Skip to Content

Looking for the best info on potty training your toddler? Click here.

Internet Safety

How can you be sure that your child is safe on the Internet? It can be easy if you set the following Internet safety guidelines with your kids.

Among our top ways to stay safe. Remind your kids to:

1. Be careful with strangers on the Internet. Never give out personal information, including your last name, address, phone number or password. If someone asks for any of this information, kids should not respond; they should log off and tell a trusted adult.

2. Never agree to meet anyone without you, the parents, in tow.

3. A child should tell her parents immediately if she ever feel uncomfortable in a chat room or other online situation.

4. Stick with "kid-friendly" websites.

As adults, parents can use software, like My Kids Browser, to insure your child will not be able to access any adult-only websites.

ParentDish has complete, up-to-date information on the latest Gadgets & Tech.

YouTuber: What Is It?

A YouTuber is someone who is so obsessed with watching videos on the YouTube website that he or she has actually taken root like a potato or "a couch potato of the new millennium." "YouTuber" can also refer to someone who merely uses YouTube, or it could be footage that should be uploaded to the site, as in "Your video of your cats playing ping-pong is a definite YouTuber!"

Since its inception in 2005, YouTube has greatly impacted popular culture. The site made it simple for anyone to upload video footage to a worldwide audience on the Internet and millions share videos each day. YouTube has produced its own celebrities like Obama Girl and lonelygirl15. It has also influenced today's lexicon by introducing terms like "YouTuber" and "rickrolling", which is when someone purports to be linking to a valid website when in fact he or she has linked to the YouTube video of Rick Astley's 1987 song "Never Going to Give You Up," fooling the Internet user into being "rickrolled."

For related coverage from ParentDish see Media News and Gadget and Tech Updates and Reviews.

Kids' Virtual Worlds Explored

Virtual worlds are computer-based simulated environments to inhabit and interact via characters of computer users' alter egos or self-representations. These characters are called avatars, which can be a two-dimensional picture or a three-dimensional model. While there are many virtual worlds aimed at adults, such as Second Life , there are more than 200 virtual worlds aimed at kids currently in development across the world.

Launched in 1999, one of the first virtual worlds for children is Whyville, an educational site that boasts a player base of more than five million. Whyville is one of the few primarily educational virtual worlds, and it is sponsored by a wide range of non-profit, government and corporate entities, among them NASA, Disney and the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. Whyville has also been involved in public education projects aiming to inspire children to think about careers in science and technology.

Another popular kids virtual world is Webkinz. Webkinz are stuffed animals which come with a code that allows access to the Webkinz World website. This code allows the user to have a virtual version of the stuffed animal, and kids can take care of their virtual pets by buying them food, shelter and clothing with money called KinzCash which they earn by adopting new pets, answering trivia questions and playing online games.

An interesting use of kids' virtual worlds is utilized in helping children with autism by allowing them to transfer social and safety skills, such as getting along on the playground and looking both ways before crossing the street, from the virtual world to the real world.

Check out ParentDish Coverage on Fun and Activities, Parenting Resources, Gadets and Technology and Toys and Games.

Funschool: What Is It?

Funschool is an educational website for elementary school children that offers free games, crafts and printable activities to help prepare kids for school. All school subjects are covered, from history to reading to science to geography. Offerings include Wild Word West, a vocabulary-building, word-matching game; Transylmania 2, a Halloween game; and Evil Elves 2, a Christmas game. One can find coloring pages, word searches and crossword puzzles in the printable activities. The site is also offers holiday and seasonal craft activities, like Pumpkin Art, printable stencils for carving jack-o'-lanterns. There is also a Funschool site for preschoolers, which includes the same types of activites geared towards the pre-K crowd.

Funschool is sponsored by Kaboose, a family and parenting website owned by Disney Enterprises, Inc. The website provides hundreds of reviews, recipes, message boards, contests and family travel destinations, along with crafts, games and seasonal activities.

Check out ParentDish Coverage on Fun and Activities, Parenting Resources, Gadets and Technology and Toys and Games.

