Here’s a consumer quandary for the ages, where both sides have compelling arguments. Robert was shopping at JCPenney with his daughter, who is a preteen and intellectually disabled. The problem is that store policy dictates that there are no men allowed in the women’s fitting rooms for privacy reasons and, as an employee explained, to keep out “sex offenders.” [More]
JCPenney Sales Staff Kicked Dad Helping Disabled Daughter Out Of Fitting Room
By March 20, 2013
5 Best Stores For Having Playdates While You Shop
By October 15, 2012
To all the parents of young children out there who are constantly wrangled into making playdates for your kid(s). Just because you’ve scheduled a playdate for your little one(s), it doesn’t mean you can’t also get in some all-important shopping while the youngsters amuse each other for a few hours. [More]
Why Do You Disapprove Of My Capitalist Kid’s Lemonade Stand?
By July 27, 2012
Writer Helaine Olen has a young son, and he engaged in a classic American summer activity: he started a lemonade stand on his quiet suburban street. He earns some spending money and probably learns some important lessons about customer service and profit, and the neighbors who patronize his stand get a refreshing beverage. But, Olen writes, her son’s customers want more than that. They ask what charitable cause his lemonade stand is raising money for, and disapprove when they learn that his stand is a for-profit venture. What the heck? [More]
Which Is Worse: Using Your Daughter To Shoplift, Or Abandoning Her At The Police Station?
By May 23, 2012
It’s bad enough to involve your 11-year-old daughter in a shoplifting scheme, but to then refuse to pick her up from the police station after you get away? That’s more than bad parenting. That’s just mean. [More]
Banish Boomerang Kids And Reclaim Your Home
By April 6, 2012
Last week we talked about reasons twentysomethings don’t need to be afraid to live at home for a few years before they launch their careers. Now we’ll to look at the other side of the coin, at long-suffering parents who aren’t happy that their grown children still live with them. [More]
Parents, Do Everyone A Favor And Keep Your Toddlers Away From These Public Places
By April 4, 2012
Some parents think its adorable for their tykes to scream their ABCs in public or use waiting room chairs as jungle gyms. Most others, though, are simply annoyed by the presence of unruly rugrats and would rather not be subjected to their antics while they try to take care of business. [More]
Study: Stairs Are Toddlers' Public Enemy Number One
By March 13, 2012
Parents who think it’s adorable to let their toddlers wobbly amble up and down stairs are putting their kids at risk of severe injury. A study shows that stairs sent children under age 5 to the emergency room 931,000 times between 1998 and 2008. [More]
Huggies: Diapers So Good, Even Dads Can't Use Them Wrong?
By March 8, 2012
For about one-third of babies and young children, their primary caregiver is their father. And most dads today pitch in with child care and have some working knowledge of how a diaper works. So it’s not hard to see why some parents are annoyed at the new “Dad Test” campaign for Huggies diapers. The concept: leaving babies alone with their dads for five days is somehow the “ultimate test” of the quality of diapers and wipes. [More]
If You've Got A Nanny, The IRS Has A Tax For You
By March 6, 2012
You may not think of yourself as an employer just because you have someone drop by the house to watch your kids, but the Internal Revenue Service sees things differently. Many parents are taken by surprise by the “nanny tax,” which requires parents to pay FICA and FUTA taxes. [More]
An Argument For Cloth Diapers
By January 12, 2012
Every time your baby heeds nature’s call, he’s costing you a quarter. Disposable diapers, which can cost 25 cents or so apiece, are among the first of the infinite ways in which kids siphon money from parents’ wallets, but they’re not a necessity. [More]
When To Cut Kids Off From Allowance
By December 15, 2011
Allowance is an excellent tool to teach kids about money while cutting your own expenses. The idea is you’ll make them save up for their own stuff, which will keep you from spending as much money on them. The problem is sometimes allowance ends up being a crutch that continues well into adulthood and only teaches grown “kids” to rely on their parents for income. [More]
Things Kids Can Teach You About Money
By December 13, 2011
Parenthood makes you take on more responsibilities in all facets of your life, and one of the most crucial of those areas is money. But even financial know-it-alls always have more to learn, and may find unlikely teachers in those who have no clue about finances. [More]
Presents For Your Kids That Are Really For You
By December 12, 2011
If you buy your kids presents that you don’t feel the need to steal back for yourself, you’re doing it wrong. Clever toy manufacturers make their products just as enjoyable for parents, so avoid all the fluff and look for the good stuff. [More]
Child Seized After Fainting Mother Forgot To Pay For Sandwich
By October 31, 2011
A Hawaii couple was tossed in jail and their child taken by protective services for 18 hours after the mother forgot to pay for her sandwich at Safeway. [More]
Girl Scouts Add New "Good Credit" And "Finance" Badges
By October 20, 2011
The Girl Scouts just finished their first redesign of their badges in 25 years, adding several new ones that will appeal to Consumerist readers. [More]
3 Tips For Fighting Bullies
By October 19, 2011
People are talking more about bullying these days. It can happen at school, in the workplace, or online. How do you combat it? Educator and author Natasha Deen offers these three tips. [More]
Docs Again Warn Against TV For Kids Under 2
By October 19, 2011
Letting kids under two watch TV doesn’t provide them with any educational benefit and can cut down on the interaction with others and play time that is key to their growth, the American Academy of Pediatrics warns in a new report. [More]
Milk Storage Bag Company Does Right After Mom Finds Defect
By September 9, 2011
After Jessica discovered holes in the plastic milk storage bags in which she kept her breastmilk, she emailed the manufacturer, Lansinoh, about the defect. Jessica got back a heartfelt apology. On top of that, they also sent her several times the amount of replacement bags than she would have ever expected to make up for the defective bags. This makes Lansinoh the newest entrant in our “Above and Beyond” hall of fame. [More]
