To keep moms buying they will extend the Prime membership an extra month for each $25 purchase in ‘The Baby Store’. All of this is included in the free sign up.

Although the program is called “Amazon Mom” and aimed at new mothers, users do not have to be moms. It is open to dads, grandparents and other people with purchasing power. It is aimed at parents and when registering at http://www.amazon.com/gp/mom/signup/welcome they do ask for the name and birth date of your child. This question is optional, though, so anyone could take advantage even if they did not have a child’s information to include.

By providing the birthdate of the child Amazon can personalize recommendations for that member of the family. Although the program is geared toward parents and caregivers of newborn children to toddlers benefits can be seen for other users.

To attract cash strapped moms into purchasing online rather than going to ‘brick and mortar’ stores such as Wal-Mart, Amazon offers exclusive discounts and benefits to moms. The Amazon website describes some of the benefits as “Amazon Mom members receive exclusive discounts on a variety of products and categories. Discounts and promotions will be e-mailed to your Amazon.com e-mail account”.

As an Amazon Mom member there is a significant savings of up to 30% off select diapers and wipes. Another bonus is that the diapers are delivered to the door saving hauling them in from the grocery store.

Amazon has been keeping abreast of the mom situation and when asked how they came up with the name ‘Amazon Mom’ they said, “we chose this name because we noticed moms in social communities (like our Amazon discussion boards) looking to connect and share information about products and problems with other moms. We wanted a name that would let these groups know that this program was created with their unique needs in mind.”

Amazon (AMZN:NASDAQ) Offering Deals for Moms was created by and is property of American Consumer News.

As any family knows, kids can have a great impact on household savings, provided they learn early what it means to save. We have often taken advantage of and used the freebie promotions that come our way via our child. We have registered her for several freebies and memberships and have enjoyed taking her out for free meals, free ice creams and other desserts, and the occasional free admissions to over area events. It makes her feel important and ends up saving us some cash.

There are a lot of freebies available for kids. Many retail stores, grocery stores, restaurants, museums, and amusement parks offer kid-specific specials and memberships. We have not found that signing up for the membership programs has impacted the amount of junk mail or junk email that we receive.

There are several places the promote fun kid memberships and many of them you can register for online. The freebies range in value, depending on the location and type of company. Here are some of the more popular places where kid memberships offer free stuff:

Friendly’s
This restaurant chain hosts a birthday club. All registered children aged 12 and under can receive a free meal provided there is an additional purchase of an adult meal. This can bring in a savings upwards of $6 or more and kids get a full meal, drink, plus an ice cream sundae of their choice. Registration can be completed online at the Friendly’s website.

Burger King
This fast-food chain offers the Club BK for children under the age of 13. Online registration is the only way you can sign up for membership. Kids are eligible to receive a free hamburger meal for a savings between $3-$4. You can sign your child up online at the Burger King website where kids can also play games and learn about other promotions offered at the restaurant.

Denny’s
This restaurant offers a free meal and complimentary sundae for all kids under the age of 10 as a birthday treat. Kids must redeem the birthday offer on the date of their birthday only. You can sign up for membership at any of the restaurants or you can go online to the Denny’s website to retrieve a mail-in application.

Perkins Restaurants
Kids who sign up for the Perkin’s Birthday club will receive a birthday card with a coupon for a free kid’s meal during the week of their birthday, as well as other special promotional offers for different occasions. You can register online at Perkins website.

Toys R Us
At this toy store chain, kids can receive a free birthday card and gift card for their birthday. All kids ages 10 and under are eligible. Additionally, if you visit a store on the day of your child’s birthday, they will receive a crown, a birthday balloon, and a special store-wide birthday announcement over the PA system. In preparation for the big day, parents will receive a $5 coupon prior to the birth date of their child that can help with gifts. You can register for Geoffrey’s Birthday Club on the Toys R Us website.

