Ridiculous onesies come and ridiculous onuses go. But this one may just take the proverbial biscuit.
Sold for £9.99 via UK online store Kiddicare, the baby grow has the following slogan on the front: "Help I'm being kidnapped. These are not my parents."
The tasteless onesie was (mistakenly) dubbed "a funky and fashionable body vest".
"They've lost my business. It's not appropriate," said pregnant mom of two, Hannah Kellye. "They should be more aware."
Many onesies boast silly sayings and quirky cultural references. But this baby grow is proof that sometimes retailers get it very very wrong and customers just don't see the funny side (assuming there ever is a funny side to sexism, racism and child abduction—especially when it comes hot on the tails of high-profile missing children cases like that of Ben Needham and Madelaine McCann.)
"This is absolute madness," said Lady Catherine Meyer of the UK-based charity Parents and Abducted Children Together. "It trivialises a very serious issue."
For Morrisons-owned Kiddicare, the damage may already be done. Even though the stock by Kids Rock brand body grow has now been pulled, some shoppers won't respond with loyalty
Even though Kiddicare's spokesperson responded with the usual, "No offence was intended," similar onesies are currently for sale online at Amazon.
Reckless 26-year-old Menna Pritchard is feeling the heat after it was discovered that she scaled a rock face in South Wales with her two-year-old daughter, Ffion in a back carrier. It wasn't the first time, either. She took Ffion out on a similar expedition when her daughter was just four months old.
The full-time student, who split from Ffion's father three months into the pregnancy, shrugged off the attention. "Some people would say I'm taking more risks than are necessary. But I am very conscious of safety and I would never do anything with Ffion that I thought would put her in danger."
Shockingly, while Pritchard and her climbing partner wear safety helmets in the photo, her daughter doesn't.
"Health and safety legislation and the sue and blame culture mean so many people are nervous, so afraid of getting into trouble, and taking small risks. Life is all about risks, whether that's something as simple as getting in your car every day or climbing up a rock face."
I think most of us can agree that there is a qualitative difference between a rock face and a car ride.
The young adventurer moved back with her parents and is studying for a degree in outdoor education at University of Wales. Surely her parents could babysit while she scales mountains and the like?
"The idea is that's it's fun and exciting for Ffion too and hopefully I am inspiring her and giving her access to the outdoors," said Pritchard. "Ever since Ffion was born I have been either trying to do mountain climbing with her or forest walking or doing beach trips. It just felt so good, not only for my physical well-being but also for my state of mind."
State of mind? Questionable.
Colossal mom fail or free-range parent?
You might want to put down that can of diet cola.
According to recent research by the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and Columbia University Medical Center, a can a day does not keep the doctor away. In fact, it can increase your risk of heart attacks and strokes by some 43 percent. It can even cause liver damage much in the way of chronic alcoholism. Not to mention, this.
The culprit: the artificial sweetener aspartame, named "by far the most dangerous substance on the market that is added to foods" by Mercola. Aspartame use in the long term was also found to up risk of diabetes and cancer. (Interestingly, aspartame was initially banned in the States. Described as a neuro-toxic drug by the FDA, it was eventually approved by one Donald Rumsfeld during the Reagan administration. And golly gee, I feel a bit like Michael Moore telling you this -- but surprise, surprise, guess who was the former head of aspartame's founding company, Searle? Rumsfeld, of course.)
Ironically, diet soft drinks are marketed as the healthy option, when research suggest they actually make you consume more calories.
Time to kick the soft drink habit once and for all. Or if you really can't, give yourself the occasional treat, but opt for the regular brand instead of diet.
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