Mom's Happy Hour: Trouble In Toyland

Welcome to Mom's Happy Hour, in which we sort through the latest news about parents, parenting and pop culture so you don't have to. And then we add a little bit of snark and a whole lot of judgment.

Stockings are a death trap

With the holidays upon us, it’s time to weed out all the dangerous toys from our children’s shopping lists and replace them with cotton balls (no wait, they can swallow them!) and feather pillows (no wait – allergies!). The U.S. Public Interest Research Group has released its “Trouble in Toyland” report featuring toys equivalent to a Bag o’ Glass. A number of products like Littlest Pet Shop sets are mislabeled and can offer up choking hazards while the Captain America Soft Shield has 29 times the legal standard for lead. For a list of harmful toys, check out the full report.

Your son is by far the smelliest

In the movie Big Daddy, Adam Sandler is honored to hear his kid is the smelliest in the class. In real-life, a preschool teacher in New York is under fire for sending home a note to her students' parents, letting them know her class is full of dirty and smelly children. The public is divided – many feel the teacher overstepped her boundaries; others side with her due to the fact that preschoolers are often sticky little dirtballs who emit the aroma of pancake syrup and ham from their pores. As someone who often takes her child to daycare in pajamas and with toothpaste in her hair and chocolate under her fingernails (wait – that is chocolate, right?), I withhold any judgment.

Power up your gift giving for girls

Last week, the GoldieBlox “Girls” engineering commercial blew up the Internet (and caused the company to pull the Beastie Boys parody after the rap group complained). This week, The New York Times outlined 10 great gifts that allow a girl’s inner STEM professional to break free, complete with jazz hands and a screwdriver. From Lego Mindstorms to a Roominate Dollhouse Kit, the gifts are unique, hands-on and free and clear of any baby dolls. Best of all, parents can find engineering toys that match a girl’s specific interests, whether she’s into animals, video games or photography.

And this is why moms love Jimmy Fallon

There are millions of reasons to love Jimmy Fallon – his spot-on impression of Neil Young, his close proximity to Justin Timberlake, his tight pants. But Fallon has also proven he has a big heart for kids, waxing poetic on his new baby girl or performing the Sesame Street theme song alongside Big Bird and Elmo. This week, he kicked his adorableness up another notch by throwing on a chicken suit and bringing laughter to cancer patients at St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital. Sweet, lovely and heartfelt.

^{Photo: NBC/TodayShow today.com}