For even more birthday freebies, check out the following websites for:

Sonic

Red Robin

Johnny Rockets

Freebies Are Kid’s Stuff was created by and is property of American Consumer News.

Ruler: Use the ruler to check the space between crib slats and deck rails and stair rails.  They should be small enough so that a child’s head can’t get stuck.  Less than 2 1/2 inches apart is recommended for crib rails, while deck and stair rails are recommended to be less than 4 inches apart.

Toilet Paper Tube: If you have a child under the age of 3, or will have a visitor under the age of 3 – test small objects that are within reach of the child.  If they fit through a toilet paper tube, they are a choking hazard. 

Digital Thermometer: Test the temperature of your water regularly.  Put the thermometer under running water in the tub and the sinks of your home to see if the temperature is higher than 120 degrees.  Young people can be seriously burned at temperatures of 120 or greater, so turn the temperature down on yoru water heater so that it is below 120 degrees.

Piece of Wood: If you have an automatic garage door opener, slide a piece of scrap wood in the way of the door and hit the button to close it.  The door should touch the wood and reverse direction so as not to squash a person who might be in the way of a closing door.  If it doesn’t work, get it fixed! 

In addition to the above mentioned home safety tool kits, you can purchase inexpensive testing kits for the following:

Lead Test Kit: This allows you to quickly test toys or painted items to see if they contain lead.  With all of the lead scares with toys lately, this is a terrific way to ensure that the items are safe for your children.

Electrical Polarity Tester: This tester will let you know if an electrical outlet is wired properly and will test ground-fault interupters.

Radon Testing Kit: This kit tests for radon, which is a radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer.

Evaluate Your Home’s Safety with Easy Home-Safety Kit was created by and is property of American Consumer News.

Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of injury related deaths for kids under the age of 2 and the leading cause of death for kids between ages 2 and 14. Keeping kids safe is a parent’s priority. It goes without saying that you can never replace a child and the costs and emotional trauma of dealing with an injured child is astronomical.

When it comes to automobile safety, prevention is key. Here are several tips to child-proof your vehicle and ensure that you are driving your kids as safely as possible.

Flip the Child Locks

Vehicle doors have special child safety locks that should be engaged at all times to prevent a child from opening the door intentionally or accidentally when the vehicle is moving and also when it is stationary. Keeping the locks in place prevents children for falling out of the car while driving and doesn’t allow the kids to hop out in a busy parking lot without adult supervision.

Use Child Safety Seats Properly

More information and regulations have become available in regard to child car seats. Each different styles of chair is made to meet the requirements based on the child’s weight, height, and age. Having a seat is not enough – it is most important that the chair is properly installed in the car. Follow the instructions that came with the chair and even take it one step further by having the car seat inspected by a certified specialist which can be found at SeatCheck.org

Stay in the Back

Kids under the age of 12 should always sit in the back of the vehicle and be seated away from front and passenger side airbags. In the event of deployment, an airbag can seriously injure or kill a child.

Keep Loose Items Contained

Many people fail to consider the damage a flying object can do to a child in the event of a collision. We often don’t think twice about throwing our purse or briefcase in the front of back seat. However, in the event of a crash, those loose items can easily move around and hurt passengers in the car. Provide a young child with soft toys to play with during the drive. Hard plastic or wooden toys can be thrown during play and cause injury to the driver, other passengers, or the vehicle itself.

Keep Vehicle Doors and Trunk Locked at All Times

A vehicle doesn’t have to be moving to be deadly to a child. There have been many incidents in the news involving small children climbing in the truck of a car and getting trapped. An unlocked car can seem like an instant playground to kids but one wrong move and a car can easily be set in motion, risking the lives of many people.

Safety Strategy – Keeping Your Kids Safe In the Car was created by and is property of American Consumer News.

Any parent will lament the helpless feelings that come along when a young child has a cold but doctors warn that giving cold and cough medicines can be even more dangerous that anyone has ever thought. So far over 800 cold medicines have been removed from the market but that is not all of them and parents need to be cautious when treating a child with a cold.

