Though the ratio of boys to girls born in the United States has been on the decline for decades, new research found that moms who use in vitro fertilization might increase the number of male babies.
Family & Parenting
Why Spoiled Babies Grow Up to Be Smarter, Kinder Kids
Can extra nurturing during infancy make your child kinder and smarter?
‘Heartbrake’: How Rejection Literally Stops Your Heart
Had I been given a choice, I would have preferred being born into a species that doesn’t need as much social interaction as humans do. For instance, I like to believe, vainly, that I would have been a decent great white shark. …
Study: Smoking During Pregnancy May Result in Uncoordinated Kids
As if you needed another reason to quit smoking — especially during pregnancy — consider that women who puff while pregnant may hobble their babies’ coordination and physical control.
Why the TV Is Risky for Kids: It’s Not Just the Programming
Last week, millions of parents freaked out at the prospect of bugs in their babies’ formula. Yet there’s a far more ubiquitous and deadly threat out there — one that all of us already have in our homes.
Simple Fix: Family Dinners Help Teens Avoid Drinking and Using Drugs
If you have reservations tonight for a romantic dinner for you and your spouse, go ahead and cancel them. It’s Family Day — A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children, designated by all 50 states to highlight how parental …
‘Formula Powered’? Lactivists Tussle with Old Navy
Tons of parents — myself included — buy their kids’ wardrobes at Old Navy. The clothes are cheap, cute … and controversial. This month, lactivist (translation: lactation activists) mommy bloggers hit fast and furious in …
How the First Nine Months Shape the Rest of Your Life
In this week’s TIME cover story, author Annie Murphy Paul writes: “What makes us the way we are? Why are some people predisposed to be anxious, overweight or asthmatic? How is it that some of us are prone to heart attacks, …
New at the School Fete: The Possum Throwing Contest!
A rural school in New Zealand has become the center of a brouhaha over a recent school fair in which an informal possum throwing contest was held.
Similac Recall Outrages Parents: Are Beetles Bad?
In a press release to announce the recall of up to 5 million containers of top-selling Similac powder formula sold mainly in the U.S., drug maker Abbott Laboratories sought to soothe parents.
Is Katy Perry a Sesame Streetwalker, or Do Viewers Just Want Her to Be?
After a barrage of complaints, a video of Katy Perry playing tag with Elmo has been pulled from Sesame Street. Parents took exception to the revealing cut of her outfit, which, considering what she usually wears in videos, …
Giving Birth the IKEA Way: Do It Yourself
Apparently, the Swedes take their D-I-Y very seriously, and not just for oddly named furniture. A new mother from Sundsvall in Northern Sweden called her local newspaper to complain after she was asked to clean out her own …
An 11-Year-Old Babysitter Is Charged With Murder: How Young Is Too Young to Care for Kids?
Few things stress out parents more than finding — and retaining — a good babysitter. Some moms I know guard their babysitter lists zealously, refusing to share names, not because they’re selfish lugs but because they know …