Cyber Bullying and How to Stop it

Cyber bullying is abuse that takes place through the use of information and communication technologies. Cyber bullies use social networking sites, chat rooms, cell phones, text, email and more to threaten, abuse and bully their victims. A victim of cyber bullying often feels shame, embarrassment, anger, depression and withdrawal.

Surveys have shown that despite the fact that one third of teens feel they have been the victim of cyber bullying, most of them never report it. They are often ashamed or fear that parental involvement will make things worse. Kids also hesitate to talk to their parents about cyber bullying out of concerns that they will lose their cell phone or Internet privileges.

One way parents can help their children avoid becoming silent victims of cyber bullying is by educating themselves and working to raise awareness of the issue. By bringing cyber bullying out into the open, victims will be more likely to report abuse and the cyber bullies more likely to face consequences.

For more information on cyber bullying and how to stop it, visit Cyberbullying Research Center. There you will find facts and statistics as well as helpful tips for educators, parents and teens.

Learn More About Cyber Bullying and Bullying from ParentDish:

Burger King Ad Encourages Cyber Bullying

How Bad Is Telling Your Kid to Hit the Bully Back?

One Dad's Campaign Against Bullying

Bullied to Death

Bullying News and Updates

Disney Adds a Design-it-Yourself Ride

Sum of all Thrills lets kids use computer tablets to design a virtual roller coaster. Credit: Raytheon Company / PRNewsFoto

Have you ever looked at thrill rides and thought, "Who designs these things?"

At Walt Disney World's Epcot theme park in Florida, the answer is: You do. Park officials just added a do-it-yourself ride where kids use a computer tablet to create the ultimate roller coaster, bobsled track or plane ride. Then, with the help of computer images, they can actually live the experience.

Well, virtually.

"This is really the next generation -- where there's a lot more personalization involved," Eric Goodman, Disney's lead project manager on the ride, told CNN.

Continue reading Disney Adds a Design-it-Yourself Ride

Would You Let a Robot Teddy Bear Nurse Care For Your Child?



This could be a wonderful technical innovation -- or the beginning of a really weird horror movie.

The Japanese have created giant, robot teddy bear nurses.

ParentDish Polls
robot nurse

Before anyone flees in terror, however, remember that Japanese robots have a better track record in real life than they do in movies. And these teddy bears are not programmed to crush cities. They are supposed to help patients in and out of beds and wheelchairs.

CNET reported that the robot teddy bears were created by Riken, a research center run by the Japanese government. They are said to be the first robots that can carry people in their arms.

According to CNET, the robo-bears can carry people up to 134 pounds in their foam-padded paws. Their teddy bear features are supposed to make the 300-pound mechanical beasties less imposing. (No word on how skittish patients feel about a 300-pound teddy bear coming to get them.)

The Web site reports that the teddy bears should be deployed in hospitals within five years. That's if all goes well. If something goes horribly, horribly awry, clear the streets and make way for the movie cameras.

Texting While Parenting - How Bad?

mom texting

Do you check e-mail while parenting? Credit: me and the sysop, Flickr


"The BlackBerry gives me freedom, for sure," a mom-friend confided. "But I sometimes wonder how bad it is that I answer the call of the BlackBerry when I'm with my kids."

Turns out, her tween covered up her mom's BlackBerry screen, mid-text, saying something like, "If you're not going to be with me, don't be with me. But if you are going to be with me, please be with me, and put this thing away."

Don't you just love that amazing kid-clarity? But still, there's a nagging push-and-pull here: The magical ability to get e-mail anytime, anywhere, allows parents to spend more time with their kids instead of being chained to the office. But do those interruptions, even when brief, make kids feel like they're playing second banana to a machine?

To find out, I called my friend Rosanne Tobey, director of Calm and Sense Therapy, a counseling service, for her take on the issue.

"I think a mom needs to be honest with herself, and ask herself, 'How important is this message?,'"she said. "'How important is it that it get answered right now?'"

On some days, Tobey concedes, there will be e-mail emergencies and phone calls that can't wait. "But then you need to ask yourself, 'Is today the day that I should be out to dinner with my child?'"

