Study finds more parents looking for affordable childcare options

It’s 7 P.M. — do you know where the working parents are? Nowadays they’re still in the office, pulling double-shifts, working extra hours and picking up new jobs so they can pick up the tabs (and mortgages, car payments, grocery bills …) that have inevitably increased due to the nation’s difficult economy. While moms and dads are forced to make ends meet, affordable childcare becomes the saving grace (and Holy Grail) for working parents, now more than ever. Sittercity.com  recently conducted a survey using its database of hundreds of thousands of parents and sitters nationwide and found shocking statistics on how the state of the economy truly impacts families across the country when it comes to work habits and childcare.  Sittercity members cite economic woes as the catalyst for the following changes in their daily lives:

 

• 42 percent of parents are working additional hours at their current job
• 27 percent of stay-at-home parents are now going back to work
• Eight percent of working parents have taken on a second job

“We often run surveys among our members to ensure we have a continual understanding of their challenges and needs,” said Genevieve Thiers, founder and CEO of Sittercity.com. “This particular survey shines a bright spotlight on the struggles of working parents and, because it’s simply impossible for parents to be in two places at once, also reminds us how crucial it is for today’s families to find affordable childcare options that don’t have them digging deep into their pockets.”  While local nanny agencies charge anywhere from $400 to $2,500 to search for a nanny, a Sittercity.com membership, which enables parents to search through a database of hundreds of thousands of local nannies and sitters, is a fraction of the cost and allows over-worked parents to use an inexpensive, reliable childcare alternative to ensure their children are well cared for while they’re spending those extra hours at work.

Rutgers’ study: Moms feel convenience doesn’t equal nutritious

Faced with many time constraints that call for quick food preparation, today’s moms aren’t confident in their ability to consistently prepare meals that are nutritious, according to new research from Rutgers University. While moms each have their own unique challenges, the study suggests that many moms can benefit from recognizing that good nutrition and preparing food quickly are not mutually exclusive. Carol Byrd-Bredbenner, Ph.D., RD, FADA, professor of nutritional sciences at Rutgers University, is the lead researcher of the study “Food Choice Influencer of Mothers of Young Children: Implications for Nutrition Educators?”  The study examined the key factors that influence the foods that moms select and serve, and noted that moms have a profound influence as the family’s meal gatekeeper. As a result, moms’ food choices have an overall impact on the health of their families.  Funded by the Canned Food Alliance, the study confirms:

 

• Though mothers realize the link between diet and health, they find it tough to eat and prepare meals healthfully when they’re busy or stressed, when convenience becomes paramount.
• Moms don’t equate nutrition and value with foods that are convenient.
• Eating nutritious meals together as a family is a top priority of moms with children 12 and younger.
• Mothers express a strong desire to learn how to prepare nutritious meals.

 ”Since families are eating the majority of meals at home and mothers value gathering their spouse and kids around the dinner table, it becomes increasingly crucial to make sure what’s on the menu is nutritious, even when time is limited,” said Byrd-Bredbenner.

Sprig Toys launches new green adventure line for kids

Kids attending Denver’s Green Frontier Fest on August 24—the eve of the 2008 Democratic National Convention—were the first on the continent to experience the very latest in eco-friendly playthings. Sprig Toys, Inc. of nearby Fort Collins invited children to play with the Sprig Adventure Series, a new line of kid-powered and totally green vehicles for preschoolers that recently began shipping to specialty toy stores across North America.  Made from Sprigwood™, a child-safe, bio-composite material derived from recycled wood and reclaimed plastic, the new toys harness the natural energy of push- and pump-action play to power lights and sound—all without batteries. Adventure Guide characters plug via USB into durable vehicles and engage preschoolers with audio that guides them through exciting adventures as they play. And, perhaps best of all, the toys fight childhood obesity—the electronics only work if a child is actively moving a vehicle.  “Sprig was proud to be a part of the Green Frontier Fest and focus attention on the need for safe, earth-friendly and active toys,” says Chris Clemmer, co-founder of Sprig Toys. “As a toy designer and father, I want to see America’s kids get off the couch, learn to use their imaginations and help us save the planet.”

