.50 and $4 each. They were also distributed to some lucky employees at electronics and games stores nationwide during that same time period.

Distributed by Nintendo of America Inc. and imported by Pro Source Inc., the pins were made in China. The recall includes the following character pins: Diddy Kong, Donkey Kong, Kirby, Mario, Mario Kart, Pikachu, Princess Peach, Samus, Starfox, Waluigi and Wario. The pins measure 1 to 2 inches in height.

If you have one of these pins, you should immediately take it away from your child and contact Nintendo for instructions on receiving a free replacement lapel pin. You can reach them by calling (800) 431-0971 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. PT Monday through Friday or by visiting their Web site.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced the recall of about 2,000 Beco Baby Butterfly Carriers due to faulty buckles. The buckles can unexpectedly release tension and cause the strap to slip through, posing a falling hazard to baby. Beco has received eight reports of this happening with no injuries reported.

The carriers were made in the U.S.A. and the Dominican Republic and sold under the brand name "Beco Baby Carrier Butterfly." They have a black label with a green letter "b" on the left side and a butterfly on the right. You can find the label sewn onto the outside of the carrier. The recall includes the following styles: Mia, Pony Express, Carnival, Addison, Ethan, Sophia, Cameron, Ava and Joshua.

These were sold at specialty retail stores nationwide as well as on the Internet from January 2008 through February 2008 for about $140 each.

If you have one of the recalled carriers, you should stop using it immediately and contact Beco Baby Carrier for instructions on returning it for repair. You can reach them by calling (888) 943-8232/9-GET-BECO between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, or by visiting their Web site.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced the recall of about 12,000 "Hip Charm" Key Chains due to excessive levels of lead in the paint. As you are well aware, lead is toxic and if ingested can cause adverse health effects. A 9-month-old child in Illinois, who was observed mouthing this key chain, was later found to have high blood-levels of lead.

The key chains were made in China and imported by FGX International Inc. for Wal-Mart Stores. The recalled key chains have several charms, including a button, clover, leaf, heart and sand dollar, hanging from a silver-colored chain. The words "Hip charm" and UPC #31568 11017 are printed on the packaging.

These were sold exclusively at Wal-Mart stores nationwide from April 2005 through April 2008 for about $6 each.

If you have one of these, you should not allow children to handle it and should return it to any Wal-Mart store for a full refund.

For more information, contact Wal-Mart at (800) 925-6278 between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit their Web site.

It seems that you can't even trust Santa to make lead-free toys these days. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Santa's Toy Corporation have announced the recall of about 9,000 Western Rider Push Toys due to excessive levels of lead in the paint on the toy.

The recalled toy is made of plastic and features a horse and rider with a 20-inch long detachable handle. The cowboy rider is dressed in red pants and a green shirt and has disproportionately large white hands.. His faithful horse was made in various colors, including a lovely shade of purple.

The push toys were made in China and sold at retail dollar and discount stores nationwide from February 2005 through February 2008 for between $2.50 and $3 each.

If you have one, you should immediately take it away from your child and return it to the store where purchased for a full refund. For more information, contact Santa's Toy Corporation at (888) 726-8208 between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. PT Monday through Friday or email them at info@santastoycorp.com.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced the recall of about 26,000 packs of Hillbilly Teeth due to excessive levels of lead in the paint. The teeth were sold in packs of two with item number 2657. You can find the item number printed on the packaging. The teeth are yellow and the gums are brown - just like my Uncle Leon's!

Imported from China for FUNTASTIC, of Houston, Texas, the teeth were sold at grocery, drug, convenience, and mass retailers nationwide from March 2005 through March 2008 for about $2 each.

If you have them, go ahead and take them out of your child's mouth and contact FUNTASTIC for information on receiving a refund. You can reach FUNTASTIC at (800) 434-5207 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced the recall of about 17,000 Little Builder Children's Board Book Sets with Toys due to a choking hazard. Although no injuries have been reported, the cylinder on the toy concrete mixer and the tailgate on the toy dump truck can detach and end up in a child's mouth.

The recall involves the Little Children's Board Book sets with ISBN 1-49373-215-9. The sets include four concept board books (colors, tools, 123, shapes) and two toy trucks (dump truck and concrete mixer truck).

These toys were made in China for Dalmatian Press LLC, of Franklin, Tennessee and sold at Wal-Mart, Levy Home Entertainment, Lion Sales of NW Brunswick, Farris Wholesale Outlet, Crane Book Sales, Ingram Book Co., BPDI Corp., Books A Million and Christmas Tree Shop stores nationwide and on the Internet at Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com from August 2007 through February 2008 for about $9 each.

If you have one of these board book sets, you should immediately take it away from your child and return it to the place where purchased for a refund or exchange. You can contact Dalmatian Press for more information at (866) 418-2572 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. CT Monday through Friday or visit their Web site.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced the recall of about 144,000 'Main Street Drag' sunglasses due to excessive levels of lead in the orange lettering on the glasses.

These glasses, which were made in China for StyleMark Inc., were available in dark metallic blue or dark metallic red and feature the 'Main Street Drag' characters on the bottom of one lens. The words "Main Street Drag" are printed in orange at the temples and Style number DI25K7116 is printed on the left temple. No other styles are included in this recall.

The glasses were sold at Payless, Walgreen's, Academy Sports, and CVS stores nationwide from October 2007 through March 2008 for between $6 and $9 each.