Here are more tips for separating work-time from parenting-time:

Try not to multitask. "No parent can pay attention to her e-mail and her child," says Tobey. If you need to answer an e-mail, tell the child you need to take a break. Note the time so you don't end up making her wait too long.

Set boundaries. If you can, do it with colleagues, and if at all possible, with your boss as well. The majority of e-mails can wait a few hours. If it will help, put an auto-response on your e-mail saying you're away from your desk but will be back at 7:30 p.m. to respond.

Practice. If you're used to answering e-mails the second they come in, it will take practice and discipline to ignore them for a few hours at a time. Give yourself time to feel uncomfortable and know that this is an adjustment period.

Bottom Line: How bad is it to answer work calls and e-mails while you're with your child? It's not ideal, Tobey says. Doing this consistently can be tough on your relationship. "Being with your child and not engaging...is like holding out an ice cream cone and saying, 'You can't have this.' It's not fair."

Have you had a less-than-perfect parenting moment and that has left you wondering, "How bad?" Send it to Sabrina at PrincessLPink9@aol.com. She'll try to answer as many as she can.

Sabrina Weill is the founder of the pink and princess-y gift site: PrincessLovesPink. Many of the Mommy Advisors in this column are the writer's personal or professional friends.

Ball and Chain Traps Kids Into Studying

child prisoner

Should homework feel like punishment? Image: sxc.hu

For some kids, doing homework is pure torture. Being forced to sit still and concentrate on something boring while fun things are happening elsewhere can feel like punishment where the only crime committed is that of being a student. And while there are those who reluctantly submit and do their time without too much fuss, many more resist.

These kids squirm and stall and find 101 reasons to put off the inevitable. First they need a snack, then the bathroom, then the dog needs a cuddle and oh, wait, now they are hungry again! And just when you think you've got them settled down and making some progress, you turn around and find they've escaped.

Beyond threatening, cajoling and bribing, what's a frustrated parent to do? Well, you could take the idea of homework as punishment to its next logical step and go ahead and lock up the prisoner.

That's the idea behind the Study Ball. It's literally a ball and chain with a timer. Lock it onto your student's leg and it will unlock only when the programmed amount of time has passed. It weighs just under 21 pounds, making that impromptu trip to the fridge difficult and perhaps not worth the trouble.

The ball cannot be programmed to lock for more than four hours and it comes with an emergency escape key. But still. Perhaps a college student might find this device amusing and even helpful in promoting self-discipline. But do you really want your younger child learning to associate school work with shackles and chains?

Would you use a device like this? What have you tried to get your kids to do their homework in a timely manner? Or have you just given up?

Kids Struggle to Unplug At Summer Camp

teen cell phone

Could your teen unplug for a week? Image: sxc.hu

Sending the kids off to summer camp is a time-honored tradition for many families. For parents, sleep-away camp is a rare break from parental duties and a chance to let the kids take some baby steps along the path to adulthood. For kids, it's an opportunity to experience new things, make new friends, and maybe grow up just a little bit.

Yes, summer camp is an exciting adventure for kids lucky enough to go. But for a technology-addicted teen, the simple life of sleep-away camp can also be excruciating. Many camps have rules forbidding electronic devices such as cell phones and computers -- the very lifeline of today's social teens.

For some, a camp's tech toy policy is the deciding factor when choosing where to go. 17-year-old Tim Chai couldn't bear to be without his Facebook access and nixed a church camp because of their no cellphone, no computer policy. "I just thought it was too much for me to handle," said he says. "I love my Internet. I love my phone. I'm not ashamed to say it."

Continue reading Kids Struggle to Unplug At Summer Camp

iPhone "Baby Shaker" App Pulled - What Was Apple Thinking?

There's nothing funny about shaking a baby to make it stop crying, but that's the premise of a game that Apple temporarily approved for sale to iPhone users this week. The app, intended no doubt to be humorous, displayed a picture of a baby on the phone's screen and played a recording of a baby crying. The user then had to shake the iPhone vigorously until red X's appeared on the baby's eyes and the crying stopped.