Children’s cold medicine is not cheap to begin with and in the event a child does suffer additional medical problems because of the medications, it really does not make sense to keep using it. If you have ever purchased any type of children’s over-the-counter cold medicine, you’ll no doubt have noticed the many combinations of treatment on the packages. For instance, one medicine helps with coughing, while another helps with runny noses. Since many kids have multiple symptoms, parents treat them with several medications. These medicines have many active ingredients that when combined can prove to be very harmful to a young child’s health.

So what can you do to effectively treat a cold or the flu without over-priced medications, expensive equipment, or costly pediatrician visits?

Here are some tips for caring for sick children without harmful medicines and all of the other hoopla:

Get Vaccinated

Young children are susceptible to colds and flu and being in an environments such as a daycare or other school, it is likely a child will often catch what is going around. In order to keep serious flu-related sickness at bay, have your child vaccinated for the flu.

Don’t Smoke

Smoking around the house and the kids increase the amount of irritants in the environment. Quit the habit for your kid’s health or at least, take your butt outside.

Add Humidity

When the seasons change and it is time to turn on the heater, add a humidifier to your child’s room to keep the dry air away. Dry air from the heat dries out the membranes inside a child’s nose, leaving no roadblock in the nose to keep out infections. If noses do get dried out and sore, use saline drops to keep the nose moisturized and help keep mucus loose and easy to get out.

Add Water and Sleep

Going back to mom’s advice, give the kids plenty of fluids and do your best to keep them resting as much as possible.

Hygiene is Important

Washing hands correctly is a necessary lesson for all little kids. When kids are sick, they need to understand how important it is to keep the germs away. Have them wash their hands before eat, and after coughing and sneezing. Parents also need to wash their hand frequently when caring for sick kids.

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However, for many families, our situation is not a shared one and they need to rely on outside, paid help to care for the kids. Typically, through research, I have discovered the rate of pay for babysitters has skyrocketed since my quarter-a-kid-per-hour days, a mere 20 years ago…

For a couple wanting to go out for a movie, the overall cost can be astronomical. Figure in the $20 for movie tickets and another $15 for snacks plus the $20 babysitting fee, parents might be more apt to stay at home and miss out on a break rather than spend $55 on a movie night. Here is a list of popular options for babysitters and the going rates for each, as well as some alternatives for free, quality child care outside of the daycare realm.

PAID CARE

Teenage Babysitters – The teenager next door or from you community or church may be willing to watch your kids for around $7-$10 an hour. Depending on the amount of children you have and their ages, a teenager is more likely to work for pocket money but may not possess special qualifications such as CPR certifications or drivers licenses.

Adult Babysitters – Many stay-at-home mom’s or those looking for a second source of income may be willing to watch your children for rates between $10-$15 a hour. May not posses special training but may have a driver’s license and the ability to prepare quality meals for the children.

Professional Babysitters - People with another interest in childcare practices, such as a pre-school teacher or a full-time child care individual like a nanny might command a salary starting out around $15-$20 an hour. There may be additional fees per children per hour. Professional sitters typically will have special qualifications, such as CPR, drivers license, and perhaps child psychology training.

OTHER ALTERNATIVES

Mom Swaps – For moms in the community who lack appropriate child care after school hours, it may be worth it to host a meet-and-greet in your home to introduce yourself and the idea to help other parents with child care. Parents can work out a fair way to watch each other’s children during the month to give each other some alone time free of charge.

Be Social - Many schools offer plenty of opportunities for parents to get to know the parents of other students. Meeting up with other parents who have kids in class with your children can be an opportunity to participate in play dates with children your children already know. This is an important step for parents new in town or those without family close by.

Older Sibling Swaps – If you are the parent of a responsible teenager, make the a deal. Your kids have friends who may be willing to get together to babysit for a night, giving your circle of friends an opportunity to get together for adult time a few hours a month. In exchange for the free babysitting, allow your teenager to host a sleepover or movie night at home. Provide snacks and some freedom to your kid and their friends and don’t forget to thank them for a job well done.

