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 social networks.

Best appliances for back to school. The "dorm-room refrigerator" moniker shows how closely compact refrigerators have become identified with college life, but only some of the models we tested made the grade. Only two refrigerators we tested had freezer sections that were able to keep frozen confections from turning to mush, and one model flunked basic refrigeration. Learn more about the best appliances for back-to-school.

Best wheels for teen drivers. When shopping for a car for that young driver, look for ones with advanced safety features such as electronic stability control and curtain airbags as well as good crash-test results. Learn more about the best cars for young drivers.

Learn more about backpacks, back to school clothes, and more in our Back-to-school Guide.

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 dozen recalls of clothing with such drawstrings, mostly sweatshirts and jackets. (See one from February in a Safety blog post.) The agency continues to track and investigate incidents of deaths and injuries each year in which children’s hood and waist drawstrings become entangled.

When your baby reaches size 2T (not uncommon around his first birthday), CPSC recommends removing neck drawstrings from all outerwear, including jackets and sweatshirts. Likewise, before buying outerwear with a waistband drawstring in sizes 2T and up, such as those found at the bottom of a jacket, make sure the drawstring is sewn to the garment at its midpoint so that it can’t be pulled out more than three inches from the garment on either side. (Read our recent posts on other children's clothing features you should look for and avoid. and tips for buying used clothes for babies.)

Even better, do not purchase children’s jackets and sweatshirts that have any drawstrings. Look for snaps, buttons, Velcro, or elastic at the neck and waist instead. Finally, remove toggles or knots at the ends of all drawstrings to prevent them from getting caught on objects or doors and entrapping a child.

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 easier (and faster) than buttons. Quick access to the diaper area is essential, so opt for snap-open legs or loosely elastic waists. Velcro closures are quick and convenient. (Before washing, close them so that they don’t fill up with lint and threads and lose their holding power.)

Comfort is everything. Check the seams on the inside of the garment. They should be smooth, not rough, and lie flat rather than sticking out. Don’t buy clothes with tight elastic bands on arms, legs, neck, or waist; they can irritate your baby’s skin and restrict circulation. Bypass anything that could be scratchy—unpainted metal zippers, appliqués, or snaps with rough or uneven backings. If an appliqué is made of heat-welded plastic, check for rough edges on the back.

Look out for choking hazards. Give sequins, buttons, and snaps a quick tug to make sure they can’t easily come off, posing a choking hazard. But don’t pull so hard that you weaken the attachment in the process. And recheck after each washing.

Soft, durable fabrics are best. Apparel labels must state fiber content and care instructions. All-cotton knits may look large when new, but they can shrink as much as 10 percent with repeated washing. Polyester/cotton blends are less expensive than pure cotton or organic cotton and more resistant to wrinkles and shrinking. Avoid thin, semitransparent items or garments with poor finishing such as unclipped thread. Although babies grow fast, you’ll need clothing that’s durable enough to last several months.

See our post on buying used children's clothing and our newborn clothing checklist for more information.

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 small stuff is almost always in good condition. It’s not unheard of to pay 50 cents for a near-perfect pair of pants that would cost you $12 or more new. Pristine used clothing is tougher to come by in toddler sizes; when messy activities such as finger-painting come into play, clothing gets more wear and tear.

Secondhand shops are prime hunting grounds for special-occasion baby and toddler clothes such as christening and holiday outfits and fancy party duds that have been worn only once or twice (if at all). You’ll likely pay a fraction of the retail cost. You can also check local tag or garage sales (see new rules governing tag sales); try browsing Web sites such as eBay and craigslist; or get a free membership at Freecycle, a Web site through which consumers can give and get free stuff.

And don’t forget to put the word out among parents you know. You may get quite serviceable clothes delivered by the boxload to your front door.

Safety tip: Inspect hand-me-downs carefully for unraveling thread, loose buttons or snaps, or scratchy appliqués and elastic bands. Don’t dress your child in anything that’s not as good as new or that appears unsafe to you.

Get more great ideas for buying for baby in the latest edition of the Consumer Reports Best Baby Products guide, also available in bookstores nationwide.

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 on a swing.
• Don’t swing on your stomach.
• Don’t play with the chains; they can pinch fingers.
• Stop the swing before getting off.
• Tell the person pushing when you want to get off the swing.
• Don’t push other children in the swing.
• Let only adults push you.
• Only one child is allowed on a swing at a time.
• Don’t play with the swing when someone else is on it or when it is empty.

For more baby and child safety advice, see our Guide to Childproofing & Safety, as well as the latest edition of Consumer Reports Best Baby Products, in our bookstore.

