Motherhood begins as a tempestuously physical experience but quickly becomes a political one. Once a woman’s pregnancy goes public, the storm moves outside. Don’t pile on the pounds! Your child will be obese. Don’t eat t..

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Now parents can tell their children an added benefit to being a good kid – growing up to have a healthier body weight. Children who exhibit self-control at an early age have a lower body mass index (BMI) 30 years later, according to a study in t..

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While many parents who are overprotective believe that coddling their child is in the best interest of the child, research demonstrates too much coddling during the early stages of life can increase the child's chance of developing anxiety later in l..

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Preschoolers seemed to sleep better when their parents were encouraged to cut kids' exposure to violent or age inappropriate videos throughout the day, in a new study. Researchers found that within months after urging parents to switch their children..

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I’ve spent a good bit of time away from my kids this summer. My 9-year-old went on a month-long trip to Alaska with his grandparents, while my 7-year-old had her first taste of sleepaway camp in a four-night introductory session. I wasn’..

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Child development experts around the world are alarmed at the reduction in free play allowed children at home, school, and in the community.   Simultaneously, schools are pressured to provide more physical exercise within the school d..

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If you are worried that your child isn't being as active as he or she could be, then it may be time you start increasing the amount of time you spend on physical activities. New research has shown that children increase their physical activity when ..

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Giving children with egg allergies small, and then increasingly higher, doses of the very food they are allergic to may eliminate, or at least reduce, reactions, a new study shows. In a multi-center trial, 28 percent of kids experienced long-term eli..

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Sleep is one of the most important elements in a growing toddler’s life. Toddlers not only need the right amount of sleep, but the right kind of sleep to ensure that they grow and develop to their fullest potential. Toddlers sleep an average of..

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Many American children wet the bed each night, making it challenging for parents to keep up with clean pajamas and linens - not to mention embarrassing for your child as they get older. Experts say it's mostly a matter of physical development and mat..

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(Reuters Health) - The number of drugs dispensed to U.S. minors has dropped slightly over the past decade, bucking the rise in prescriptions to adults, according to a government report out Monday. Antibiotics use fell by 14 percent, suggesting eff..

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U.S. News has released their annual report of the Best Children's Hospitals. In putting together the list, they found that out of nearly 5,000 hospitals in the U.S., only 1 in 30 has expertise in treating kids with serious conditions. Eighty outstand..

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(CBS News) Letting your child hang out with his or her friends may provide more than emotional benefits: It could also boost your kid's health. A new study in the May 28 issue of  Pediatrics shows that kids who interact with active children are ..

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Babies born in wealthier countries generally stayed in the womb longer. But the rate of prematurity in the United States remains high, at more than 12 percent of live births. That's about 5 percentage points higher than in Russia, China and Canada and..

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(Reuters Health) - Kids and teens who watch a lot of television are less likely to get their fruits and veggies and more likely to snack on candy or drink soda every day, according to a new survey of close to 13,000 U.S. students. The link to poor ..

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Figures released by the National Trust earlier this month paint a picture of a generation of children disengaged with nature and outdoor play, largely ignorant of the joy of unbridled exploration. According to the charity, fewer than one in ten chil..

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(Reuters) - Children born to obese women are more likely to be diagnosed with autism or related developmental delays than the children of slimmer mothers, according to a U.S. survey. The research, which appeared in Pediatrics, was looking for the ..

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Each April, as we see the new life and growth of spring, we observe a month dedicated to children: Child Abuse Prevention Month. The huge importance of nurturing children has been validated as research into brain development has expanded. What many peo..

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Though autism is often not diagnosed until the age of three, some children begin to show signs of developmental delay before they turn a year old. While not all infants and toddlers with delays will develop autism spectrum disorders (ASD), experts po..

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As part of National Sleep Awareness Week, the National Sleep Foundation's annual campaign to remind people about the importance and value of sleep, The Huffington Post and The Forum at Harvard School of Public Health collaborated on a live webcast eve..

