Busy parents may welcome the convenience of a play yard that comes with an attachable changing table with safety straps.

But in our recent safety tests, two play yards, the Baby Trend Orange Oak Deluxe Nursery Center and the Summer Infant Nature’s Purest Soothing Comfort Playard, were found to pose a potential strangulation hazard to young children.

We judged them Not Acceptable and recommend that parents not buy those models. Our tests showed that when the table is left over the play yard contrary to manufacturer’s instructions, the safety straps could be manipulated through the table to the area below. If buckled, the straps could form a loop that allows a small child’s head to fit through. Though the likelihood of this happening is low, there’s no need to take chances; there are other play yards that don’t present that kind of risk.

What can you do? If you already have one of these two play yards, stop using the changing table attachment and remove it immediately. If you plan to buy a play yard soon, consider one of our highly rated alternatives.

To learn more about the play yards we tested, including which models we recommend, see our full play yards Ratings report.

The right information can help keep your baby healthy and alert you to potential problems.

Here, we set the record straight on two common myths about illness.

Myth #1: Babies need to get sick to build their immune system.

Reality check: Your baby does not have to become ill to develop a robust immune system. Preventive care is a much better option. “Routine vaccinations, including a yearly flu shot, will boost the immune system enough,” says Philip M. Tierno, Jr., Ph.D., director of clinical microbiology and immunology at New York University Medical Center in New York City and author of The Secret Life of Germs. In addition, contact with germs themselves—from people, plants, or animals—will boost immunity. Of the 60,000 potential germs of all types only about 2 percent are overtly pathogenic. Most are innocuous and act to stimulate the immune system without making us sick. (See our related report on how to build up your child's immunity.)

Myth #2: Any temp over 98.6 degrees F = fever.

Reality check: Most pediatricians consider any thermometer reading above 100.4°F a sign of a fever, not 98.6°F as you might suspect. That's because "normal" body temperature fluctuates in each of us throughout the day, depending on our age, general health, activity, how much clothing we're wearing, and the time of day. It tends to be lower in the morning and higher between late afternoon and early evening. There's a "normal," healthy temperature range for everyone. For children, it can run between 98.6°F or so and 100.3°F. Because accuracy can vary depending on the temperature-taking method you're using, mention whether you took your baby's temperature rectally or some other way when you call the doctor. Your pediatrician probably will ask anyway. (See our tips on how to take a baby's temperature).

Having a new baby can dent your finances—an average of $13,590 in your child’s first year alone for a typical middle-income family with one child. There are ways to stretch your budget and spend less, of course. But your baby’s health and safety should always be your top priority.

Here are four cost-cutting measures we never recommend because they can be dangerous.

NEVER: Stretch infant formula with extra water. Improperly diluted formula can cause malnutrition and water intoxication, a condition in which a baby’s developing kidneys can’t excrete water fast enough. As a result, water builds up in the body and dilutes the electrolyte balance of the blood, which can cause seizures, coma, or even death. When preparing concentrated or powdered formula, always follow label directions exactly. If you use different brands of powdered formula, don’t mix up the scoopers. They may hold different amounts.

NEVER: Buy a used car seat. Although there are many baby items you can borrow or buy secondhand, don't make a car seat one of them if you can avoid it. A used seat may have been in a crash or recalled. The manufacturer's instructions may be missing, which are crucial for installing the car seat properly.

NEVER: Use an heirloom crib. It doesn’t meet today’s safety standards. Even if a crib has been in your family for three generations, don’t use it.

NEVER: Buy toys for your baby and your 3-year-old to share. Instead, look for manufacturer’s recommended age ranges on the toy package—and take them seriously. More than a helpful hint, age-grading can alert you to a possible choking hazard, the presence of small parts, and other dangers. In general, toys meant for children under 3 years, for example, must not have small parts, such as small balls or marbles, that could pose a choking, ingestion, or inhalation hazard. Age grading also relates to a toy’s play value. Don’t assume your little genius is ahead of the curve, or that buying more advanced toys will enhance your child’s development. They could be a source of frustration if they’re inappropriate for your child’s stage of development.

