What do dogs or cats have to do with your baby’s risk of catching a cold? According to the latest research, they may help lower his or her risk of coughs and sniffles during the first year of life.
Childhood
Does Kindergarten Lead to Crime? Fact-Checking N.H. Legislator’s ‘Research’
Kindergarten — that bastion of macaroni crafts, crayon-eating and life lessons in sharing — is actually a major driver of crime, at least according to data collected by New Hampshire state legislator Bob Kingsbury.
Hitting Your Kids Increases Their Risk of Mental Illness
Children who are pushed, grabbed, shoved, slapped or hit are more likely to be diagnosed with mental illness. Just one more reason to embrace alternative forms of discipline
After the Sandusky Verdict, Lessons for Parents
It was late Friday night, within minutes of the announcement that former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky had been found guilty of 45 of 48 counts of sexually abusing children, that the National Child Protection …
Q&A: Happiest Baby Author, Dr. Harvey Karp, on Getting Your Baby to Sleep
The author of the Happiest Baby on the Block series is hitting the big screen on Thursday night to tutor parents on how to get their babies to sleep early and often.
Why a Texas Dad Who Killed His Daughter’s Alleged Rapist Won’t Face Charges
A grand jury declined to return an indictment against a father who beat to death a man he found sexually assaulting his 5-year-old daughter last week. The grand jury aside, did the dad use excessive force?
Prescriptions for Kids: ADHD Meds and Birth Control Pills Are Up, Antibiotics Are Down
The FDA reports that drug prescriptions for kids have dropped overall since 2002, but while the use of certain drugs like antibiotics fell, prescriptions for others, including ADHD meds, increased significantly.
Vaccine Safety: Why Parents’ Alternative Immunization Schedules May Cause Harm
Many parents have decided they know better than pediatricians: they’re following their own vaccine schedules, but most children adhering to alternative models don’t wind up fully immunized
Should Parents Be Prosecuted for Killing Child Molesters?
Over the weekend, a Texas father beat to death a man he allegedly caught molesting his 4-year-old daughter. Should he stand trial?
Stranger Danger: Are Parents Too Paranoid About Safety?
When a childless man decided to sip his coffee on a bench in a Washington, D.C., playground, nervous parents dashed off emails and called the cops. Was it overreaction? Either way, one mother has a suggestion for controlling the …
Government Study Finds that Some Vaccines for Kids Are Stored Improperly
Spot checks by the Office of the Inspector General found that some vaccines at 45 clinics across the country weren’t stored at the correct temperature, possibly affecting their potency. But for parents concerned about having to …
Frequent-Flier Mom Starts a Petition to Get Family Pre-Boarding Back on Airlines
Kaja Meade is not happy about the prospect of family pre-boarding fading into the annals of airline history. Apparently lots of other people feel the same way: Meade’s petition on Change.org has garnered more than 36,000 signatures so far.
Scientists Decode an Unborn Baby’s DNA. Is It Cause for Celebration — or Alarm?
Researchers at the University of Washington have sequenced the entire genome of a fetus. The scientific advance could help detect certain diseases in the womb, but some experts worry that the trove of genetic information may …