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In the surgical wing of the Center for Pediatric Dentistry at Seattle Children’s Hospital, Devon Koester, 2 ½ years old, was resting last month in his mother’s arms as an anesthesiologist held a bubble-gum-scented mask ov..

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Children and teens are consuming too much added sugar in their diets, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly one in every six calories they eat and drink comes from some type of added sugar. This finding ..

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There is a good chance that my children (and yours) are stressed out on a daily basis. Not necessarily from catastrophic burdens such as death, abuse or abandonment (though far too many children are dealing with those as well), but from the slow boil..

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Depressed kids may become targets for bullies, a new study finds. Children who are ostracized by their peers and bullied often become depressed, but new research suggests that the relationship may work the other way around as well: children’s d..

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School-age children whose mothers nurtured them early in life have brains with a larger hippocampus, a key structure important to learning, memory and response to stress.  The new research, by child psychiatrists and neuroscientists at Washing..

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When children have high cholesterol or blood pressure, their parents may have increased risks of diabetes and heart disease down the road, a new study finds. The study, of 519 Ohio families, found that a 12-year-old's weight, cholesterol and blood pr..

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By Dr. Mercola An extensive review of relevant research has demonstrated that the more physically active schoolchildren are, the better they do academically.  Researchers analyzed 14 studies, ranging in size from as few as 50 participants to as m..

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A consistent routine can help parents raise well-rested kids. Don’t expect to watch television at Becky Lundgren’s house after dinner. It’s not that she doesn’t enjoy watching a show or two in prime time. But ever since her da..

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Children Who Are Active in Sports or Physical Education May Do Better in School, Research Suggests Physical activity may help children exercise their brains as well as their bodies. A new review suggests that children who are active in sports or physica..

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Another thing to blame on Mom? A new study finds that kids who start out with bad relationships with their mothers are more likely to end up obese as teens. The study, published in Pediatrics, tracked 977 children who were born in 1991 and enrolle..

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In addition to understanding the many real concerns that today’s parents have with video games, it’s also worth considering the benefits and positive aspects that contemporary interactive entertainment choices provide. Certainly, many ..

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Letting babies "cry it out" is an idea that has been around since at least the 1880s when the field of medicine was in a hullaballoo about germs and transmitting infection and so took to the notion that babies should rarely be touc..

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As a parent, one thing you expect will be a part of your life for the next decade or two, are toys, lots and lots of toys.  But what isn’t always as apparent is what toys to buy for your child. Which ones are just all hype, and which on..

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Fat kids often turn into fat adults with a host of related health problems: diabetes, high blood pressure, clogged arteries. But a study finds that if those heavy kids lose weight they may be on a par with people who were never overweight. A meta-anal..

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Remember that proverbial parent-child talk about the birds and the bees? The prevailing thinking among child-development experts is that this "talk" should actually be a dialogue that starts as soon as the child can speak and continues unt..

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The human brain is the most complex entity in the known universe and despite the best endeavours of scientists, there are still many mysteries about the 1.5kg crinkled blob between our ears. Here are just a few of the many myths about our brains an..

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Families who spend more time together while their children are young tend to have a stronger family bond for decades, experts say. But it takes a lot of effort to plan and then live the "slow family" lifestyle, which suggests that kids don..

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For new parents, advice from their pediatrician about soothing a crying infant or putting them to sleep is invaluable and often discussed at well-baby check-ups.  But a study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics found tha..

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Obesity in children has become a serious health problem in the United States, to the point where even babies are at risk. Obesity in children has become a serious health problem in the United States, to the point where even babies are at risk. In Cass ..

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As I talk with adults about playing in nature, I invariably hear about special places they remember from their childhood. Their eyes light up and their voices rise as they describe the times they spent outside as a child. Experiences in nature are..

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(HealthDay News) -- Sleep problems common to the toddler set are made worse both by violent media content and greater evening use of televisions, computers or video games, a new study suggests. Reviewing parent surveys and media diaries from 617 p..

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Is your child about to start practicing yoga at school? Does he or she seem interested in taking a yoga class? If so, you may have questions about the possible benefits of yoga for kids and what a typical program entails. Before your child does his o..

