Over Christmas, my grandpa told me all about the CPSIA. Big people probably know it as the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act.
Do you have any idea how long it took me to learn to say that without messing it up? Those are big words for a 6 month old, even a cute one like me.
I learned the big words from my grandpa. He came to see me over Christmas and I overheard him talking to my great-grandpa about this new law.
When they talk while they’re holding me, I look up at them and bat my big blue eyes. It makes them talk funny to me. When they go back to their conversation they think I’m not paying attention, but I am.
I could tell you their checking account numbers, but I wont. We girls know everything about our men – even the grandpas.
The CPSIA is like a poopy diaper that’s leaking around the edges. It irritates my bottom and it gets all over everything. It gives me a world-class case of diaper rash. So bad that not even Gold Bond medicated powder makes it feel better.
Why the poopy diaper?
Well, my grandpa gave me lots of reasons to be cranky by talking to great-grandpa about the CPSIA when I was in the room. He said they forgot to think about the nice mommy who sits at home and takes care of her kids. In her spare time, she made my little homemade baby booties.
He also told my great-grandpa about all the other moms who make nice stuff for babies like me. Pretty dresses, books, booties, furniture, and a whole bunch of things for older kids like my cousin Daniel.
Grandpa talks about XRF
Grandpa made me laugh, but I didn’t let him notice. He only thinks I can smile right now. I heard him talking about all the things that small retailers and kids product makers could do to get attention from important people about this CPSIA thing.
A couple of his ideas sounded like good ways to get the local media interested in the CPSIA. He said they really like stories with irony. I’m not sure what irony is, but hey, I’m only 6 months old.
Grandpa said the press likes stories about politicians. I like it when grandpa tells me stories. There’s always nice people and animals in them. Politicians must be nice people if the press likes stories about them.
One idea he talked about was getting someone to use a XRF scanner to test all the kid toys in the gift shops in the Senate office building, House, Smithsonian and other Federal buildings that tourists like to visit.
Another idea I heard him talking about was getting a Senator to pose for a video or photo while giving a flag to a young kid – and then testing the flag with that XRF thing. He sure says “XRF” a lot these days.
It sounded like the thought he wouldn’t be able to take the XRF thing into those fancy buildings, but he said they could just buy some stuff inside, walk out front and test them while on video. He said to be sure and have some local press on the scene.
He didn’t explain what all that XRF stuff meant, so I urped on him just to remind him to explain everything. A girl has to know what her grandpa is up to.
Grandpa’s meeting
After he cleaned up the spitup, grandpa talked about what to do in a meeting of people who weren’t aware of CPSIA. He said something about a chamber of commerce meeting. At the beginning of his meeting, everyone in the room is sitting down having lunch. One at a time, they stand and introduce themselves, then they sit back down.
When he got up to introduce himself, he asked for the group’s patience to go through a quick exercise.
He asked them these questions:
- If you make or sell toys, shoes or clothing for kids, please stand up.
- If you write, illustrate, sell or distribute books, please stand up.
- If you make or sell diapers or diaper covers, please stand up.
- If you make or sell home furnishings, bean bag chairs, bedding, cribs or anything else for a child’s bedroom, playroom or nursery, please stand up.
- If you work in a library, please stand up.
- If you sell used childrens’ books printed before 1985, please stand up.
- If you have a gift shop in your hotel, campground, resort or bed and breakfast, please stand up.
- If you create, sell or rent outdoor gear or backpacks for kids under 12, please stand up.
- If you create or sell jewelry or accessories for kids, please stand up.
- If you create, illustrate, make music for, sell or rent electronics or video games, please stand up.
- If you run an antique store that sells anything for kids under 12, like toys and clothes, please stand up.
- If you write, publish, sell or distribute school supplies, educational materials or science kits, please stand up.
He pointed at the group standing and said, “All these people are affected by the new children’s product safety law”, noting that he had left some brief info on their lunch tables to look at after the meeting.
He told them that as of Feb 10 if they had anything in their stores that didn’t have a CPSIA compliance certificate, they could be fined $100k for selling non-compliant items – even if they were already in inventory before Feb 10th.
I’m not sure what that inventory thing is, but it sounds expensive. I need to ask for one when I learn to talk. Grandpa loves to buy me stuff.
The other shoe drops
Grandpa’s questions got worse. He asked everyone in the room to look around at the people standing.
