Two new studies may provide some ammo for kids that want to get more time in front of the Wii or Kinect. According to researchers at Brigham Young University and University of Massachusetts, “exergaming” for 10 minutes can result in a workout as stimulating as walking three miles on a treadmill. [More]
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How To Thrive As A Stay-At-Home Parent
By 3.3.11
Exiting the workforce to become a stay-at-home parent is not a decision to be taken lightly. You give up all your pay – although that’s mitigated by what you save on day care – and embark on a 168-hour-a-week gig with a tiny, tyrannical boss who is impossible to please. [More]
School Tracks Truant Students With GPS Devices
By 2.18.11
To combat seventh and eighth graders who constantly skip class, a school in California is equipping the worst offenders with GPS tracking units. If you have more than four unexcused absences, you’re assigned to carry a handheld GPs device. Five times a day you have enter in a code to verify your location. You also get an automated call in the morning reminding you to come to school and three times a week an adult assigned to you calls you to check in and discuss attendance strategies. The devices have increased attendance by truants to 95% up from 77%, but some parents feel it treats their kids “like common criminals.” Do you think this program is a good idea? Take our poll and sound off in the comments. [More]
1.7 Million Summer Infant Baby Monitors Recalled After 2 Babies Die
By 2.14.11
1.7 million Summer Infant video baby monitors were recalled after two babies died after they wrapped their necks in the electrical cords of the the devices that were placed too close to their crib. “I urge all parents and caregivers to put at least 3 feet between any video or audio baby monitor cords and a child in a crib,” Consumer Product Safety Commission Chairman Inez Tenenbaum said in a statement. “This simple step can save your child’s life.” [More]
Study: Feeding Babies Solid Foods Too Early Can Up Risk Of Obesity
By 2.9.11
By holding off on feeding their babies solid foods for the first four months, parents can decrease the odds their little ones will become obese. The American Academy of Pediatrics says kids who start on solids too early are six times more likely to be obese by age 3. [More]
Researchers Link Processed Food To Lower IQs In Kids
By 2.8.11
It could be that munching on processed foods packed with fat and sugar may make kids a bit less intelligent. British researchers have found 3-year-olds who munch on such grub tend to have a slightly lower IQ when they reach age 8. Meanwhile, 3-year-olds with healthier diets were shown to have higher IQs five years later. [More]
Woman Robs Girl Scout Of $92
By 1.26.11
A 7-year-old Girl Scout and her mom set up shop selling cookies at a Florida shopping center when a woman in her 30s allegedly decided that she preferred a wad of cash to Thin Mints. Police say the woman swiped $92 and sped off in her car. [More]
Waiter: Parents Of Bratty Kids Should Tip More At Restaurants
By 1.11.11
Taking young children out to eat at a restaurant is an expensive — and sometimes messy — prospect for parents. One waiter also claims it’s actually a costly experience for the restaurant’s staff — and that the parents should be willing to dish out bigger tips to make up for it. [More]
Disney World Deploys Massive Underground Lair To Combat Lines
By 12.28.10
Disney has developed a new subterranean nerve center to combat lines as they happen. Pirates of the Caribbean too slow? Launch more boats and deploy a Jack Sparrow actor to distract customers. Fantasyland overflowing but Tomorrowland bare? Send out a mini-parade to lure guests over. Sounds like the basis for a fun new real-time strategy game. [More]
Government Bans Drop-Side Rail Cribs
By 12.15.10
In order to prevent kids from dying, the government has issued a ban on selling or making traditional drop-side cribs. If the gate or slate on the side of the crib gets loose, a baby can fall in there and get trapped, eventually hanging themselves to death. [More]
San Francisco Mayor Vetoes Happy Meal 'Ban'
By 11.15.10
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has made good on his earlier promises that he would veto the recently passed kids meal ban (which isn’t actually a ban, but new regulations that would effectively ban most kids meals from being sold in the city as they are currently configured). [More]
Teens Busted For Selling Cupcakes Without A License
By 11.15.10
In news that’s reminiscent of the Oregon Lemonade Stand Scandal of 2010, two 13-year-olds in New York state had their baked goods business shut down by police for operating without a license. [More]
What Do You Do When An Employee Grabs Your Kid?
By 11.12.10
Darren says a woman working at Kohl’s grabbed his rowdy 2-year-old, making him cry. He’s angry and wants to take action but isn’t sure what to do. [More]
Game-Hating Group Says 19 Percent Of Kids Can Buy M-Rated Titles
By 10.28.10
Striking a blow against the validity of the self-regulatory practices of the video game industry, the Parents Television Council conducted a survey that found 19 percent of kids could buy Mature-rated games at retailers. [More]
All Mega Pops Removed From Shelves, Foreign Particle Concern
By 10.25.10
After a scare about metal flakes in Mega Pops lollipops, Colombina has asked store owners to remove all Mega Pops from their shelves as they investigate the candy for foreign particles. [More]
Metal Flakes Found In Lollipops
By 10.22.10
Better check your kids bags for Colombina Mega Pops this Halloween. A test of the lollipops found tiny metal flakes in them. Family Dollar has recalled the pops, which were also sold at a few other discount stores, and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has issued a warning. [More]
Has Toys 'R' Us Forgotten That Its Customers Are Children?
By 10.21.10
Alexander wonders: if Toys ‘R’ Us is a business that caters to children, why aren’t their policies very child-friendly? If fickle children receive duplicate gifts or things they just don’t want, why won’t the chain take them back? He shared a recent experience along with his rant. [More]
Toy Submarine Recalled After Doing Damage To Little Boys' Private Bits
By 10.18.10
Munchkin Inc. and the Consumer Product Safety Commission has recalled 34,000 of the pictured toy “Bathtub Subs” because they have been a little harsh on the most personal parts of some young lads. [More]