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It’s common to hear adults talking about how stressed or overwhelmed they are, but do we hear from our children how they feel? Research finds that between 8 and 10% of North American children are seriously troubled by stress. I’ll never ..

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(CBS) Who's to blame when kids are fat? Schools? The media? A new study suggests the blame should be directed elsewhere: dear old Dad. A study by Texas AgriLife Research showed that kids eat more fast food with their dads, and unhealthy meal choices..

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Classes are done for area schoolchildren, but that doesn't mean the learning should stop. (Wait just a second, you kids are thinking. Learning? But it's summer vacation! We know. Just hear us out.) "Every time we come back (to school) in the fall,..

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TUESDAY, May 31 (HealthDay News) -- As the school year wraps up, many kids will replace class time with cyber time -- a trend leading one researcher to caution parents to watch out for online hazards such as "sexting" and cyberbullying. ..

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Summer weather is upon us (well mostly) and school is on its last breath for the year. With a long break in store, many kids look forward to lazy days of sleeping in with no homework and little on the to-do list. Are you making sure your kids are ge..

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A new analysis of data from a cognitive science laboratory at Virginia Tech adds more fuel to the idea that children’s ability to listen and follow directions in school is connected to the way caregivers responded to them as infants. Using data..

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New book claims that 'signature' melodies and inflections of traditional rhymes prepare children's brains for language. Parents should sing to their children every day to avoid language problems developing in later life, according to a consultant. Too..

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You may think your kids are ready for organized sports, especially when so many of their peers are signing up. But many young kids don't develop the physical, emotional, or mental skills it takes to compete until second or third grade. Kids who star..

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Study Links Childhood Music Lessons With Better Brain Function in Older Adults. Learning to play a musical instrument as a child may help keep the mind sharp for years after the last note is played. A new study suggests childhood music lessons may impr..

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 NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Many American youngsters are not getting enough physical activity and parents are failing to make their children's health a priority, according to a new study. The research by the YMCA, which surveyed more than 1,600 A..

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Mothers with young children are slightly chubbier and exercise less than women without kids, according to a new study published Monday in Pediatrics. If you’re surprised, you probably don’t have kids—or you haven’t lo..

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Facebook users are everywhere--with 22% of teenagers logging onto Facebook more than 10 times a day. Nicolette Ramirez checks in about 7 times a day and spends at least 2 hours online keeping up with her more than 300 friends. "Just the other ni..

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Written by: Erin Gallagher Patch.com We were driving through a neighboring town when my husband saw someone on the street who startled him. "Is that girl across the street pregnant or just overweight?," he asked. She was overweight. I would ..

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Preschoolers whose parents are depressed get stressed out more easily than kids with healthy parents, but only if their mothers have a negative parenting style, according to a new study. The research, set to be published in an upcoming issue of the jou..

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New fathers aren't immune to postpartum depression, and sad dads are nearly four times more likely to spank their children than are their happier counterparts. About 40 percent of depressed fathers say they've spanked their 1 year olds, compared wit..

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(Parenting.com) -- It was one of those moments that you feel, rather than see, in excruciating, punishing slow motion: Four-month-old Tyler Glowacz fell from his bouncer, which was on the kitchen table, and landed on the ceramic floor. "I was ..

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Study Shows Visual Clues May Help Children Remember What They See in Ads By Bill Hendrick WebMD Health News Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD   March 7, 2011 -- Shrek and other cartoon characters influence the opinions of children about the..

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For an unborn baby to develop fully, obstetrics groups firmly recommend 39 weeks in the womb—and not a day less, if labor will be induced without a medical reason. Doctors and mothers, though, have been less rigid, often pre-scheduling ind..

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Millions of kids today are on meds for conduct disorders, depression, bipolar disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, mood disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, mixed manias, social phobia and of course ADHD . But according to new data from ..

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Kids between the ages of 8 and 18 spend 11.5 hours a day using technology — whether that’s computers, television, mobile phones, or video games – and usually more than one at a time. That’s a big chunk of their 15 or 16 wa..

