Pregnant women often undergo medical procedures and invasive interventions, including induced labors and cesarean sections, without fully understanding the risks or being involved in making decisions about their care. Those are some of the findings of a major new survey to be released on Thursday of 2,400 women who recently had babies.

You can safely bring a newborn home from the hospital in any one of the 29 infant car seats from Consumer Reports' tests. Some of the seats we tested cost $200 or more but others are half that price. Spending less can still buy you a seat that performs well in a crash as we discovered in our tough tests but you may need to work harder to get a secure installation or to make adjustments as your baby grows as some lower-cost seats don't include as many ease-of-use features.

Parents need to catch up to the safety advances in car seats and learn how to install them correctly, according to a study released this week by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Although all vehicles and car seats made since 2002 come with an anchor and simple strap meant to keep a car seat from tipping forward, the safety feature gets used just a little more than half the time. Consumer Reports' dynamic testing of car seats clearly shows that using the strap for forward-facing child restraints significantly reduces the potential for injury.

With price tags of $300 or above, some high chairs can cost as much as a small sofa. But in Consumer Reports' recent high chair tests, we found that you don't have to spend a lot to buy peace of mind. Three of our top high chair picks, ranging from $85 to $150, performed as well as or better than high chairs that cost two to three times as much. All scored excellent for safety (stability, secure harnesses), and had such user-friendly features as harness buckles that are easy for you to open but tricky for a baby.

With names like Minnie's Polka Dots, Eeyore's Rain Cloud and Belle of the Ball, Walmart has introduced a line of Disney-themed paints. Sold in colors that match Disney bedding products, the retailer hopes to appeal to parents who continually redecorate their children's rooms as they grow. Claimed to be kid-tough, the paints are made by Glidden, a brand that has typically done well in Consumer Reports paint tests.

Each year thousands of pedestrians die in traffic-related crashes while walking along highways and intersections. Now a study sheds light on who is the most vulnerable group of people affected by these crashes, while we provide tips on how to stay safe while walking.

Super strong rare-earth magnet sets are being recalled by several retailers according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The retailers, which include giants such as Barnes & Nobel and Toys R Us, have been marketing the magnetic kits as decorative and novelty items for adult owners. However, the high-powered magnets may cause serious injury if swallowed by children who mistake the items for colorful candy.

Impressive crash protection and a price of just $90 helped put the new Evenflo Embrace 35 infant car seat among two other Consumer Reports Best Buys for babies heavier than 22 pounds in our ongoing car seat tests. But our latest roundup also found that some big-name car seats can be hard to install and may not even fit in many vehicles, including a new Graco Snugride model designed for heavier infants weighing up to 40 pounds.

A mowing accident in Florida in which a two-year-old lost both her feet tragically underscores the dangers posed by powerful lawn equipment. "The energy transferred by a typical lawn mower blade is equivalent to being shot in the hand with a .357 Magnum pistol," says the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, whose doctors see many such injuries. "In addition, a lawn mower can eject a piece of metal or wood up to 100 miles per hour."

Spring signals the return of warmer weather, blooming flowers and trees, baseball, and more. And for many of you, it's also when your state or federal tax refund will arrive.

There's a reason that safety experts recommend keeping your child in an age-appropriate child restraint as long as possible before graduating to the next type. Moving the youngster to a less restrictive car seat too soon can be a step backward in terms of safety. This is especially true with booster seats that can be used with the car's three-point seat belt rather than a harness. In Consumer Reports recent tests of booster seats, we found that 80 percent of manufacturers suggest a weight limit typical of a child well under three, which is too young for a booster seat.

Each year more than 5,200 children suffer falls from windows and at least one in four is injured badly enough to be hospitalized. So it's no accident that National Window Safety Week occurs in early Spring when the weather is mild enough to open the windows again. Safety experts take advantage of this week to remind parents and caregivers about the dangers of window falls. And there's evidence in at least one state that it's working. The Oregon Trauma Registry reports it is seeing a decrease in the number of falls.

Just as spring comes along every year, so, predictably, do new additions to certain sports video-games franchises, including baseball and golf games. This genre is great for the whole sports-loving family to play. Here's our take on several new versions of venerable series.

Planning a home remodel? Take note: An estimated 535,000 (2.6 percent) of U. S. children ages 1 to 5 years have blood lead levels greater than or equal to the reference value of 5 micrograms per deciliter, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Lead-laced paint chips and dust kicked up during renovation projects is a common source of contamination.

Lego City Undercover. This game is kind of like a kid-friendly version of Grand Theft Auto, with the grit and violence replaced by Lego's cute visuals and charm. But it's still fun for grownups, too. Players take on the role of Chase McCain, a legendary police officer who hunts down lawbreakers, and collect Lego pieces throughout the game that unlock new disguises for Chase. The game implements the Wii U GamePad well: You use it as a map and also as a communicator for "video calls" between characters. It really helps to draw you into the game's universe. Lego fans of all ages will have a great time.