As a parent, your natural inclination is to protect your children. Whether it is teaching them how to safely cross a street, avoid talking strangers, or asking before putting something in their mouths, parents have been doing whatever it takes to keep their kids safe for centuries.
Over the past few decades, it’s gotten tougher. Despite the vast resource that is the Internet, there are simply more potential dangers to contend with. That’s especially true for products aimed at children; many companies spend billions of dollars marketing to children and their parents. Busy parents simply don’t have the time or resources to verify that every product is safe for their children.
That all began to change in the early 1900’s, when Good Housekeeping began testing products and awarding a “Seal of Approval” to those that met their standards. Today, there are many more ways to verify that a product is safe or family friendly. The government’s Federal Trade Commission and Consumer Product Safety Commission is a good resource for safety education, recalls, statistics and regulations. Another highly acclaimed organization, called PTPA (Parent Tested Parent Approved) is comprised of parents, and is an excellent resource for support, tips, and feedback. PTPA also awards the safest products its Seal of Approval.
This type of third-party certification is more important than ever. According to a survey from NSF International, an independent public health and safety organization, third-party certification is highly trusted. The survey found that 85 percent trust independent third-party certification organizations and 78 percent trust claims made by government agencies. Only 32 percent trust claims made by celebrities and influencers.
To see how this works, let’s take the example of ChubRub®, an all-natural product with organic ingredients that helps guard against chafing. The first stop is to Amazon, where the product has mostly four and five-star reviews. That’s a good start, but it’s not going to satisfy many protective parents or build solid “mom trust”. For parents, the next step is researching whether ChubRub has won any “seals of approval”. A quick search finds out that ChubRub recently won the PTPA Seal of Approval, one of the most recognized in North America. According to PTPA, the product won its certification after a thorough product approval process involving more than 150,000 parents, who evaluated the product with their families in real-life environments.
This is just one example of the information parents can get by doing the research. It doesn’t take long, but it can pay off in big ways. Along with research, Good Housekeeping suggests following these rules:
- Avoid second-hand items or unknown retailers or e-tailers. The items may be broken or not comply with the latest safety standards.
- Keep items meant for older children away from babies and toddlers.
- Insist on quality.
- Dispose of product packaging immediately. It can be hazardous to children.
- Make sure containers are as safe as the products inside.
ChubRub can be found online at www.zonenaturals.com, on Amazon, or in the beauty section in Walmart Stores nationwide beginning in the first quarter of 2020.
