Oh dear! Baby gear! Why are the manuals so unclear?

  • 📰 NPR
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 42 sec. here
  • 2 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 20%
  • Publisher: 63%

United States Headlines News

United States Latest News,United States Headlines

Sure, new parents are an anxious lot. But instruction manuals for devices meant to keep the baby safe and healthy are daunting and add to the anxiety. Why are they so confusing?

Instructions for a fingernail filing gadget for infants says,"Stay away from children." It's enough to make a new parent holler.Instructions for a fingernail filing gadget for infants says,"Stay away from children." It's enough to make a new parent holler.Since becoming a father a few months ago, I've been nursing a grudge against something tiny, seemingly inconsequential, and often discarded: instructional manuals.

That was the easy part. The difficulty came when we consulted the manual, a palm-sized, two-page document. Just pixels away, the same model, slumped further down, was deemed improperly positioned:"The headrest should not be more than 1" from the top of her head," it said, in tension with its earlier instructions. Which was it, more than one inch or not? So we fiddle and hope for the best.

It's a shortcoming that's prompted several regulatory agencies charged with keeping Americans healthy, including the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Food and Drug Administration, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, to prod companies into providing more helpful instructions.By some lights, they've had success. NHTSA, for example, has employees who actually read manuals.

 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.
We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 96. in US

United States Latest News, United States Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Ashanti and Nelly confirm they're engaged and having a baby, baby, baby, baby, babyAshanti and Nelly confirmed months of pregnancy rumors in an ad for their diagnostics company. The R&B star also separately confirmed that they're engaged.
Source: latimes - 🏆 11. / 82 Read more »

Why Eli Lilly's earnings are no sure thing for traders despite obesity drug momentumThe Food and Drug Administration said supplies of Zepbound and Mounjaro are expected to be limited through the second quarter, for all but one dosage.
Source: CNBC - 🏆 12. / 72 Read more »

Super Micro Computer Stock Forecast: SMCI slides 22%, and no one is quite sure whySuper Micro Computer (SMCI) stock has plunged over 22% to $723.50 late in Friday’s session.
Source: FXStreetNews - 🏆 14. / 72 Read more »

Venus is leaking carbon and oxygen, and scientists aren't totally sure whySharmila Kuthunur is a Seattle-based science journalist covering astronomy, astrophysics and space exploration. Follow her on X skuthunur
Source: LiveScience - 🏆 538. / 51 Read more »

Why Kelsea Ballerini Said ‘Yeah Sure OK’ in 2024 CMT Awards MonologueKelsea Ballerini subtly referenced her 2023 EP ‘Rolling Up the Welcome Mat (For Good)’ while hosting the 2024 CMT Awards on Sunday, April 7
Source: usweekly - 🏆 390. / 55 Read more »

2018 Gerber baby is first Gerber baby with Down syndromeThe 2018 Gerber baby is the first Gerber baby to have Down syndrome.
Source: TODAYshow - 🏆 389. / 55 Read more »