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 units account for about 43,600 visits to U.S. emergency rooms every year, with slips and falls accounting for around 8 in 10 accidents, according to research from the Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Ohio. Kids age 4 or younger are most at risk of injury, and tend to hit their faces or heads when they take a tumble. See the full Health blog post.

Nuby, Cottontails, and Playschool teethers recalled. The gel filling is contaminated with Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus circulans—bacteria that may affect babies with weakened immune systems, causing stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. See the full Safety blog post.

California decides not to list BPA as a toxin. It's rare that California doesn't set the bar for dealing with a health threat, but that's exactly what's happened. In a statement, Consumers Union’s West Coast office director, Elisa Odabashian, and technical policy director, Urvashi Rangan, Ph.D., say they are "deeply dismayed that, in the face of mounting scientific evidence showing the disturbing health effects of BPA, the chemical is not being listed as a developmental or reproductive toxin." See our full Health blog and Safety blog posts.

Buster Brown recalls 1.4 million pairs of kids’ clogs. The decorative wheels can detach and become a choking hazard to children. See the full Safety blog post.

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 flexibility, says Chuck Saylors, president of the National PTA.

Buy in bulk. When you do go supply shopping, go big. Notebooks, pencils, pens, and erasers are often sold in bulk.

Go for plain. While a preteenager might be convinced she'll die without that $6 Hannah Montana three-ring binder, a basic unadorned $2 binder serves the same purpose and can be used long after Hannah has been replaced by the next pop idol.

Get more tips for saving on clothes, computers, and textbooks in our back-to-school special section.

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 baby and children’s products are recalled each year because of violations of safety standards established by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Before shopping for new or used baby products at swap meets (online or in-person), tag sales, or even at a conventional store or Web site, consult monthly issues of Consumer Reports or visit the CPSC’s Web site for updated recall information on infant products. Or sign up for free e-mail notices of future recalls at www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx. This advice also applies to toys and other baby stuff friends and relatives just give you. It’s up to retailers to take recalled products off store shelves, but items can fall through the cracks. With the secondary and hand-me-down market, you’re especially on your own as a consumer, so check and double-check for recalls before you shop for your baby or accept used products.

It’s also safer to buy some baby items new, not used, whether you get them from a swap meet or another outlet. We don’t recommend, for example, buying a used crib, car seat, breast pump, soft infant carrier, or play yard. (See Don't buy these baby products used.) Besides the recall issue, when you buy these products used, the manual may be missing so you don’t have the directions on how to install, adjust or otherwise use the product safely. The item may be damaged or the product may not meet the latest safety standards, which are updated frequently.

Bottom line: Always make safety your top priority, whether you’re getting baby gear for free or paying top dollar.

For more valuable information, see the latest edition of Consumer Reports Best Baby Products in our online bookstore and in bookstores nationwide.

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 carrying a heavy pack for long periods of time, carrying it on one shoulder instead of two, and climbing stairs while lugging a heavy load can exacerbate the problem. Girls and shorter children are more likely to have back pain from backpacks, due to their smaller stature, so it’s important to find one that fits well. (See our free backpacks fitting guide and backpack Ratings (for ConsumerReports.org subscribers only) to find one that suits your child.)

But there are other factors that can contribute to children’s back problems, such as teen smoking, obesity and/or physical inactivity, intensive sports activity, and accelerated growth rate, as well as a family history of back pain.

According to one European study from 2008, sports most likely to cause back pain in children include jogging and gymnastics. Only one sport led to less-frequent back pain: swimming.

What can parents do? It’s important to take a child’s back pain seriously, says Dr. Avitzur, especially if they are physically active. Things to be aware of:

• Reduce the risks. If your child uses a backpack, lighten the load to about 10 percent of the child’s body weight. While the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children carry no more than 10 to 20 percent of their body weight, Consumer Reports’ medical experts think it should be more toward the lighter end.
• Carry with care. Limit backpack use to only when it’s essential, and use both straps of the backpack along with any chest straps, to distribute the weight evenly. (See our free backpacks report for more information.)
• Watch for signs. If your child experiences back pain with a fever, regular back pain at night, or pain that wakes him up, that could be a sign of a serious condition such as a tumor or infection.
• Pay attention to pain. Back pain that shoots down the leg could be due to a herniated disc in the spine. Chronic, unrelenting pain can be due to developmental problems or arthritis. Back pain may also be an indicator of psychological problems stemming from stress, anxiety, or social problems.

In any case, talk to your child and his or her pediatrician about the back pain to get proper care for the problem.