Safe social networking. Online social networks can be great virtual gathering places for teens and tweens, but also pose some real risks. We enlisted Kathy Sena, Consumer Reports' social media reporter, for some tips to help keep your kids safe while they're texting, tweeting and tagging. Here are 8 tips to protect your child on [...]
Although there have been federal guidelines and an industry standard for more than 10 years, clothing with hazardous drawstrings continues to be sold.
Clothing drawstrings are a strangulation hazard because they can get caught on playground equipment and in other places, like bus doors. In 2007 and 2008, the CPSC issued more than two [...]
When shopping for baby clothes, your primary concerns should be dressing ease, softness, durability, and safety, and then style.
Make life easy for baby and you. Since most babies dislike having anything pulled over their heads, look for garments that are easy to take off and put on, with front-opening or side-snap tops. Snaps are [...]
If you’ve never bought anything secondhand, you can start now–with baby clothing. You can easily get away with it, especially when your child is an infant. Scout for tag sales and watch out for local moms’ group sales. (Learn what not to buy used for babies.)
Babies go through clothes so quickly that the [...]
Before you hit the playground this weekend, here are some essential rules to drill into your kids before they get on a swing. (Note to parents: For children under four years of age, full-bucket style seats are the only safe swings.)
Hold on with both hands.
Sit in the center of the swing.
Never stand or kneel [...]
Better crib design needed. In the past two years alone, there have been 37 recalls involving more than 7 million full-size cribs, play yards and bassinets. At least 11 babies have died in those products. Something is seriously wrong. See the full Safety blog post.
Tips for bath time safety. Accidental injuries in bathtubs or shower [...]
Forget what the calendar says. As soon as the last ember of July 4th fireworks died, the Back-to-School season began. Don't believe us? Try shopping for outdoor furniture, swimsuits or gardening supplies in many big-box stores, and you're likely to find them squeezed into a corner behind a section filled with notebooks, pens and [...]
Check out these top tips for saving on school supplies from the editors of Consumer Reports Money Advisor.
Start at home. Do you have a stash of stuff left over from last year? If so, gather it up. Many teachers and schools are more relaxed this year about their supply lists to give parents more [...]
Q: Because of the economy, swap meets such as www.swapbabygoods.com, where parents swap new and used baby products for free or at a reduced price, are becoming more popular. Any danger to getting baby products from a swap meet?
Yes. For one thing, you have to be careful about buying defective baby products. Dozens of [...]
While adults may blame our back problems on old age, childhood activities can also set the stage for future backaches.
Children can suffer low-back pain, too, says Dr. Orly Avitzur, a board-certified neurologist and medical adviser to Consumers Reports. “A heavy backpack is a strong contributor to low-back pain in children,” Avitzur says, adding that [...]
