An Arizona mom says she was flying to Billings, Montana for her birthday — but never got off the ground because the airline kicked her — and her unruly kids off the flight. They were told they could take another flight — if they paid for it. The airline says it’s their policy not to offer refunds.
kids
Stroller Company Maclaren Knew About Amputation Risk 5 Years Ago
By 11.12.09
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).
How Do You Explain Invisible Money To Your Kids?
By 11.4.09
Learning about how money works is important for children. But today, when all of our transactions seem to take with the mysterious swipe of a card, or inside a computer. So how to teach children about money when nobody uses cash anymore?
Sugariest Cereals For Kids Get Pimped Hardest
By 10.28.09
A new Yale report finds that cereal companies spent $156 million per year marketing to children, and most of that money gets plowed into pushing the sugariest cereals, which they try to pretend are healthy.
This Chuck E. Cheese Restaurant Really Knows How To Party
By 10.27.09
Police had to respond to three separate incidents in one day this past Saturday at the Chuck E. Cheese in Susquehanna Township, Pennsylvania, according The Patriot-News. We hope the police got some free slices or skee-ball tickets on that last call. Well maybe just free skee-ball tickets.
Disney Offers Baby Einstein Refunds After Alleged False Advertising
By 10.25.09
If you’ve purchased Baby Einstein products, your tot is probably somehow—inexplicably—still not a genius. But you may be eligible for a refund of the purchase price, due to overzealous claims made about the products.
Kids Design Cute Heinz Ketchup Packets, Learning Important Early Lessons In Mass-Market Commodification
By 10.20.09
Tiny Turtles Spread Joy, Salmonella
By 10.19.09
Turtles remain a popular pet with kids. In 1975 the U.S. banned the sale of ones smaller than 4 inches, but the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) estimates almost 2 million were being kept as pets as of 2006. They’re also responsible for one of the slowest outbreaks of salmonella we’ve seen in recent years.
Walt Disney Planning On Turning Stores Into Shopping Theme Parks
By 10.14.09
Starting the middle of next year, Walt Disney will be rolling out a new version of its mall store format that is intended to suck in your child like a fairy princess crack pipe. “The goal is to make children clamor to visit the stores and stay longer,” writes Brooks Barnes in the New York Times, by using things like embedded chips in the packaging to trigger responses from the store’s furnishings, a rotating library of scents that fill the store, and karaoke.
Prove You're Financially Literate And Win At Online Soccer!
By 10.12.09
We’re not sure what “soccer” is—it looks like it might be some sort of real-world Quidditch without the brooms—but Visa and a bunch of soccer players have released a fancy-schmancy (for a website, at least) online version that tests your financial literacy. You can try it out at financialsoccer.com instead of working this morning.
Officials Take Baseball Away From Little Girl Who Sues And Gets It Back
By 10.12.09
Back in July near Miami, 12-year-old Jennifer came away with Phillies player Ryan Howard’s 200th home run ball. Florida Marlins officials asked her to give up the milestone ball so Howard could autograph it.
Target Must Pay $600,000 To Settle Lead Paint Charges
By 10.1.09
Looks like the CPSC can afford donuts tomorrow for their office: Target has agreed to pay $600,000 for selling toys with too much lead on them from May 2006 to August 2007, reports Reuters. The fine “resolves allegations” over the issue, so now Target can focus on what it does best, which is act crazy.
How To Decide What To Pay Your Kids
By 9.28.09
If you’re a parent, you’re a CEO of a small business who bosses around an underage household workforce. But how to handle payroll?
New Bill Proposes Study of Junk-Food Marketing in Schools
By 9.22.09
New legislation proposed in Congress today would require the U.S. Department of Education to study the nutritional value of foods available in schools, as well as the forms of food marketing. Sponsored by Representatives Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) and Todd Platt (R-PA), the National School Food Marketing Assessment Act has a large roster of supporters, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, National Parent Teacher Association, American Heart Association, and the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
7 Toys You Probably Shouldn't Buy
By 9.17.09
Look, we’re not going to sit here and pretend to know a lot about parenting. But unless Ambras syndrome runs in your family, we can’t imagine why you need to teach your 7-year-old how to shave a baby. The toy tattoo gun actually looks like a lot of fun, though.
Parents Sue Dunkin' Donuts After Rogue Hash Brown Burns Toddler
By 9.13.09
Continuing this weekend’s unintentional theme of “toddlers and food service,” today we bring you the sad tale of a Quincy, Mass. 23-month-old whose parents are suing Dunkin’ Donuts after he was burned by a hash brown. A hash brown that fell out of his mouth and onto his neck.
Walmart's "Junk Food In The Toy Aisle" Mystery Officially Solved
By 9.10.09
Yesterday we posted a photo a reader sent in of a toy aisle in his local Walmart that was packed with junk food. We all got commenty on what exactly Walmart was doing—was it a one-off paid promo by Pepsi? A marketing experiment? A power-mad store manager driven crazy by shelving issues? Nah, it’s actually an intentional choice mandated by corporate.
Water Bottles Marketed To BPA-Fearing Parents Contained BPA All Along
By 8.23.09
I may as well attach my Nalgene bottles to myself with steel cables, but it seems like everyone is switching over to metal bottles because of the public’s new-found fear of plastic additive bisphenol-A (BPA.) One of the major manufacturers of aluminum bottles, Sigg, recently admitted that the plastic liners of their metal bottles kind of, um, contained BPA. Cue uproar.