See our reports on baby formula, car seats, cribs, and toys for babies and young children for more information.

When traveling with a toddler and visiting friends, grandparents, or other relatives, it is important to make their home a safety zone to minimize the dangers in your child’s environment. Toddlers, especially, are curious and fast, so you’ll want to think one step ahead.

Here, some precautions to consider:

• Bring safety gates.
• Use a crib or play yard. 
• Be mindful of medicines.
• Keep your eyes peeled for choking and suffocation hazards.
• Bring a car seat and use it every time your baby rides in a vehicle.

For details on these precautions, see the full post.

For related information, check out our guide to childproofing and safety.

In the market for a diaper pail? Here’s the lowdown on this necessary nursery product to help you pick the right one and make diaper duty easier.

Don’t be swayed by capacity. Diaper-pail makers claim pails hold between 24 and 50-plus disposable diapers, although our tests have shown that capacity is often overstated, so you have to empty the pail sooner than you think. Keep in mind that diaper-pail capacity decreases as your baby grows into bigger diapers.

Look for a child-resistant lid. A disposables pail, which can also be used as a “dry” pail for cloth diapers, should have a child-resistant locking button or mechanism that makes it difficult for a child to break in, such as a step-pedal opener. Be especially careful with pails that use regular garbage bags; this thin plastic film is a suffocation hazard. A wet pail requires a locking lid to prevent any young child from falling in; children can drown in an inch of water.

Consider comfort. If you’re going the cloth route and choose a wet pail, pick one with a pouring lip and comfortable handles.

Ease of use. In general, diaper pails have gotten easier to use, but a pedal or motion detector opening mechanism makes disposal faster and easier. Consider height, too. A taller pail, such as the Diaper Genie II Elite, means you won’t have to bend as far to ditch your diapers. When you’re changing diapers all day, every day, anything that helps you out is a plus.

Consider add-on costs. Some pails require special plastic liners, which add to the cost of diapering, while others use regular garbage or plastic bags. The cost of refills will depend on the brand of diaper pail you choose. Standard garbage bags are not specially designed to trap odors, but diaper-pail liners are, which contributes to their cost. Depending on the sensitivity of your nose, you may feel the extra cost is worth it.

See our reports on diaper pails, disposable diapers, and cloth diapers for related information.

Recent news stories have suggested that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is considering relaxing its fish-consumption advice for vulnerable populations, such as women of child-bearing age, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and young children.

The stories are based on a leaked internal draft report, which has been posted on the website of the Environmental Working Group. The FDA told us that the reports aren't accurate, and the guidelines won't be changed in the near future.

Currently, the FDA advises these populations to avoid shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish (all contain high levels of mercury), to eat only 12 ounces (about 2 average meals) a week of lower-mercury fish, and to reduce albacore tuna consumption to 6 ounces a week.

Consumers Union believes that the mercury warnings for these populations should actually be strengthened, and that pregnant women should avoid all fish that might contain risky levels of mercury, including canned tuna.

What would it mean to relax the existing advice on mercury consumption in fish for these populations? Get the answers to this and other questions in the full post on our Health blog.

When traveling with a toddler and visiting friends, grandparents, or other relatives, it is important to make their home a safety zone to minimize the dangers in your child’s environment. Toddlers, especially, are curious and fast, so you’ll want to think one step ahead.

Here, some precautions to consider:

• Bring safety gates.
• Use a crib or play yard. 
• Be mindful of medicines.
• Keep your eyes peeled for choking and suffocation hazards.
• Bring a car seat and use it every time your baby rides in a vehicle.

For details on these precautions, see the full post.

For related information, check out our guide to childproofing and safety.