Site provides guidance on preparing for back-to-school learning

Parents are more than twice as likely to go shopping in preparation for the new school year than engage in activities recommended by experts to help children effectively prepare for the coming school year, according to the Back-to-School Benchmark Survey released by GreatSchools (http://www.greatschools.net), an independent nonprofit organization that empowers parents to support their children’s educational success.  While nearly all parents shop for back-to-school clothing and supplies, fewer than half find out what their child will be learning, meet their child’s teacher, get their child on a nutritional breakfast schedule, or increase their child’s reading time and reduce their video/computer game playing time.  “Shopping has become synonymous with back to school but parents are searching for more meaningful guidance about preparing their children to transition back to the classroom,” noted Bill Jackson, GreatSchools’ founder and CEO. “GreatSchools is having that conversation with parents by connecting them with practical advice on how to effectively prepare their children.”  The survey also found that while 80% of parents do seek out educational advice — most often from schools and teachers — a surprising majority are overlooking the Internet as a back-to-school resource. With the launch of its Back-to-School online resource center, GreatSchools aims to broaden the focus of back-to-school season beyond shopping and provide parents with expert advice on all aspects of helping their children successfully begin the new school year. “Schools are simply too over-taxed and under-resourced to provide everything to every parent, so the web is a natural resource,” said Jackson. “GreatSchools is serving as a partner to parents by providing them with easy, low-cost ways to help their children prepare mentally and physically for back to school and return to the classroom with a positive attitude.”

Produce for Better Health makes it easy for mom to be healthy

September is Fruits & Veggies–More Matters month, and for moms and families looking for creative meal and snack ideas that include more fruits and vegetables, Produce for Better Health (PBH) has posted 200 recipes on the Fruits and Veggies—More Matter website, http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org. A set of Get Smart! Fruits & Veggies–More Matters tips are also available online. These tips focus on ways to stretch your fruit and veggie dollars in these tough economic times; pack the lunch box in creative and innovative ways that get kids eating more fruits and veggies; and include more fruits and vegetables while hosting a holiday party or entertaining at an informal get-together.  Moms shopping for healthy options can also find the Fruits & Veggies–More Matters logo on over 1,000 different food labels in stores nationwide. To carry the Fruits & Veggies–More Matters logo, food products must meet strict nutrition guidelines for total fat, saturated fat, trans-fat, added sugar, fiber, and sodium content. Consumers can look for the logo on both nationally marketed, brand name products, like those from Green Giant, Sunkist, Welch’s, and others, as well as on the private label products of several grocery chains. Making the most of supermarket visits, many PBH member stores also will hold special education activities for kids, including fruit and veggie treasure hunts, guessing games, samplings and story hours. To compliment these supermarket events, online resources will be posted on the Web site to inspire Moms looking for ways to engage their kids in making healthy eating decisions. “We at PBH are devoted to helping Moms realize that it is not only important to meet their family’s daily requirements for fruit and vegetable intake, but it is affordable and easy,” said Elizabeth Pivonka, Produce for Better Health Foundation president and CEO. “Using strategies that focus on fruits and veggies that are fresh, frozen, canned and dried, as well as including 100% juice, allow families to learn which fruits and vegetables they enjoy, and which they will choose to meet their dailyrequirement, which ranges from 2 to 6 1/2 cups each day.”

Center’d adds new site features to help moms better manage activities

In recognition of the increasingly hectic schedules parents face, Center’d – the planning site that ties together local search, community and planning tools in one place — has announced that it has launched a new set of innovative group planning features that will help busy parents manage their family and school activities just in time for back-to-school season.  People can use Center’d to easily organize both family-centric activities (e.g., carpooling, family trips) as well as larger functions that require volunteer coordination, like school events or team practices. In addition to the search, planning and social networking tools already available from Center’d, new features and functionality released today include:

• Volunteer Sign-Up Lists: Center’d enables individuals, schools or organizations to easily recruit and manage the people they need to get things done, even for complex recurring tasks. After setting up a sign-up list and associated tasks, Center’d automatically sends participants email reminders to participants, and relevant alerts to organizers.
• Shared Calendaring: This new feature gives people a quick snap-shot of all their events and tasks from friends and organizations in one place.  People can choose which calendars they want to view, and share their calendar with important people like family members. The new sign-up list tool integrates the shared calendar feature so people can easily track their tasks.
• Social Search Enhancements: Back-to-school is also a time when parents exchange recommendations, from which healthcare professionals they like, to information on after-school activities. Now, in addition to using ratings from across the Web, search results will also be weighted according to the places that people’s friends have saved or tagged, providing a more relevant and personalized local search experience.

“Every day I hear from moms confirming that they feel overwhelmed with the amount of activities they have to organize during the school year,” said Amy Keroes, co-founder of mommytrackd.com and multi-tasking expert.  “Not only do they have to stay on top of their own family’s activities, but many of them are also required to volunteer at their school and help plan events for their kids’ groups. It’s great that companies like Center’d are coming to the rescue and helping busy parents plan and organize complex group events that require a lot of time and volunteer coordination.”

