A new study quoted by the LA Times says that the popular “Baby Einstein” videos don’t work—and may even stunt your child’s vocabulary.
children
Tips For Educating Your Kids About Money
By 8.7.07
Bankrate has put together 4 lessons you should teach your kids about money.
Unusual Ways To Save On Back-To-School
By 8.6.07
Ahh, kids: nature’s little moneypits. The back-to-school season is a particularly appalling time, when parents everywhere struggle to stock up on all the goods they’ll need in the coming months. At Bankrate.com, professional parent and advice-giver Peter J. Sander suggests that you make saving money on back-to-school purchases a family project, by giving your kids budgets, helping them figure out how to save for big ticket items by scrimping on less important ones, and — our personal favorite — “deprogramming” them before you leave your house:
How will you get your child the name-brand items he wants while staying under budget? You won’t. Sander says that to avoid having your child fall into a I-can’t-possibly-wear-this-if-it-isn’t-Nike meltdown at the store, you need to de-program him from commercials. “We teach our kids the ‘disvalue’ of brands. We point out commercials and say, ‘They are trying to get you to buy that. You can either buy it or think for yourself,'” he says.
Should Airlines Offer More Family Friendly Flights As Well As Adults Only Flights?
By 7.12.07
All these people getting kicked off airplanes for not controlling their bratty spawn…or is it just mean airlines who hate their customers because they have babies…? We don’t know. What’s an airline to do?
Applebees Serves Toddler Margarita In A Sippy Cup
By 6.18.07
Applebees in the San Francisco Bay area, until last Monday, kept the pre-made margaritas in a jug that was identical to the one where they kept the apple juice. No more. Why? Because they served a margarita to a toddler, complete with sippy cup,
Consumer Reports Loses Some Independence Following Flawed Car-Seat Tests
By 4.3.07
Consumer Reports will consult with outside experts when developing product testing protocols, rendering the staunchly independent organization slightly less so.
Your New Time Warner DVR Comes With Porn!
By 4.2.07
While some of us might consider it “added value” to receive a Time Warner DVR that was already 20% full of the porn that we would eventually be collecting anyway, some people have children and/or don’t feel like watching “Hole Diggers 2.” Shocking, we know.
American Girl Place Mocks 6 Year-Old For Having A Doll From Target, Refuses To Style The Doll's Hair
By 3.23.07
This story is just heartbreaking. We feel really, really bad for this little girl. Etta saved all her money and purchased a pretty doll from Target named Gracie. When she was invited by her friend to bring her doll to American Girl Place for a “doll hairstyle” she was thrilled…until the stylist chided her for not having a “real” doll and refused her business.
FDA to Review Children's Cold Remedies
By 3.2.07
The agency has for decades promised to review systematically the safety of all old drugs, but for a variety of reasons like budgetary constraints, time and popularity of a particular drug has not done so.
We, like the reader who sent this story in, find it troubling that “popularity” is a factor in deciding whether or not to review the safety of a drug. The New York Times doesn’t explain in detail what is meant by this quote, but we’re hard pressed to think of any explanations that would make us say, “Wow, that’s really awesome.”
Lead Prompts Recall Of Children's Necklaces, Earrings, And Rings
By 2.25.07
Kmart and Big Lots! are voluntarily recalling 121,000 necklaces, earrings, and rings that contain lead. This stunning announcement is sure to devastate Valentine sweethearts in pre-schools across the nation.
Impotence Ads Air Alongside Kids' Shows
By 2.18.07
- “In December alone, an ad for impotence drug Viagra aired at around 9 p.m. during “Prancer,” a G-rated movie about a young girl who nurses one of Santa’s reindeers back to health; another spot for rival medicine Levitra appeared during an afternoon showing of the comedy “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure;” and another for Cialis graced an early-evening presentation of the holiday classic “Miracle on 34th Street.”
Your Child's Allowance: You're Giving Them Too Little Too Late
By 2.6.07
As soon as your child begins to express a sincere interest in material wants (as in, “I want that!”), it’s time for an allowance. Depending upon the child, that’s probably around the ages of 3 to 5.
Airlines Dropping Child Discounts
By 2.1.07
Major airlines are dropping child discounts faster than you can say “screaming toddler.” The discounts, which generally apply to children younger than 2, were “rarely used” according to a spokesperson from American Airlines.
AirTran Grounds Screaming Toddler And Family, Literally
By 1.25.07
AirTran is defending itself today for removing a screaming toddler and her family from a flight bound for Boston.
Lead Snaps On Kid’s Clothes, Bad Idea
By 1.9.07
The CPSC has a recall of two types of overalls sold at Dilliard’s. What’s wrong with the overalls? They have “coatings on the snaps in the overalls and shirt contain excessive amounts of lead, posing a serious risk of lead poisoning and adverse health effects to young children.” This is a bad idea. Isn’t the first rule of children’s clothes…no lead? It’s at least the second rule.
CompUSA Sells Computer Dripping With Porn To 13-Year-Old Boy
By 12.28.06
The Donaldsons bought their 13 year-old son a new computer from CompUSA for Christmas and were shocked to find it bedecked with racist child porn.
Your Children Are Fat!
By 11.6.06
The CDC is saying that the “belly fat” of US Children has grown by over 65% since 1999 . Supposedly, Belly fat is more dangerous for health than overall weight gain, because there is a much closer link between visceral fat (the fat around your internal organs) and serious diseases.
Consumer Reports Hates Elmo Too
By 11.6.06
“The youngest children’s reactions ranged from disinterest to fear.” “Marc, 14 months, was interested in the toy at first, but lost interest quickly, opting instead to dig in the dirt. One-year-old Julia was scared of Elmo and cried whenever the toy was activated.”