The description of the now-unavailable app read, "On a plane, on the bus, in a theatre. Babies are everywhere you don't want them to be! They're always distracting you from preparing for that big presentation at work with their incessant crying. Before Baby Shaker there was nothing you could do about it."

And of course, the description included a disclaimer: "Never, never shake a baby."



As you might imagine, there was quite an uproar over this app, primarily from parents. Patrick Donohue, founder of the Sarah Jane Brain Foundation, an organization that helps parents and medical professionals deal with Pediatric Acquired Brain Injuries such those as caused by Shaken Baby Syndrome, wrote directly to Apple CEO Steve Jobs to express his dismay: "As the father of a 3-year-old who was shaken by her baby nurse when she was only 5 days old, breaking 3 ribs, both collarbones and causing a severe brain injury, words cannot describe my reaction." Marilyn Bar, the founder of the US Center for Shaken Baby Syndrome, goes even further: "Not only are they making fun of shaken baby syndrome, but they are actually encouraging it. This is absolutely terrible."

How Safe is Dairy

    Does milk really do a body good? Are the hormones safe? Does yogurt help with weight loss, and does kefir promote better digestion? It can be maddening trying to muddle through all the conflicting information out there. We have the down low on which dairy products your family should be eating, drinking and slurping.

    jupiterimages

    Milk: It's one of the best sources of calcium, needed for building strong bones and teeth and safe weight loss, according to one recent study. Plus, milk is full of protein, fortified with vitamin D and protects against colon cancer. So what's the problem? Well, lactose intolerance for many, probable increased risk of prostate cancer and possible increased risk of ovarian cancer. That's the hormones, found in standard and organic milk (thanks to dairy cows being kept pregnant so that they'll lactate). And that weight-loss study? Funded by the National Dairy Council.

    Getty Images

    Verdict: There's currently no good scientific evidence that says that drinking more than one glass of milk per day is necessary, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. Given some of the risk factors associated with consuming too much dairy, best to look to non-dairy sources for your daily requirement of calcium (1,000 to 1,200 milligrams). Go for leafy greens, beans and whole grains -- all of which offer countless other health benefits, too.

    Ray Kachatorian

    Cheese: Cheese is the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of the dairy world. On the one hand, we can appreciate delicate shavings of parmesan enhancing the flavor of a salad, or a slice of Bucheron complementing a glass of wine. On the other, we see a slop of melted cheddar oozing over nachos, a roadside stop on the path to obesity or clogged arteries.

    Getty Images

    Verdict: Think moderation. Most cheese is high in sodium and isn't exactly low-calorie. But the combination of fat and protein in cheese is very satisfying, and it can keep your appetite in check for hours after eating. The endless variety of cheeses can accommodate most tastes and diets: Feta is low in saturated fats, firm ricotta is low in sodium and Swiss offers a real protein punch. Plus, cheese happens to be great for your teeth -- in addition to providing calcium, it changes the pH in your mouth to discourage bacteria.

    jupiterimages

    Yogurt: Yogurt offers all the benefits of milk, and then some. It's more easily digested than milk and contains friendly bacteria that's good for your intestinal tract. Some studies even show it to boost immunity and fight cancerous tumors. Unfortunately, most of the yogurt you see on supermarket shelves is so highly sweetened that most of the calories in the product come from the sugar, not the yogurt itself.


    jupiterimages

    Verdict: Buy plain yogurt. It is more nutritious in every way and it's easily sweetened with fruit, maple syrup or agave nectar. Or, don't sweeten it and use it in place of sour cream, milk or mayonnaise when making pancakes, muffins or tuna salad. Also, avoid any yogurt at the store called "lite," as it likely contains artificial sweeteners and colors.

    jupiterimages

    Kefir: Kefir, which is just now more widely available, is a cultured, enzyme-rich food that contains even more beneficial bacteria than yogurt, as well as healthy yeasts. It also contains the essential amino acid tryptophan, which has a calming effect on the nerves.


    jupiterimages

    Verdict: Ta-da! Kefir is he healthiest of all the dairy products. But, as with yogurt, it's best to avoid the overly sweetened commercial varieties. Choose plain kefir, or, better yet, you can purchase a starter culture and easily make your own using whatever milk you normally buy.

    jupiterimages



Apple has removed the program from their iPhone app store and the developer, Sikalosoft, no longer lists it on their website.

