Productopia

New parents can spend $9,050 to $20,460 on their baby's first year alone, according to the USDA. It's enough to make you scale back your family plans. But you can save money by buying gear that morphs as your baby grows. Initially, convertible baby products may seem more expensive, but, over time, they can take less of a toll on your wallet, not to mention the environment, because you won't need to start from scratch with a completely new product as your child goes from stage to stage or if you have a second child close to your first.

Here are four mega multi-taskers that can grow the distance with your family. Read more

In the midst of last week's Black Friday week hubbub, Nintendo launched its new Wii U video game console. To say there was a bit of pent up demand would be an understatement. Originally announced at the E3 show in June 2011, anticipation for first completely new video game console since 2006 had built to the point where the Wii U was sold out through normal retail channels on its release date (November 18), with USA Today adding that a total of 400,000 units were sold in the first week. But despite some predictions of possible months-long Wii U shortages, some retailers, such as ToysRUs.com, were showing that  the Wii U Basic set (*Est. $300) was in stock for immediate shipping as of Tuesday afternoon. The better value, we think, Wii U Deluxe set (*Est. $350) looked to be available at some Walmart stores (but only in stores, not on line). That suggests that supplies are loosening up faster than anticipated. That's good news for you as it means you might still be able to score a Wii U console for the holidays -- and without paying the marked up prices some secondary retailers are charging. But it could signal bad news for Nintendo and the future of video game consoles. Read more

Car seats aren't just for babies anymore. The NHTSA says all children should be in booster seats until at least age 8. Manufacturers are stepping up, making seats look less babyish for children ages 4 to 8 with mod patterns, bold primary colors, and other designs. But safety isn't taking a backseat to aesthetics when it comes to the newest child booster seats on the market.

Fifteen of the 17 booster seats introduced in 2012 earned the top BEST BET rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.  The IIHS defines BEST BETs as "seats that provide good belt fit for typical 4 to 8 year-olds in almost any car, minivan or SUV."

A few of this year's winners are also ConsumerSearch Best Reviewed convertible car seats and booster models. Read more

With so many big box stores attracting the deal-crazed crowds on Black Friday and the pajama shoppers flocking to deal sites on Cyber Monday, American Express saw a void in shopping incentives for businesses on Main Street America. In 2010, the credit card company started a marketing initiative to help the economy and support mom-and-pops. Small Business Saturday, as it's been coined, was a huge success and had a repeat performance last year. There is no shortage of success stories from participating small businesses that look forward to this year's event on Saturday, November 24. Read more