parents Archives

Cancel out noise

Outfit your office with acoustic panels. These are under $20 and work on different types of surfaces.
Slide this stopper (25% off) under the door, and your room is instantly cushioned from sound outside.
Reduce up to 90% of noise with these over-the-ear headphones (43% off). Switch to Transparent mode when you need to hear the dog or kids.
White noise machines can help cancel out chatter coming from elsewhere or help you focus. This one is portable and offers six white noise sounds. Get it on sale for $24.
New parents (or grandparents) can keep this noise-canceling ear protection on hand for infants and toddlers up to age 2. These kid-approved earmuffs are on sale for $16 and last.

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Parents, know this about Disney

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Disney+ adding Hulu content might seem like a win for variety, but parents aren’t thrilled. R-rated flicks and reality drama are creeping into what used to be a family-safe zone.

Many parents trust AI over doctors: Researchers asked parents to rate advice on topics like infant sleep and nutrition, and most found AI’s answers more reliable than actual health care pros. It’s always good to get a second opinion but remember — AI’s known to “hallucinate,” aka make crap up.

40 years ago

A Texas father sold his dream car to pay for his newborn son’s diapers. This year, for his dad’s 65th birthday, his son surprised him with a restored version of his dad’s 1967 Chevrolet Camaro — blue with white stripes and all. The video will melt your heart.

💩 It’s potty time

Science says a potty stool is good for small kids, older adults and those who need a little help going No. 2. Put your feet up and get down to business.

Hey there, sweet cheeks: This potty stool is on sale for $19.88 and folds away before guests arrive.
On the rails: Find you need a little help coming in for a landing and taking off from the toilet? These adjustable safety rails are 35% off.
For tiny tushies: Calling all potty-training parents or accommodating grandparents. This small seat stays attached by a magnet when not in use. Save 7% to 10% on round or elongated seats.
Roses really smell like …: Poo-Pourri’s Cypress Woods is on sale for $8.21. The spray-before-you-poo scent eliminates the smell of, well, elimination.
Brush it off: You should replace your toilet brush now and then. This incredibly well-reviewed set is currently 43% off at $9.99. Yup, you need this.

We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

✅ Instagram for teens: Congress is laying on the pressure and Meta is finally making changes. “Teen accounts” for anyone under 18 will block non-friends from viewing their content or messaging them. Parents can also see who their kids have recently messaged, set daily time limits and block app usage during certain hours. Full list of changes here. Share this one with anyone with a teen.

$1,000 a night

Cost of a wellness retreat for new parents. They’re popping up in fancy hotels across the U.S. (paywall link). For that kind of cash, you’ll get access to a 24/7 nursery staff so you can have a full night’s sleep. One hotel’s $800-per-night rate includes lactation consulting, scalp and hand massages, foot rubs, and hot towel rubs.

🔒 They’ll thank you later: Identity theft for kids under 19 is skyrocketing. Parents, create and lock or freeze your children’s credit ASAP so thieves can’t use their info for loans or credit cards. When they’re older, you can help them unfreeze it.

💊 Everything in moderation: A new study found toddlers who got tablet time to deal with a tantrum had more anger outbursts a year later. Even more disturbing, as time went on, the parents had to keep up the screen time to keep them calm. Tech really is addictive.

The U.S. Justice Department is suing TikTok: Why? For violating children’s online privacy laws. They say the app with ties to Communist China collected data from millions under the age of 13, let them interact with adults and gave them access to 18+ content. Oh, and when parents asked for these accounts to be deleted, TikTok refused.

He was onto something: In a newly released clip from 1983, Steve Jobs dreamt of a machine that could generate responses based on a person’s “underlying spirit, or underlying set of principles, or any underlying way of looking at the world.” Yeah, that’s an AI chatbot. Btw, Jobs wanted to talk to Aristotle and Plato. I’d like to chat with my parents.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 95% of teens have a smartphone: Smartphone Free Childhood is an organization that offers support for parents who don’t want to cave to the social pressure. They’ve set up local WhatsApp groups to “empower each other.” Here’s another option: Teach your kiddo to use their smartphone responsibly.

Parenthood is the scariest “-hood” of all: A new study shows that kids who are glued to TVs, phones, computers and tablets are more likely to have emotional and social issues later in life. Early warning signs include brattiness, possessiveness and addictive behavior around screen time. Share this fact with parents of young kiddos.

15% to 21% decrease

In texting when drivers were offered $50. Well, that’s one way to make people safer on the road. A seven-week trial offered payouts, and it really worked to get folks off their phones. PSA: Parents, bribe your kids to not text and drive.

Commitment issues: Remember when meeting the parents was a big relationship milestone? Now it’s saving someone’s full name in your contacts. Folks these days aren’t wasting precious phone memory on casual flings (paywall link). It’s all fun and games until you text the wrong date.

Heads-up, parents: Instagram is pushing sexually explicit videos to teenagers minutes after they’ve logged in (paywall link). New accounts get slightly seductive videos, but the content gets racier the more they watch. Talk to your kids about what they click on and watch. It’s not them; IG itself is pushing it.

🍿 Movie deal: Parents, set up a new Uber for Teens account, and your kid can get a free ride to see “Inside Out 2” in theaters from June 14 to June 21. Open the app, tap Wallet > Promotions > Add Promo and enter INSIDEOUT2. Bonus: If you add your child to your Uber account between June 11 and June 17, you can also score two free movie tickets.

🙏 Talk to your kids, I’m begging you: A 17-year-old boy from Ohio was conned into sending explicit photos to a scammer. Over 19 hours, the boy received more than 200 Instagram messages before he took his own life. Parents, share this story with your kids and tell them if this happens, you’ll help them no matter what, no questions asked.

Children and hot car deaths

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Every year, about 37 young children tragically die from heat-related incidents in cars. Some parents are placing the blame on car manufacturers.

Over-share-enting: Former online influencer babies are all grown up and they want laws to protect kids from parents oversharing online. One woman said when she was nine, her mom posted about her first period online, saying, “My baby girl’s a woman today.” Maybe we need to go back to good old-fashioned baby books.