He said “If you have a client, dealer or a supplier standing, stand up and join them.” Next he said, “Look at all the people standing. If they or any of their employees spend money at your business, please stand up.”
Then he told them that everyone who wasn’t standing probably wasn’t affected by the CPSIA – except that all the people standing might have a lot less money to spend around town because of the impact of CPSIA testing and compliance.
Finally he said “If you have any questions, see me after the meeting”, thanked the group for their cooperation, and sat down.
That’s how I remember it, but I was kind of distracted by a bottle when he was talking to great-grandpa.
Small business colic
I’m so colic-y about the CPSIA, I just wanna spit up all over the people who voted this in without thinking about all the moms who stay home with their little kids and make pretty dresses and things for girls like me.
PS: No, I’m not 6 months old in that photo, are you kidding? I’m so much bigger now. My grandpa really likes that picture. It’s from back when I was 2 months old, just a baby, not a big girl like I am now.
[audio:https://www.rescuemarketing.com/podcast/CPSIAawareness.mp3]
18 replies on “6 month old raises awareness for CPSIA”
Thanks for keeping this in the news and love your sweet grandbaby!
I encourage everyone to keep writing, calling and talking about this urgent story.
Great post! I love the humor, and the topic is very near and dear to me. I can only imagine how many of those folks were still sitting in the end.
About 80% were standing – and more of them should have been. It made an impact, finally.
[…] as we realize thanks to one grandfather’s social experiment related to the CPSI, the ripple effect from this is going …, not just those directly related to children’s products. Vendors, accountants, and shops […]
This is such a wonderful post. Excellent points, some I hadn’t even thought of. And I really enjoyed hearing it from the (your?) Grandbaby’s perspective. Such important words coming from a sweet and precious little one who will most definitely be affected by the horribly written CPSIA.
Mark,
Move the audio to the top! I loved it! How’d you add it? Great voice! I’m linking 😉
Thanks!
Connie
Connies last blog post..Looking for an alternative to that Designer Perfume?
[…] 6 month old raises awareness for CPSIA […]
Great article. I was thinking something along the same lines as I walked Discovery Place in Charlotte last week, and looked through the window in the gift shop at all the kids stuff.
Eileen
Eileen Fliegs last blog post..Set of 3 Crocheted Finger Puppets – Mix and Match – Your Choice
[…] Six-Month-Old Raises Awareness For CPSIA […]
[…] get a full image of the ripple, I suggest you read the post linked to above (in his blog form) and take note that 80% (yes, EIGHTY) percent of the people in the room were standing when I was […]
Love the analogy of CPSIA to the poopy diapar leaking all over the place. Well stated for a 6 month old. Maybe Congress will listen to this perspective for a change! Thank you!
Grandpa’s idea of asking all of the affected people to stand up at the Chamber of Commerce meeting is such a good one.
I truly hope you won’t grow up without handmade dresses, barrettes, and soft shoes. I also hope you will be able to ride a tricycle. Thank you for sharing your story.
Mark,
I’m “following you” on twitter, and I’ve read some of your other blog posts, but I had missed this one until today. It’s good to be able to laugh in the midst of all this craziness, that’s for sure!
I never thought of writing a story from the baby’s perspective. That’s a good idea. I got several pages into writing my CPSIA story from a stuffed animal’s perspective: http://www.creativelearning.shoppingcartsplus.com/LibertyEagle.html
Maybe one day this will all be behind us? It seems a long time in coming, that’s for sure!
Catherines last blog post.."Protecting the American Consumers" YouTube
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6-month-old raises CPSIA awareness [link to post] Baby says #CPSIA is like a poopy diaper! From January 2009- oldy but goody
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@GrecoWoodcraft Might be good 2 review @MarkRiffey ‘s post from way back: [link to post] when he spoke 2 chamber mtg; good way 2 focus
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IMO, two best posts about #cpsia @Trockle’s scary monster http://bit.ly/NgDxc and @MarkRIffey’s poopy diaper [link to post]
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RT @fourgreenis: IMO,2 best posts about #cpsia @Trockle’s scary monster http://bit.ly/NgDxc & @MarkRIffey’s poopy diaper [link to post]
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[…] someone has put you out of business (CPSIA and similar issues notwithstanding), it really doesn’t matter where the competition came from, whether it was WalMart, Amazon, […]