Parenting News

November 20, 2024

Top Headlines

How Children Learned for 99% of Human History

Nov. 19, 2024 — Unlike kids in the United States, hunter-gatherer children in the Congo Basin have often learned how to hunt, identify edible plants and care for babies by the tender age of six or seven. This rapid learning is facilitated by a unique social ...

National Poll: Some Parents Need Support Managing Children's Anger

Nov. 18, 2024 — Some parents may find it challenging to help their kids manage intense emotions. One in seven think their child gets angrier than peers of the same age and four in 10 say their child has experienced negative consequences when angry, a new national ...

Consistent Bedtime Linked With Better Child Emotion and Behavior Regulation

Nov. 11, 2024 — A consistent bedtime may be more important to a child's ability to control their emotions and behavior than the duration or quality of their sleep, according to a new ...

A Common Steroid Therapy May Influence Brain Development in Preterm Infants

Oct. 31, 2024 — Antenatal corticosteroids (ACS) are an established therapy for pregnant women at risk of preterm birth. Researchers have found that babies given ACS had notably smaller volumes of two key brain regions, the bilateral amygdalae and caudate nuclei, ...

Latest Headlines

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Sleeping for 2: Insomnia Therapy Reduces Postpartum Depression, Study Shows

Oct. 31, 2024 — CBT for insomnia significantly reduces postpartum depression symptoms, directly and indirectly, by improving mood and alleviating insomnia throughout ...

Cannabis Use During Pregnancy Can Impact Thinking and Learning Skills, Increase Aggression Among Children, Study Shows

Oct. 28, 2024 — As cannabis is legalized and is more accessible in various forms across the country, there is increasing concern among health care providers about ...

Screen-Free Bedtimes Boost Toddler Sleep, New Research Shows

Oct. 22, 2024 — A world-first randomised controlled trial (RCT) of toddler screen time shows that removing screen time in the hour before bed improves the quality of toddler ...

Effects of Chemical Mixtures: Neurotoxic Effects Add Up

Oct. 17, 2024 — How do complex mixtures of chemicals affect our health? New research has shown that chemicals that occur in complex mixtures and in concentration ratios as found in humans act together. Even if the ...

Good Physical Fitness from Childhood Protects Mental Health

Oct. 15, 2024 — A recent study found that good physical fitness from childhood to adolescence is linked to better mental health in adolescence. These results are significant and timely, as mental health problems are ...

Folic Acid May Mitigate Link Between Lead Exposure During Pregnancy and Autistic Behaviours in Children

Oct. 16, 2024 — A new study has found that folate may weaken the link between blood-lead levels in pregnant women and autistic-like behaviors in their ...

Survey Finds 25% of Adults Suspect They Have Undiagnosed ADHD

Oct. 14, 2024 — Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder -- also known as ADHD -- is typically thought of as a childhood condition. But more adults are realizing that their struggles with attention, focus and ...

Asking a Person to Talk About Their Parents in Therapy Can Distort Memories of Childhood Emotions

Oct. 11, 2024 — New research suggests a person's feelings towards a parent can be significantly changed when they are asked to evaluate them during talking therapy, ...

Coffee During Pregnancy Safe for Baby's Brain Development, Study Suggests

Oct. 9, 2024 — A new study has failed to find any strong links between drinking coffee during pregnancy and neurodevelopmental difficulties in ...

Toddlers Show Increased Physical Activity With a Robot Playmate Moving Around the Room

Oct. 9, 2024 — Parents seeking help in encouraging toddlers to be physically active may soon need to look no further than an inexpensive robotic buddy for their ...

Standardized Autism Screening During Pediatric Well Visits Identified More, Younger Children With High Likelihood for Autism Diagnosis

Nov. 14, 2024 — New research found that the use of standardized autism screening during pediatric well-child visits identifies more children with high autism likelihood at a younger age, including those presenting ...

School Suspensions and Expulsions Can Lead to a Lifetime of Depression, Study Finds

Nov. 7, 2024 — A new study shows that children who are suspended or expelled from school report higher rates of depression in adolescence and into ...

First Pediatric Guideline on Opioid Prescribing in Primary Care Focuses on Preventing Overdose

Oct. 31, 2024 — With its emphasis on opioid overdose prevention, the first guideline for primary care providers from the American Academy of Pediatrics on prescribing opioids for acute pain in children and ...