We've all experienced the frustration that comes with a baby that won't stop crying. I spent the first three months of my oldest son's life trudging up and down the stairs all night long because that was the only thing that would stop him from crying. And it can be even worse when it's someone else's baby disturbing your meal or interrupting your movie. But, of course, physical abuse is never an option for dealing with an unhappy or inconsolable child. And yet, the developer of this application seems to find this kind of behavior amusing.

I'm sure someone, somewhere, thought, at some point, that this was funny, but someone at Apple, which has been criticized for being too particular about the apps they do approve, certainly made a mistake in approving this one.

Teen "Sexting" Isn't All That Dangerous

Texting naked photos of yourself is stupid, but it's not the most problematic thing kids are doing online. For most teens, cyberbullying is a far bigger problem.

When I was a teenager, our parents worried that we were having sex, but they didn't think about whether or not we were taking nude photos of ourselves and passing them around at school. These days, though, kids are having cybersex at an alarming rate -- or so the media would have you believe. One recent study found that 20 percent of teens admit to texting racy photos of themselves to friends and classmates. School administrators argue that the numbers are far higher than that.

"Sexting" is a terrible idea, clearly, but is it really dangerous, or just stupid? Concerned parents and teachers say it is incredibly dangerous, putting kids at risk for all kinds of sexual attacks. That photo your daughter takes for her boyfriend could easily find its way onto the Internet, where crafty pedophiles have access to it -- and to your daughter.

At least, that's the claim.

Scary Cyber Attacks

    Teen Commits Suicide Over MySpace Hoax
    A cruel prank leads to terrible tragedy, and murder charges for the perpetrators.

    Read More

    djayo on SXC

    Facebook Group Sends Teacher to Therapy
    And the kids who created it were suspended.

    Read More

    Bubbles on SXC

    Fake MySpace Page Destroys Teen's Reputation
    A malicious, random attack led this 4.0 student all the way to Dr. Phil in an attempt to clear his name.

    Read More

    YouTube

    Attack Recorded on Cellphone, Posted to Facebook
    These middle school students shared their violent video with some online buddies, and wound up suspended.

    Read More

    smitea on SXC

    Online Attacks Spur Real-Life Violence
    Two girls attempts to retaliate against a cyberbully led to a street fight.

    Read More

    SXC

    Investigators Posing as Teens Propositioned for Sex
    Staff members of the New York Attorney General signed up for Facebook pretending to be teens and were repeatedly asked if they had any "nude pics" to share -- and it gets worse.

    Read More

    forwardcom on SXC

    The Real Threat Might Surprise You
    According to a new report, your kids are in greater danger from cyberbullying than they are from online sexual predators.

    Read More

    ArminH on SXC

    Predators Aren't Who You Think
    Worried about adults with foul intentions posing as teens online? Chances are they're not the ones hitting your kids up for sex -- but the real culprits are even worse.

    Read More

    bruno-free on SXC

Continue reading Teen "Sexting" Isn't All That Dangerous

Reading to Your Kids is a Crime

The new Amazon Kindle 2 electronic book.Do you read your kids a story before bed? The National Children's Reading Foundation recommends that you spend twenty minutes each day reading out loud to your kids. The problem is, if you follow the NCRF recommendation, you'll be committing a crime. At least, that's the accusation of Paul Aitken, executive director of the Authors Guild, a writers' advocacy group.

According to Aitken, the read-aloud feature of the new Kindle 2, Amazon's latest version of their electronic book, is illegal. The Kindle is a popular device that lets you download books and magazines to read on the go. The newly announced second version will actually read the books to you.

That's where the problem is. Says Aitken, "They don't have the right to read a book out loud. That's an audio right, which is derivative under copyright law." I guess Aitken feels that having a computer read a book to you is the same as making a movie out of it. Does that go for parents, too?

