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Babies & Kids

3 top sports video games for spring
April 6, 2013 9:00 AM

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.

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Lead dust stirred up by remodeling can put children at risk
April 5, 2013 1:45 PM

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.

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3 new video games your kids will love
April 3, 2013 3:00 PM

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.

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Preterm babies and the infant car seat challenge
April 1, 2013 3:30 PM

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies born before 37 weeks undergo an assessment called the Infant Car Seat Challenge (ICSC) before discharge from the hospital. This test determines whether a baby is able to safely ride in the semi-reclined position of a car seat. And a new study shows that not all babies are being appropriately screened.

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iCandy Cherry stroller recalled due to strangulation hazard
March 28, 2013 4:00 PM

iCandy World has recalled 830 of its Cherry strollers because the opening between the bumper bar and seat bottom can allow an infant to pass through and become entrapped at the neck, posing a strangulation hazard, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

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Do kids need vitamin D supplements?
March 28, 2013 1:00 PM

Some do. Because most breast milk does not contain much vitamin D, the American Academy of Pediatrics says breast-fed infants should get 400 IU daily from supplement drops. Our new Ratings of vitamin D supplements included four children's supplements.

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The best and worst high chairs from our recent tests
March 26, 2013 9:30 AM

The cute names of some of today's high chairs—Sprout, Juice, Blossom—belie their serious purpose: keeping your baby safe. Some high chairs are better at this than others as Consumer Reports discovered in its latest tests. Of the 10 new models added to our high chair Ratings, two were good enough to make our list of top high chair picks while three others had safety issues serious enough to drop them to the bottom of our rankings.

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The new Toyota RAV4 presents child-seat challenges
March 22, 2013 5:15 PM

The new Toyota RAV4 is practical, fuel efficient, spacious, and, overall, a really easy car to live with. But there's one thing that is unexpectedly complicated: child seat installations.

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How to control your kid's in-app purchases
March 20, 2013 10:00 AM

Consumerist (our sister site) just ran a story about a couple of hapless parents, a five-year-old Littlest Pet Shop player, and a $120 charge the child incurred making in-app purchases for the game. If you're concerned about the same thing happening to you, here's how you can prevent it.

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Five common household products that can poison your child
March 19, 2013 2:00 PM

Every day two children die and more than 300 kids under the age of 19 are treated in emergency rooms as a result of unintentional poisoning. In fact, over the last decade, there's been an 80 percent increase in child poisoning deaths. During National Poison Prevention Week, experts are reminding parents about the everyday products in their homes that put children at risk. Here are the five most common household culprits, according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, and how to keep them secure in your home.

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Our Tesla Model S gets a third-row seat and now seats seven
March 19, 2013 2:00 PM

The Tesla Model S continues to entertain us with its engaging driving characteristics and wicked speed. And now, it provides three-row seating in an electric sport sedan—an ability more often associated with some fuel-guzzling SUVs.

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After flaw is fixed, the Mutsy Evo stroller passes our tests
March 15, 2013 12:30 PM

Consumer Reports has removed its "Don't Buy: Safety Risk" designation from a stroller it tested last year after finding that a newer model did not pose the same safety risks. In earlier tests, we found that the positioning of the grab bar on the Mutsy Evo stroller posed a strangulation hazard if the child was not harnessed. The Consumer Product Safety Commission agreed and announced the stroller's recall in February. But a newer model, which offers more clearance between the bar and the seat, corrected the flaw and in our second round of tests we rated the stroller very good overall.

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Taking Ritalin to get smarter is a bad idea, experts say
March 14, 2013 9:00 AM

More kids, with the blessing of their doctors and parents, take drugs to improve their attention, focus, and memory, even when they don't have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). But that practice is "not justifiable," according to new recommendations from the American Academy of Neurology.

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Tomb Raider game review: This reboot gives Lara Croft new life
March 13, 2013 9:00 AM

Lara Croft, an iconic video-game character, is a pistol-wielding archaeologist who loves exploring ruins as much as she loves action. This new entry is a reboot of the series—it explores Lara's origins and starts the story all over again. Though the violence isn't gratuitous, this title is too graphic for young ones.

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Advice to pregnant women: Choose your hospital carefully
March 4, 2013 4:01 PM

Where you deliver your baby is a big factor in determining whether you'll have a Cesarean section. Researchers who looked at nearly 600 hospitals nationwide found that C-section rates varied widely, from a low of 7 percent of all deliveries to 70 percent.

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