Host a Family Night of Your Own - Many parents choose to not go out to functions that are not family friendly for many reasons. If there are parents in your community who could use a break, talk to them about working together on a family fun night to get everyone out of the house. Perhaps a local civic group will allow you to use a room at their facility. Everyone can bring one dish to share and both adults and kids get a night out for free.

Please share any other great ideas you have come up with to ensure kids are safe if parents need to go out, especially those ideas that help out families on a budget.

Fitting Fees for a Sitter was created by and is property of American Consumer News.

There are a number of activities that are free and enjoyable – and then even more activities that might require money to get started, but that can be used over and over again to more than recover your initial purchase.  Here are a few ideas to get you started – I bet you can come up with more:

• Go for a bike ride.  Most kids have bikes already – if yours do not, hit a few yard sales and pick up bikes for the family.
• Visit a state park or playground near by.  You can make a day of a park, by packing a lunch, some beverages and a good book or magazine for you to read while the kids are playing!
• Croquet is the game with mallots and various colored balls that you hit through wire wickets.  You can set up various courses, making it as challenging as you want (try putting wicket four on the hill!) for a good hour of fun every time you play.  Don’t forget to “send” each other into the weeds to keep it interesting!
• Season passes to your closest and favorite attraction can save you hundreds of dollars.  If your kids enjoy amusement parks or another attraction that is near your home, you might consider a season pass.  Typically you save money after going just twice; so for the cost of a ticket and a half per person in most cases, you can go all summer long for that initial price.  This is a wise investment for families with middle school and high school aged kids who prefer non-stop thrills and entertainment.
• When the weather keeps you indoors, don’t forget all of the goodies like board games, play dough, arts and crafts in addition to the standard video game and movie.  If you keep up a variety of activities, the kids will be more likely to spend time at each activity rather than start it and quit after three minutes to go off and find something better to do!

For 90 other low cost or no cost activities, try reading my article on DestroyDebt.com – these are things you can do to entertain the kids all summer long, and most don’t cost a thing.

Ideas for Family Entertainment When There’s No Entertainment Budget was created by and is property of American Consumer News.

Flying with children can be daunting.  Hearing people comment about your crying angel mid-flight can really tick a parent off as well as create a sense of defensiveness.  However, flying with kids does not need to be horrifying.  The ten tips listed here will make flying with any child a more pleasurable experience. 

BOOKING THE FLIGHT

1. Pick a flight that happens at night or during your child’s naptime:  No matter how tempted you may be to book a normal day-flight, you need to consider what will be best for your child.  Look for the flights that are shortest in duration and are in off-peak times.  By simply scheduling a red-eye or flying during your child’s naptime, the likelihood of your child sleeping through the flight increases making travel time calmer and easier.  Plus, the price of the ticket will probably cost you less.

2. Book the Kid-Friendly seats:  Most parents tend to book towards the back of any plane since they believe it will keep their children from distressing the fewest passengers.  This means, by booking towards the back, you will likely only bother other more-tolerant, traveling families and find other children for yours to play with.  Look for seats in rows of three (even if there are only two of you) so you increase the chance of someone not taking the third seat and give your child more room to play or sleep. 

3. Consider flights with at least one stop:  When flying longer distances, consider flights where you change planes and have at least a one-hour layover.  Changing flights allows your child to get a change of scenery, stretch their legs, use a normal bathroom, eat decently cooked food, and even play at a playground with other children (since many airlines now offer play areas).  Even though it may greatly increase your travel time, a happy child and a break in your own monotonous discomfort can well be worth the hassle. 

