What you need to know before giving your kid a phone, plus the Wirecutter-tested trackers, smartwatches, and phones to consider.

Additional Reading:

• The Best First Phones for Kids
• The Best Smartwatches for Kids
• The Best Parental Control Apps to Manage Screen Time (and Keep Your Kid Safer Online)
• Screenwise: Helping Kids Thrive (and Survive) in Their Digital World by Dr. Devorah Heitner
• Growing Up in Public: Coming of Age in a Digital World by Dr. Devorah Heitner

Products we recommend:

• Apple AirTag
• Tile Mate
• Bark Phone
• Pinwheel
• Apple iPhone SE (3rd generation, 128 GB)
• Verizon Gizmo Watch 3
• Apple Watch SE GPS + Cellular

Check out more NYT podcast coverage about the recent push to ban phones in schools from The Daily and Hard Fork.

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Find edited transcripts for each episode at nytimes.com/wirecutter.

Expert tips to waste less food — and save on your grocery bill — from Wirecutter kitchen editor Marilyn Ong and New York Times Cooking deputy editor Genevieve Ko.

Additional Reading

• Best Food Storage Containers
• Best Dry Food Storage Containers
• The Best Vacuum Sealer
• Kitchen Compost Bins We Love

Products We Recommend

• Rubbermaid Brilliance Pantry Food Storage Containers
• Anova Precision Vacuum Sealer Pro
• Cuisinart Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls with Lids

We independently review everything we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more›

Find edited transcripts for each episode at nytimes.com/wirecutter.

Our best-in-class advice to breathing a little easier.

Additional Reading

• The Best Air Purifier
• The $650 LifeStraw Max Water Filter Can Save You From Contaminated Water
• How Can I Clear My Air of Wildfire Smoke?
• How to DIY An Air Purifier

Products We Recommend

• Coway Airmega AP-1512HH Mighty
• LifeStraw Max
• Knipex Carpenters’ End Cut Pliers

We independently review everything we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more›

Find edited transcripts for each episode at nytimes.com/wirecutter.

We’re going deep on laundry—what you’re probably doing wrong, how to actually pretreat stains, and the tips and tricks to make it all easier.

Additional Reading

• The Best Laundry Detergent
• So You Stained Your Shirt? Now What
• The Best Stain Removers
• The Best Detergent for Hand-Washing Clothes
• This Steamy Grill Brush Makes Me Excited to Clean My Grill

Products We Recommend

• Tide Ultra Oxi Powder Laundry Detergent
• Tide Free & Gentle Liquid Laundry Detergent
• Dirty Labs Free & Clear Bio Laundry Detergent
• Amodex Ink & Stain Remover
• Restoration Fabric Cleaner

We independently review everything we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more›

Find edited transcripts for each episode at nytimes.com/wirecutter.

Our new podcast aims to solve your everyday problems, with life-changing tips, tricks and product recommendations from Wirecutter’s best-in-class journalists. Find out more at nytimes.com/wirecutter.

We independently review everything we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more›

Find edited transcripts for each episode at nytimes.com/wirecutter.