Consumerist
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acceptable risk
Stroller Company Maclaren Knew About Amputation Risk 5 Years Ago
The British company Maclaren knew that its recently recalled strollers could potentially lop off a tot's fingertips over five years ago, reports the New York Post, but it didn't bother to alert the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). More » -
parental controls
Parental Control Software Co. Sells What Kids Say On The Internet
If you're a company like Echometrix that sells parental control software, you're sitting on a whole bunch of data about what teens and children say and do on the Internet. What to do with that information? Use it to make your software better? Well, of course. But why not sell aggregate data to marketers, too? More » -
parents
How Do You Tell Your Kid That The Sales Clerk Is A Big Phoney?
There's a great post over on WiseBread by someone called the Frugal Duchess, about how her 10-year-old kid was schmoozed a little too successfully by a sales clerk at a tween clothing store in the mall.
More »After the movie, my daughter gushed about the really nice salesclerk as we ran back to the store.
"She was so nice," my daughter said. "She spent so much time with me. I just want to go by and say 'hi' to her. I promised her that I would come back after the movie."
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parents
Teach Your Kids To Lie For Fun And Profit
Is it okay to lie and make your kid lie if it saves you money and time? This mommy thinks so.
More »
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babies
Four Financial Tools All New Parents Need
The baby's on the way! You've got a crib, toys, and a rapidly approaching delivery date. So what else you do need? Kiplinger shares the four must-have financial tools that no new parent should go without... More » -
mercury
How Much HFCS Is In Ketchup?
I was looking again at the quote from Con-Agra in regards to trace amounts of mercury found in HFCS-laced foods like ketchup, and the thing is, people don't just eat ketchup. HFCS is everywhere. More » -
how to
Find If Your Kid's Toys Got Recalled
Want to know if your kid's toys got recalled? The Parents.com Toy and Product Recall finder shows you. Just enter the name, brand, or model number, or search by category. For this task, at least, it's more More organized and prettier than Google.
Toy and Product Recall Finder [Parents.com]
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sexy
PrettySinful Pledges To Stop Calling Children's Clothes "Sexy"
Yesterday we told you about PrettySinful, a clothing maker on Amazon that was marketing its tween girl tights as being "sexy." Tipster Jasmine also sent a complaint to PrettySinful. A customer service rep responded and pledged that they'll be removing the word "sexy" from all their children's clothes descriptions. More » -
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badvertising
No Tween Girl Clothes Are "Sexy"
I don't think it's ever appropriate to market clothes to tween girls using the term "sexy." Manufacturer "PrettySinful" has a different opinion, as seen in these "sexy" tights sold on Amazon, accompanied by a picture of a prepubescent girl. Perhaps the picture is in error because the rest of the clothier's offerings are along the lines of crotchless bodystockings and various "do-me" adult party costumes. In any event, it's gross and should be fixed.
Girls Stripe Sexy Tights Hosiery Leg Wear [Amazon] (Thanks to Jasmine!)
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Hide Your Shame
Gamestop Ad Preys On Adolescent Fears
What were you most afraid of in High School? Getting turned down by that Cheerleader at the prom? Arriving at school naked, just before the big test you never studied for? Or, was it Mom and Dad finding all of your nudie-mags whilst looking for gift ideas? Look inside to see which terror Gamestop chose to highlight in their latest ad campaign. More » -
carters tagless
CPSC Issues Warning For Carter's Tagless Babyclothes Causing Rashes
The CPSC has issued a warning about Carter's "tagless" clothes causing rashes. The warning was made on Oct 24, Consumerist first told you about it on September 5th. Carter's tagless clothes' claim to fame is that instead of an irritating flappy label, they use a flat label embedded in these clothes. It's this very label that's causing the rashes. The warning only applies to the Carter's Fall 2007 line which has a raised surface with a solid, instead of a stenciled, background. More » -
halloween
Dress Your Daughter As Pirate Wench For Halloween
"Gather any group of parents and you'll quickly hear about how the choices of costumes have gone from witch and princess to sexy witch and pouty porn princess," writes The Examiner in their roundup of sexually charged Halloween costumes marketed at tween and adolescent girls. Prudishness aside, I think I draw the line at a costume for young girls with the word "wench" in the title.
Pirate Wench Child Costume [SpiritHalloween] (Thanks to C-side!)
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carters tagless
Carter's Tagless Baby Clothes Causing Rashes?
Parents are complaining online that Carter's line of "tagless" baby clothes could be responsible for causing rashes and sores on babies. Instead of a traditional tag on the inside back of the shirt, a "tagless" has a solid silk-screen flat label. Carter's is said to be aware of the problem and that it's limited to their Fall 2007 line of tagless infant clothing. One blogger described the effect the shirt had on her daughter, writing, "Her back will turn very red and start oozing right where the tag (stamp) is in the back, the rash will appear as the exact size and shape of the stamp. The redness will then spread out from there." Googling "carters tagless" reveals a number of parents complaining about the same issue. I smell class action lawsuit. -
commercials
Duracell's New Ad: 'Oh No Your Kid Just Got Stolen!'
MSNBC's Ads of the Weird blog is a little creeped out by Duracell's new kidnapping commercial, and so are we. Making people feel bad about something is advertising's job, we get that, but trying to scare parents into thinking their kid will be stolen from the playground by the classic man-in-a-van is going a little overboard. (Watch the commercial below.) More » -
customer service
Target To 80-Year-Old: Yeah, We Sold You The Wrong Watch Battery, But We Won't Take It Back
David cc'd us on a letter he recently sent to Target:
More »My mother in law, recently went to Target to get a battery installed for her watch. The watch was a common Timex model and the associate told her that she would have to buy the battery first. So she purchased that battery, and the associate attempted to install it in the watch. The battery did not fit the watch, so the associate said "sorry, we don't have the right battery" and then refused to take the battery back and refund her money. She was told they don't take back opened battery packages.
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Amazon launched a new "BPA-free" baby supply shop (BPA is a chemical found in some plastic bottles that may cause cancer). The only problem was that not all of the bottles were BPA-free. [Z Recommends]
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parents
Mother's Blog Spawns Investigation Into Unsafe Car Seats
When mother Debbie rented a car from Advantage Rent-A-Car she was surprised to have to paw through rows of shoddy, dirty, car seats, some missing parts, to find one that worked. When she complained to the manager, he insisted that the car seats were thoroughly cleaned and inspected after each use. Her blog post about the issue caught the eye of the local news station, who did an investigative report on the matter. Following the report, Advantage-Rent-A-Car conducted a company-wide inspection and cleanout of its seats, and instituted new policies to make sure they rent only clean and safe car seats. " This was a huge change for the company and a fantastic and very satisfying result from my perspective," writes Debbie. Inside, her 10 tips for working with a local news team to resolve your consumer complaint. More »
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lead
Toy Maker Reluctantly Agrees To Recall Leadly "Jammin Jenna" Dolls
A toy-maker who refused to issue a recall for its lead-tainted toys has reversed its position. TY made some "Jammin Jenna" dolls with that were found to have more lead than 600 parts per million Illinois state limit. In response to recall requests, TY said it didn't have to because they said federal law supersedes state law. However, the state AG and federal CPSC responded that states are allowed to adopt more restrictive laws in the absence of federal regulation. TY will pull the Jammin Jena dolls and replace their leadly shiny red vinyl shoes with cloth ones.
Ty takes high-lead doll out of stores [Chicago Tribune]
PREVIOUSLY: Toy Makers Refuse To Recall Leaded Toys
parents
New York, 7:37 PM
Thu Nov 12
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