As any parent knows, having kids comes with a lot of stuff: stuff to sleep on, eat with, play with, look adorable in, throw up on, grow out of, and -- every parent's favorite -- ignore and play instead with the box it came in. An entire corner of your closet is devoted to product manuals and warranties.  You compare materials, worry about clean-up, and do hours of online research before pulling the trigger.

But it seems every day there's a new warning about safety.

So we're keeping an eye on it. In this blog, we'll be monitoring government recalls, manufacturer announcements, and yes, tips from you -- from real parents -- about safety concerns. When there's news, we'll post and evaluate it here, and every Friday, we'll post the week's recalls and other safety concerns in a convenient digest.

Whether that new crib you forked over a week's salary on is safe for your child is important, and we're here to help.

You're on your own with the grape juice that just spilled all over it.

Have a tip or a concern? Send it to web editor Liz Hoffman at lhoffman@chicagoparent.com. She'll share it here, look into it and report back.

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