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Cost and safety top priorities among parents this holiday

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As expected, most moms worry about cost and safety as part of their holiday shopping plans. I guess that’s the reason many people say mothers know best.

According to Nielsen Online, 20 percent of online discussions among parents about their kids’ holiday wish lists focus on cost. They are so very concerned about budget and how to avoid excessive spending on gifts.

Because there were many product recalls this year, moms can’t help but be very anxious about safety. Ten percent of discussions mentioned toy recalls, pushing many readers to seek out domestic products to “play it safe.”

How can they avoid overspending? Nielsen Online director of research methodology Kate Niederhoffer said, “Heading to the stores with a plan to buy specific products appears to be their solution to prevent excess shopping and impulse purchases.

As bonus info, Nielsen Online shares the leading retailers as of the week ending November 25th.
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Read full details

Originally posted on December 5, 2007 @ 1:13 pm

Majority of online shoppers will not buy toys made in China

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new media newsTraumatized by the recent toy calls, a new survey by online comparison shopping site PriceGrabber among 2,000 online shoppers shows that 69 percent will not purchase any toys manufactured in China

Sixteen percent will purchase products from China as long as the toys are not painted and do not contain magnets. About 73 percent of survey respondents stated that it is important that the products they purchase are made in the United States.

Moreover, 71 percent say it is important to them to purchase ecofriendly products this holiday season. It basically means better business this holiday season for the struggling U.S. manufacturers.

Originally posted on November 15, 2007 @ 3:42 am

NoodleNet a fun interactive site for kids

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new media newsNoodleNet, is an award-winning computer program that provides a safe online environment for children to explore the wonders of the Internet without putting them at risk from online predators, unwanted pop-ups or accidental access to inappropriate content.

The program delivers high-quality, age-appropriate links and reinforces classroom activities with fun, educator-approved links for children ages 3-5, 6-8 and 9-11 and is available on a monthly or annual subscription basis.

Kids will love NoodleNet’s links to interactive, action-packed, fun websites, and parents can trust that it will stimulate their imaginations and improve reading, math and critical thinking skills.

“By creating a virtual ‘gated community’ that keeps children in and inappropriate material out, NoodleNet assists parents by providing a safe online learning environment that they can customize and control,” explained Michael Callahan, President and COO of NoodleNet

Originally posted on November 9, 2007 @ 4:41 am

myNOGGIN.com combines preschool curriculum-based learning and gaming

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mynoggin.gifNickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group continues the expansion of its casual gaming experiences for kids and families with the launch of myNOGGIN, a personalized, premium subscription-based service for preschoolers and their parents.

Featuring curriculum-based learning through game play, and starring kids’ favorite Nick Jr. and NOGGIN characters, the advertising-free service provides preschoolers with core educationalbuilding blocks through fun and entertaining games.

It is designed to closely follow kids’ school curriculum and aims to helps children learn all of the major skills from preschool through
grade one (ages 3 to 6). As children play the levels of each game, the site uniquely adapts to their individual skill levels.

The premium service has three different subscription packages: $5.95 for a 12 month commitment; $7.95 for a six-month commitment; and $9.95 for a month-to-month commitment.

Originally posted on October 23, 2007 @ 4:36 am

DivideTheRide.com helps parents in carpool scheduling

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901amDivide The Ride is a newly launched carpooling website designed to help busy parents by creating carpool calendars based on their schedules and driving availability.

It aims eliminates the time, effort and often confusion that can go along with traditional carpool scheduling.

It utilizes web based technology and is remarkably fast, easy, and free of charge to use. Most importantly, Divide The Ride is safe
and secure.

Getting started is simple. Parents choose families they know to join their carpool. Once carpool members are onboard, all participants enter their driving availability and Divide The Ride creates a carpool schedule for them quickly. The carpool schedule is emailed to everyone in the group along with text messages and email reminders.

Originally posted on October 22, 2007 @ 4:26 am