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Regular exercise in an after-school program helped sedentary, overweight Augusta children perform better on goal-oriented tasks, according to a study from the Georgia Prevention Institute at Georgia Health Sciences University. The exercise also s..

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One of the most common questions asked to a mom of an infant is, "Is she a good sleeper?" Often what they actually are asking is, "Does she sleep long periods of time?" as if a baby who wakes up more frequently has a problem. Our cul..

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(CNN) -- The length of a mother's employment is associated with an increase in her child's body mass index, according to a study in the journal Child Development. It's not the first study to suggest that moms' working hours and kids' weight might be..

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Atlanta, Georgia (CNN) -- "You know you're an extreme parent if your child, who does not have a documented learning disability, has more than three tutors." "You know you're an extreme parent if you imagine that your child is going to..

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Why cavemen were better parents than we are today Being a parent is an ancient art. And it seems we could learn a thing or two about child rearing by going back to the days of the hunter-gatherers. Today's practice of leaving babies to cry, keeping the..

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Kids who stay up late on weekends run the risk of battling obesity when they get older, new research has found. Children whose parents tell them to go to bed early Friday and Saturday nights are able to catch up on sleep they may have missed during th..

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 Forming Letters Is Key to Learning, Memory, Ideas. Ask preschooler Zane Pike to write his name or the alphabet, then watch this 4-year-old's stubborn side kick in. He spurns practice at school and tosses aside workbooks at home. But Angie Pike, Za..

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In the mid-1960s, Betty Hart was a graduate student in child development working at a preschool in Kansas City, Kan. The preschool was for poor kids — really poor kids. Many came from troubled housing projects nearby. But Hart was determined n..

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Washington (CNN) -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture released a new proposed rule Thursday designed to strengthen school breakfast and lunch nutrition standards -- part of the Obama administration's attempt to crack down on an epidemic of childhood..

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The brains of the infant, toddler and preschooler are genetically programmed to develop most effectively when exposed to an environment which has remained essentially unchanged over the past tens of thousands of years. During this period of our evolut..

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(CNN) -- Here's what Katie Roche expected when she went into the hospital for spine surgery: two titanium rods, a bone graft, 17 screws in her vertebrae, eight hours in the operating room, and a week's stay in the hospital to recover. Here's what sh..

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Everyone loves a roly-poly baby. Still, there is such a thing as an overweight infant, and obese babies -- even those as young as 9 months -- are predisposed to being obese later in life, researchers say in Friday's issue of the American Journal of H..

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(NaturalNews) Educated Americans with private insurance plans are becoming increasingly less prone to vaccinate their children, according to this year's annual State of Health Care Quality report released by the National Committee for Quality Assu..

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A new study shows that toxicperfluoroalkyls, which are used in surface protection treatments and coatings to keep grease from leaking through fast food wrappers, are being ingested by people through their food and showing up as contaminants in blood...

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Here's more evidence to add to research from earlier this year that pregnant women need more vitamin D: A study led by Dr. Carlos Camargo, Jr., of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, finds that newborns with low levels of cord-..

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Question asked by Suzie Our 8-year-old daughter was diagnosed with ADHD at age 6. We have tried several medications, stimulants and nonstimulants, and have not gotten good results. We are now looking at homeopathic treatment for our daughter, but..

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(CNN) -- On Thursday, December 2, as Aneka sat at home nine months pregnant, the phone rang. It was her obstetrician wanting to know where the heck she was. Did Aneka forget that today was the day for her cesarean section? How could she have forgott..

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Being born in the summer could give you a sunny disposition for life. And a winter birthday might cast a permanent shadow over your happiness, scientists believe. Experiments suggest that season of birth dramatically affects the way the speed at which t..

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Be it junk or healthy food — what you eat during pregnancy affects your child's food preferences as it helps to form their sense of smell, so says a new study. A research team from the University of Colorado said a pregnant mother's diet sensi..

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Why are American kids so often overweight and even downright fat to the point many are developing type 2 diabetes, a disease that used to be unheard of except among middle-aged folks? Is it all due to junk food diets and lack of exercise? Those factors ..

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