If you have them, take them away from your kids and contact StyleMark for instructions on returning the sunglasses for a free replacement pair. You can reach StyleMark by calling (866) 928-1913 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or by visiting their Web site.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced the recall of about 18,000 Backyard and Beyond Metal Water Bottles due to excessive levels of lead, which violates the federal lead paint standard.

The bottles, made in China for Downeast Concepts Inc., of Yarmouth, Maine, were sold at major retailers, gift shops, convenience stores, mass merchandisers and drug stores nationwide from February 2006 through February 288 for about $8 each.

The recall includes bottles with model numbers 67402, 67404, 67442, 67444, 67742, 60442, 67744, 67746, 67748 and 60448 printed on the hang tag. They were sold in green, pink or blue and feature assorted animal or insect graphics on the exterior.

If you have one of these bottles, you should immediately take it away from your child and return it to the store where purchased for a full refund. For more information, contact Downeast Concepts at (800) 343-2424 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit their Web site. You can also email the company at productsafety@downeastconcepts.com.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced the recall of about 122,000 Rock 'N Ride Plush Rocker Toys due to a fall hazard. The base of the rocker an become unstable, allowing the rocker to tip too far forward or backward. The manufacturer, Tek Nek Toys, has received 35 reports of the rockers tipping over, including ten that resulted in injuries.

The recall involves eight different models of the Rock 'N Ride plush rocker toys: brown pony (shown at right), pink pony, pink unicorn, deluxe pony, deluxe bull, lil' penguin, lil' propeller plane and Clifford big red rocker. The rockers have a molded plastic base and were intended for children at least 18 months old and up to 65 pounds. Each has a button on the toy's ear, hat or dash that activates songs and phrases when pressed. The rockers included in this recall have a date code from July 26, 2007 through December 29, 2007. You can find the date code printed on a sticker inside the battery compartment.

These were made in China and sold at Wal-Mart, Toys "R" Us, Kmart, Target, Atwoods, and Pamida stores nationwide and Internet retailers from September 2007 through March 2008 for about $30 each.

If you have one of these rockers, you should immediately take it away from your child and contact Tek Nek Toys for instructions on receiving a free replacement base. You can reach them by calling (888) 686-2728 anytime, or by visiting their Web site.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced the recall of about 198,000 Toy Puzzle Vehicle Sets due to excessive levels of lead in the paint. These puzzles were imported from China for Merchant Media Corporation of Framingham, Massachusetts.

These were sold by QVC televised shopping programs, Web page, toll-free number and Studio Store from September 2002 through December 2007 for about $20 each.

The recall includes the 16 piece Puzzle Track Play sets also known as Battery Operated Puzzle Vehicle sets. The sets have plastic puzzle pieces that form a track when put together. A battery operated train, fire engine or school bus is designed to run on the track. The sets include miniature street signs, traffic cones, and a battery for the vehicle. QVC item number T16876 is printed on the exterior of the brown box packaging.

If you have one of these, you are advised to immediately stop using it and return it to QVC for a full refund including shipping and handling. If you purchased it through QVC's television program or at QVC.com, you should have received a package containing return information. If you purchased it at the QVC studio store, you can return it there for a full refund.

For more information, contact QVC at (800) 367-9444 between 7 a.m. and 1 a.m. ET or visit their Web site.

If the Easter Bunny left your child these Hobby Lobby Camouflage Eggs or Spinning Egg Top Toys, you should know they have been recalled by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission due to excessive levels of lead paint.

The Camouflage Easter Egg Treat Containers are white, brown and green camouflage colors and were sold in packages of eight. Item #1031 is printed on the front of the packaging and "Made in China for Tony Development and Mfg Ltd; TST, Kin, HK" and UPC code number 43078 01031 are printed on the back of the packaging.

The Easter Spinning Egg Tops are multi-colored and come in packages of a single egg and a rip cord. Item #1054 is printed on the front of the packaging and "Made in China for Tony Development and Mfg Ltd. TST, Kin, HK" and UPC code number 43078 01054 are printed on the back of the packaging.

About 13,000 of these were sold at Hobby Lobby Stores nationwide from January 2008 through March 2008. The Camouflage Egg sold for about $2.50 and the Spinning Top sold for about $2.

If you have either of these, you should immediately take it away from your kids and contact Hobby Lobby to receive a $3 exchange card that can be used toward the purchase of any other product sold at Hobby Lobby Stores.

For more information, contact Hobby Lobby by calling (800) 326-7931 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or by visiting their Web site.

Blaming China for all the lead-contaminated products they send to the U.S. is fair, I think. After all, they made the stuff, right? But what about the U.S. companies they make it for? The Consumer Product Safety Commission has promised to make these companies responsible for what they sell and the recent passage of the Consumer Product Safety Commission reform bill gives them more leverage in that regard.

And just to prove they mean business, yesterday the CPSC handed down the largest ever civil penalty for violation of the Federal Hazardous Substances Act. Reebok was fined $1 million for importing and distributing bracelets containing toxic levels of lead. The Chinese-made bracelets, given away as free gifts with the purchase of children's footwear, were recalled in 2006 after a four-year-old boy died after swallowing the heart pendant attached to the bracelet.

"This civil penalty sends a clear message that the CPSC will not allow companies to put children's safety at risk," Acting CPSC Chairman Nancy Nord said in a release.

The fine was the result of a settlement with Reebok, who deny violating federal law. Since the recall, Reebok says they have established procedures "which ensure all gift-with-purchase and promotional items and premium products associated with our brand meet or exceed the highest quality and safety standards."