Nearly 6 Percent of Pregnant Women Report Marijuana Use, U.S. Study Finds

Oct. 30, 2024 — A new study, using responses from the U.S. National Survey on Drug Use and Health, has found that about 6 percent of pregnant women reported using marijuana during the last month, and many did not ...

Parenting Programs Help Kids, but Provide Insufficient Support for Parents

Oct. 9, 2024 — Parenting programs that address both mental health and parenting skills can improve children's development, but often fall short when it comes to offering effective mental-health support for ...

Fear of Childbirth Is Associated With Shorter Duration of Breastfeeding

Oct. 7, 2024 — The duration of breastfeeding is shorter than average among mothers with a fear of childbirth -- regardless of the mode of delivery, a new study from Finland ...

Feet First: AI Reveals How Infants Connect With Their World

Oct. 1, 2024 — Researchers explored how infants act purposefully by attaching a colorful mobile to their foot and tracking movements with a Vicon 3D motion capture system. The study tested AI's ability to ...

Pregnant Women Who Sleep Less Than 7 Hours a Night May Have Children With Developmental Delays

Sep. 26, 2024 — Pregnant women who do not get enough sleep may be at higher risk of having children with neurodevelopmental delays, according to new ...

When a Child Hurts, Validating Their Pain May Be the Best First Aid

Sep. 25, 2024 — Researchers say that parents and doctors should be mindful of how they talk to and treat children experiencing pain -- no matter how big or small the injury -- knowing that these foundational ...

Specially Designed Video Games May Benefit Mental Health of Children and Teenagers

Sep. 24, 2024 — Scientists conclude that some video games created as mental health interventions can be helpful -- if modest -- tools in improving the mental well-being of children and teens with anxiety, depression ...

Pandemic-Era Babies Do Not Have Higher Autism Risk, Finds Study

Sep. 23, 2024 — Children born during the pandemic, including those exposed to COVID in utero, were no more likely to screen positive for autism than unexposed or pre-pandemic ...

Food Fussiness a Largely Genetic Trait from Toddlerhood to Adolescence

Sep. 19, 2024 — A new study compared survey results of parents with identical or non-identical twins in England and Wales from the ages of 16 months to 13 years. The study found that fussy eating is mainly ...

Babies Born to Women Consuming a High Fat, Sugary Diet at Greater Risk of Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes in Later Life

Sep. 13, 2024 — Babies born to pregnant women with obesity are more likely to develop heart problems and diabetes as adults due to fetal damage caused by the high-fat, high-energy diet of their ...

Wearable Brain Imaging Device Shines a Light on How Babies Respond in Real-World Situations

Sep. 11, 2024 — A technology which uses harmless light waves to measure activity in babies' brains has provided the most complete picture to date of brain functions like hearing, vision and cognitive processing ...

Unaffordable Food Putting Mums-to-Be at Risk

Sep. 10, 2024 — Pregnant women who have limited access to affordable, nutritious, and healthy foods have a higher chance of developing both physical and mental health problems and their baby's weight is at ...

Early Exposure to Diverse Faces Helps Babies Overcome Prejudices Later in Life

Sep. 10, 2024 — Babies who have more diverse social contacts in the first years of their life can get over their prejudices more easily by the age of 17, according to new ...

Banning Friendships Can Backfire: Moms Who 'Meddle' Make Bad Behavior Worse

Sep. 4, 2024 — Bad behavior often occurs away from home, leading parents to blame and limit contact with peers. However, a new study shows that banning friendships can backfire, worsening behavior instead of ...

Autistic Traits, Behavioral Problems in 7-Year-Olds Linked With Gender Nonconforming Play

Aug. 28, 2024 — Gender nonconformity in 7-year-olds -- as measured by levels of gender-conforming play -- may be associated with autistic traits and behavioral difficulties in girls, and with peer relationship ...

Looking for Clues About Your Biological Age? Your Grandparents' Education May Offer Some Insight.

Aug. 26, 2024 — Eating well, exercising and attending regular doctor appointments can support a long healthy life, but a new study identified one possible factor beyond our control: whether you had a grandparent who ...

Researcher Finds Sound Progress in Babies' Speech Development

Aug. 23, 2024 — The sounds babies make in their first year of life may be less random and more self-driven than previously believed, according to new ...