Products such as baby lotions, powders, and shampoos may be a significant source of phthalates in infants, according to a recent study in Pediatrics, the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

This group of chemicals, which can be absorbed through the skin, is used in personal care products to help stabilize fragrances and enhance a product’s color and absorption. Children and adults can also be exposed to phthalates by chewing on products that contain them or breathing dust contaminated with them. Some studies suggest that phthalates may affect human development and the reproductive system but the FDA has determined that there’s not enough evidence to take regulatory action against the additive.

Nonetheless, if you’d like to minimize your baby’s phthalate exposure until more is known about the possible risks associated with it, here are two surprising ways to lower it:

• Be stingy with the amount of shampoo you use to wash your baby’s hair, and don’t bother stocking your baby’s changing table with lotion or powder. “Babies don’t need either,” says Sheela Sathyanarayana, M.D., M.P.H., acting assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington, the lead author of the phthalates study published in Pediatrics. If, by chance, your baby has really dry skin, go with an unscented, hypoallergenic lotion, she advises.

• Clean up your act. Keep the dust bunny level low in your house by sweeping wood floors often, especially under and around beds, and vacuum carpets frequently. Home dust is a major source of phthalates. “House dust can also exacerbate asthma and allergies in children, which is another reason to keep your house clean,” Dr. Sathyanarayana says.

See our reports on baby bathtubs and changing tables and baby furniture for more information.

Q: I’m considering switching to store-brand infant formula to save money. Is it as good and safe as national brands?

A: It has to be. According to the Food and Drug Administration, all formula marketed in the U.S. must meet the same nutrient specifications, which are set at levels to fulfill the needs of infants. Although infant-formula manufacturers may have their own proprietary formulations, brand-name and store-brand formula must contain at least the minimum levels of all nutrients specified in FDA regu¬lations, without exceeding maximum levels, where those are specified.

Formula specifications for store- and national-brand infant formula now also include the new safety threshold for melamine, which the FDA established as 1 part per million (ppm) on November 28, 2008. Melamine was responsible for making thousands of Chinese babies sick, and even the death of several infants, after consuming Chinese infant formula made with contaminated milk.

Melamine has a number of industrial uses and is a common ingredient in some plastic products, but it isn’t approved as an ingredient in human food in the U.S. According to the FDA, levels of melamine at or below 1 ppm in U.S.-made formula, is safe and poses no health risks to infants. For more information, see the FDA's page on melamine in Chinese formula and their melamine contamination Q&A page.

See our report on baby forumla--including our storage guidelines for breast milk and formula--for related information.

Parents have debated the merits of cloth and disposable diapers for years, and now there’s a third option to add to the debate—gDiapers.

gDiapers are a “hybrid” diaper that’s a combination of cloth and disposables. The diaper consists of an outer cotton pant that comes in small, medium, and large sizes, and a snap-in, reusable waterproof liner.

Inside this outer cover, you insert a disposable, decomposable diaper refill that can be flushed down the toilet (no diaper pail necessary). You can also throw the refills in the trash without “green guilt,” or even compost wet ones that contain no solids. gDiapers contain no plastic; they’re made from wood fluff pulp, sodium polyacrylate (or “SAP,” which provides absorbency), and cellulose rayon. They are made to decompose within 50 to 150 days.

The downside? You’ll have to get used to flushing them. The gDiaper Starter Kit (about $26 on www.amazon.com), which contains two cotton pants, two waterproof liners, and 10 flushable refills, also comes with a “swishstick” to help the refills go down. To prevent toilet clogging, you’ll need to use the swishstick to separate the inner core of the refill from the outer material.

gDiapers aren’t for everybody, or at least not everybody’s plumbing. The instructions on the company’s Web site say, “Do not flush with tree-infested, faulty or nonstandard plumbing, and use with caution with septic systems.” The Web site advises you to check your septic system “every few days to make sure the outflow is clear.” That’s not feasible if you have a buried septic system, so you might want to stick to tossing or composting. A 4-pack of 40-count gDiaper disposable liner refills will run you roughly $54.

See our Ratings report on disposable diapers and our report on cloth diapers for more information.