Disney Family.com launches new social networking community

Disney Family.com has announced the launch of Disney Family.com Community, a new social networking site for parents.  The site provides a customizable online destination for moms and dads to connect with other parents through shared interests such as hobbies, age of child(ren), family setup, parenting tips, geographic location and more.  The site also allows guests to interact with each other by posting comments, questions and images about parenting experiences and challenges they have in common, as well as posting reactions to content on Disney Family.com. “Parents are increasingly sharing experiences, offering support and telling insightful stories about their families online through message boards and social networking,” said Emily Smith, Vice President of the Disney Family Group. “Disney Family.com Community creates a new online forum that combines social networking and insightful content to bring moms and dads together to make important connections while having fun.”

SHOP.com eases back-to-school shopping stress for moms

Just in time for back-to-school shopping, SHOP.com, a destination comparison shopping engine designed for women, has launched a new kids shopping department that offers moms up to 75% off virtually everything for kids and baby.  The new kids department, which features a myriad of favorite brands, including Roxy, Skechers, Nike, North Face, Carter’s and more, complements SHOP.com’s already comprehensive offering of the latest clothing, gear and accessories for women. “One-stop shopping convenience is of the utmost importance around the busy back-to-school season,” said Mondy Beller, senior vice president, marketing for SHOP.com. “The call of duty for moms particularly at this time of year reinforces that women shop for their family first, so we’re pleased to offer a robust online shopping destination that saves women time, money and their sanity during this hectic period.”  And to further help mom’s during the busy back-to-school season, SHOP.com has launched a special Back-To-School shopping section that offers hip styles for girls, boys and teens; dorm gear; cool gadgets and computers and electronics.   The Back-To-School section also offers editorial features from experts who provide tips and advice on subjects ranging from how to buy a “green” computer or an mp3 player to stylish and affordable tween fashion.

Tastybaby® partners with Amazon to reach more moms

Tastybaby® has announced that in addition to its full 10-item line of 100% organic frozen baby food, Tastybaby® Variety Packs are now exclusively available on Amazon.com, making it easy for parents to shop by bringing the brand directly to their front doors, free of shipping charges. With products now available to anyone, anytime, anywhere, this expansion enables Tastybaby® to reach customers in areas where the products are not yet available in retail stores. The expansion will also help Tastybaby® further its message of the importance of an organic lifestyle from the beginning. Amazon.com is offering FREE Super Saver Shipping with dry ice via 2nd Day Air for all Tastybaby® orders (a value of about $50).  Founded by two savvy moms with a passion for cooking, kids and healthy living, Tastybaby® co-founders Liane Weintraub and Shannan Swanson have a broader brand vision that has positioned them to be a brand on the cusp of exploding. “With today’s high gas prices, driving to the store can be expensive. The option of having a frozen product like ours come to your doorstep with no delivery charge is pretty terrific,” shared Weintraub. “It was very important to us to reach parents nationwide to offer a healthy lifestyle for their children, and we hope to be able to share the Tastybaby® way of life globally very soon,” Swanson added.

DrGreene.com on board with NaturalPath Media’s Mom’s channel

NaturalPath Media, a sustainable and healthy living media network, has announced that it will exclusively represent advertising sales for DrGreene.com, the leading online pediatrician voice in children’s health and parenting. DrGreene.com will become the flagship publisher in NaturalPath Media’s newly launched Moms and Family channel.  Launched in 1995 by Dr. Alan Greene and his wife Cheryl, DrGreene.com was one of the first online medical websites and was cited by the American Medical Association as “the pioneer physician website.” DrGreene.com serves as a rich resource for parents and their children, featuring Care Guides on asthma, nutrition, and more, as well as a deep index of healthcare information, resources for pediatric healthcare professionals, and “House Calls”– live interactive chat sessions with Dr. Greene. The site also provides extensive community elements including the Parent’s Network, the Kids’ Zone and Teens Only, offering discussion boards, chat and Ask, Answer, Learn where readers post their questions and community members offer help based on their own personal experiences. Additional features include “Wikipediatrics”, the top 200 articles written by Dr. Greene in a Wiki format so readers can add to the knowledge base with their own expertise and Baby Names, a unique Baby Name Finder that tracks baby name popularity in real time.  “We’re thrilled to partner with DrGreene.com, the most trusted online source for children’s health and the leading online community of parents seeking to raise their children in healthy and sustainable households,” said NaturalPath Media founder and CEO David Phillips. “Dr. Greene, who has been called the ‘Al Gore of Pediatrics’, has created a thriving community of parents seeking to educate themselves on health and parenting issues to make better choices for their children. His advice combines practical wisdom, warm empathy, a deep respect for parents, children, and the environment and will provide our marketing partners with the premium online brand for children’s health and parenting. The combination of DrGreene.com and our other Moms and Family channel sites gives us a targeted, highly effective way to engage this affluent and influential audience.”