WHAT TO BRING

4. Make a Kids Travel Pack:  Bring a child’s backpack of toys, games, and books so that your child can play during the flight.  Raid your local dollar store a few days before the flight, and your child will be obsessed with all the new toys in that bag.  Let the child pack their own bag while making it clear that they can only play with the toys on the plane and you will create a sense of eagerness and excitement within your child. 

5. Take Along Infant Tylenol for babies and Children’s Tylenol for older kids:  Although some may frown at drugging your child during a flight, I highly recommend it.  Like adults, the pressure of the cabin can give a child a headache, motion sickness, or just make them uncomfortable.  Children’s Tylenol can greatly relieve any of their pains and allow them to sleep where they may be unable to do so otherwise.   

6. Take gum for older children and bottles or pacifiers for babies:  The pressure in the cabin can be extremely painful for a child.  Pacifiers, baby bottles, and gum all help to relieve ear pressure making your kids more comfortable during take-offs and landings. 

7. Bring along the Electric Babysitter:  If you do not have a DVD player or Gaming System, now is the time to buy one.  Both are excellent distractions that will monopolize your child for the duration of the trip and allow you to get some peace.  Buy a new movie right before you leave, and younger children will watch it several times during the flight while older ones will concentrate wholeheartedly on it.  Just make sure to bring the headsets or else the stewardess may ask you to turn it off.  Plus, an extra battery costs about $50 and buys you an extra hour and a half.  Add this to naptime, and you will have a child that is a perfect angel the entire flight.  (A Gameboy or other Gaming System does the same thing and works especially well with teenagers.  Just don’t forget to bring the rechargers for either electronic.)

8. Take a stroller for smaller kids:  Strollers that recline horizontally allow the child to sleep any time during your vacation.  As an added bonus, your stroller can act as a baggage carrier while in the terminal since airlines let you check strollers at the door of the plane. 

DURING THE JOURNEY

9. Buy snacks and drinks in the airport:  Since shorter flights no longer offer meals, and longer flights serve one to two meals maximum, it’s very important to get these items before boarding the plane so that your child does not starve.  Even if a meal is served on the plane, it may not be served until several hours after takeoff.  Also, while you can bring pre-packed snacks into the airport, liquids are no longer allowed past security checkpoints.  By simply spending a few extra bucks in the terminal, you can ensure your child stays quenched and well fed during your flight, again ensuring their happiness.

10. Walk up and down the airplane at least once an hour:  This is a good idea for both parents’ and children’s circulation, and it is a great idea for boredom.  The child will get a change of scenery, thereby breaking up the monotony, plus they can meet other children on the plane, and you can arrange a mile-high play date. 

How to Travel with Kids on the Fly was created by and is property of American Consumer News.

There are many benefits to teaching your kids about money.  Immediate benefits include the children being able to grasp the concept of why they can’t always have everything they want- so when they see the endless toy commercials on television or an ad for the latest electronic gadget, they  may not be as quick to beg for it.  Children who are taught about money often develop good saving habits that are carried into their adult lives- and many children are even able to understand things like “investments” and how to make good purchase decisions. 

Long term benefits of teaching children about money is that the education prepares them to avoid excessive debt.  As they’re learning how to save and make careful decisions regarding money- they’re developing an understanding about why debt is bad and how they can avoid it with financial security.

Allowances

Many parents choose to give their children allowances for helping out around the home with chores; while other parents give a weekly allowances whether the child helps out or not.  Whichever you decide is right for your family, it’s important that you teach your child how to handle the allowance he or she receives as it is a long term lesson in money management that can be adapted to paychecks when the child becomes a working adult.

Out of each allowance, you could have your child set a portion aside for long term savings, a portion aside for short term savings- for that toy he or she is dying to get, a portion for charity, and perhaps a small portion for immediate spending.  As long as the child is saving his or her money each and every time they get it, they are learning about the importance of responsible money management.  You may wish to provide “interest” on the long term savings, just like a bank would, or even open a bank account for the child.

Start Early- Teach Your Children How to Manage Money Before it’s Too Late was created by and is property of American Consumer News.