So what does this mean for all the moms and dads out there who want to do the right thing and read to their children? Ben Sheffner, a well-known copyright attorney, wrote on his website that "clearly reading to one's kids is a private performance (for which no license is required), not a public performance for which the Copyright Act requires the copyright owner's permission." So, bedtime stories are probably okay; you can read "Where the Wild Things Are" with a clear conscience.

Teens Online Spend Hours on Porn and Dieting Sites

I guess teenagers really are the same everywhere. A new survey shows that the average teenager in the UK spends more than 80 hours a year looking at pornography on the Internet. That translates to an hour and 40 minutes a week.

Of course, watching dirty movies is not all the kids are doing on the Internet. They're also spending an hour-and-a-half on dieting Web sites and one hour researching cosmetic surgery.

Scary Cyber Attacks

    Teen Commits Suicide Over MySpace Hoax
    A cruel prank leads to terrible tragedy, and murder charges for the perpetrators.

    Read More

    djayo on SXC

    Facebook Group Sends Teacher to Therapy
    And the kids who created it were suspended.

    Read More

    Bubbles on SXC

    Fake MySpace Page Destroys Teen's Reputation
    A malicious, random attack led this 4.0 student all the way to Dr. Phil in an attempt to clear his name.

    Read More

    YouTube

    Attack Recorded on Cellphone, Posted to Facebook
    These middle school students shared their violent video with some online buddies, and wound up suspended.

    Read More

    smitea on SXC

    Online Attacks Spur Real-Life Violence
    Two girls attempts to retaliate against a cyberbully led to a street fight.

    Read More

    SXC

    Investigators Posing as Teens Propositioned for Sex
    Staff members of the New York Attorney General signed up for Facebook pretending to be teens and were repeatedly asked if they had any "nude pics" to share -- and it gets worse.

    Read More

    forwardcom on SXC

    The Real Threat Might Surprise You
    According to a new report, your kids are in greater danger from cyberbullying than they are from online sexual predators.

    Read More

    ArminH on SXC

    Predators Aren't Who You Think
    Worried about adults with foul intentions posing as teens online? Chances are they're not the ones hitting your kids up for sex -- but the real culprits are even worse.

    Read More

    bruno-free on SXC



The poll asked more than a thousand kids, aged 13 to 15, how much time they spent online and what they did with it. The average teen spends more than 30 hours surfing the Web. In addition to porn, dieting and surgery, the kids are squeezing in over three hours of homework and research online. That's a good thing.

But then there's the hour-and-a-half downloading music, two hours on YouTube and more than three hours spent shopping or on auction sites each week. And lest we forget these are teenagers, there is the five hours a week spent on dating or social networking sites.

Mind you, this doesn't strike me as any different -- other than the technology used -- from teenagers in my day. (Now, when I was in high school, if we had had access to the Internet, an hour and a half would have been a daily total for most of the guys I knew -- on days when they were busy with other activities. Just saying.)

How closely do you monitor your kids' internet usage?

Facebook Friends or Sex Offenders?

MySpace made news after revealing that 90,000 registered sex offenders have been kicked off its site in the past two years. Bravo! But where did all of those sex offenders go? Experts are saying they've snuck over to Facebook.

Facebook has become a "safe haven" for pervs, according to John Cardillo, CEO of Sentinel, a Miami-based security tech firm which helps Bebo and other social networks identify sex offenders. And he should know -- he found thousands of them right after he kicked them off MySpace.

Facebook is aware of the problem, but they still seem to have a bone to pick with Sentinel, saying that both companies could have worked to solve this problem together. "For a company that has a mission to keep kids safe, we find it irresponsible that they wouldn't share this with us," said a Facebook spokesperson. "We still don't have the information on who they are."

That's creepy. And there's more.

Continue reading Facebook Friends or Sex Offenders?

Next Page >

Features

Recent Comments

lilsugarMommy's Little Helper
What's Your Secret Weapon?

Every mom has an ace in her pocket.


Play Our New Baby Girl and Boy Name Faceoffs!

While a name lasts a lifetime, this game goes fast if you ...


Do You Take Your Tot to Sporting Events?

What's porous, striped or gold all over?