Helping Parents Succeed
Baby sleep positioners, a popular product for safety-conscious parents, were supposed to save lives by keeping infants from rolling onto their stomachs.
Instead, they are now being added to the growing list of dangerous nursery products, all but banned in an emphatic move by federal regulators on Wednesday. [Read more…]
Tickets, check. Passports, check. Luggage, check. Baby … oops.
A family boarded a flight on Monday in westernmost Canada, and forgot their tot at the Vancouver international airport, media said today.
The 23-month-old boy's family had just arrived in Canada from the Philippines, but they were forced to repack their overweight bags before catching a connecting flight to Winnipeg, causing them to run late.
In their sprint to the gate, the family became separated.
The boy's father Jun Parreno, told local media he had thought his son was with his wife and the boy's grandparents, who ran ahead. They thought the boy was with his dad.
On the plane, the family members were seated separately and so did not immediately realise they had left the child behind.
Full story: Parents board flight, forget toddler at airport
New Jersey prosecutors have subpoenaed records of JuicyCampus.com, a Web site that publishes anonymous, often malicious gossip about college students.
Language on the site ranges from catty to hateful and offensive. One thread, for example, on the "most overrated Princeton student" quickly dissolves into name-calling, homophobia and anti-Semitism.
JuicyCampus may be violating the state's Consumer Fraud Act by suggesting that it doesn't allow offensive material but providing no enforcement of that rule — and no way for users to report or dispute the material, New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram said Tuesday.
Milgram said she believes New Jersey is the first state to investigate the site.
The investigation began last month when a student came forward who had been terrorized by posts on the Web site that included her address. Prosecutors have subpoenaed information from JuicyCampus on how it is run, citing concerns about "unconscionable commercial practices."
Full report: College gossip site under scrutiny
Meg Robustelli had heard reports that a chemical in most plastic baby bottles could be dangerous, but she had not done anything about it. That's when her mother stepped in and bought her glass bottles.
"She's an alarmist, but I'm grateful," said Robustelli, whose daughter, Mia, is 14 months old. "I switched because of all the concerns about the plastic."
She made the change about six months ago, becoming one of a relatively small but growing number of parents turning to glass bottles amid concerns over a chemical used to make plastic bottles, bisphenol A.
"I wish I was using glass from the beginning, so I could have avoided any exposure," said Robustelli, of Stamford, Conn.
Bisphenol A, or BPA, is a manmade chemical used in polycarbonate plastic, the material used to make most baby bottles and other shatterproof plastic food containers. Americans are widely exposed to BPA, but opinions on its safety are mixed.
The Food and Drug Administration says current uses with food are safe. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says animal testing has shown that BPA has hormone-like effects on the reproductive system. The CDC says more study is needed to see if it could be harming people.
Some pediatricians advise families to use alternatives to polycarbonate bottles to be on the safe side.
Full report: Glass baby bottles make a comeback
After James Freeman was vetted and approved for membership in what police describe as a highly sophisticated child porn network, he expressed his appreciation by posting two folders online: one labeled “mild,'' the other “wild.''
“All I can say is that they are worth the download,'' wrote Freeman, known in the global porn ring as “Mystikal,'' according to court documents. “My thanks to you and all the others that together make this the greatest group of pedos ever to gather in one place.''
Freeman was one of 12 Americans indicted last week in a worldwide investigation that ultimately charged 22 people with participating in the porn ring – and intentionally blocking police from investigating it.
In all, more than 400,000 pictures, video files and other images showing children engaged in sexual behavior were produced, traded and distributed globally in the online pornography ring, according to U.S. and international authorities. The sting, which started in Australia, also netted accused pornographers in England, Canada and Germany.
Some victims were as young as five years old. Others were preyed upon for innocent characteristics such as wearing their hair in pigtails.
Full report: International Child Porn Ring Uncovered