That Facebook is hugely distracting is hardly stop-the-presses kind of news, but parents might be dismayed to learn that the social-media site can hobble learning and make kids less healthy and more depressed.
Parenting
Postpartum Depression and Difficulty Breast-Feeding May Go Hand in Hand
Breast-feeding may be natural but that doesn’t mean it comes easily to every new mom. A new study in the August edition of the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology finds that women who struggle to breast-feed in the first two weeks …
Should Pediatricians ‘Fire’ Patients Whose Parents Don’t Vaccinate?
Recently, my 4-year-old got poked five times, and vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella, diptheria, tetanus and pertussis — among other nasties — coursed into her loudly protesting body. Within hours, she’d spiked a …
Are Kids with ADHD More Likely to Get Hit By a Car?
Children with ADHD, by definition, are easily distracted and more prone to injuries. But a new study shows the condition could even be life-threatening since affected kids are more likely to be hit by a car when crossing the street.
Who Are Teens’ Sexual Role Models? Turns Out, It’s Their Parents
Parents may think their teens aren’t listening to them about anything, let alone sex, but new research shows that 45% of teens consider their parents — not their friends or celebrities — their sexual role models.
Spock at 65: Five Ideas That Changed American Parenting
Sixty-five years ago today, one of the most revolutionary books in American history was published. True, Dr. Benjamin Spock’s Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care probably didn’t look like much when it first came out in 1946 — just in time for the baby boom. But with his conversational tone and his concise, practical tips on …
A Young Boy’s Murder Has Parents Second-Guessing Their Decisions
Kids can be very persuasive. That must have been the case with 8-year-old Leiby Kletzky, who talked his parents into letting him walk home alone on July 11 from his day camp in Brooklyn. His parents made a deal with him. After …
Should Parents Lose Custody of Their Extremely Obese Kids?
One way to manage the nation’s childhood obesity crisis might be to take the most severely overweight kids away from their parents, argues Harvard pediatrics professor and obesity expert David Ludwig in a controversial commentary …
Do Sippy Cups Deserve a Warning Label?
Beware the perils of the sippy cup. In New York state, at least, cigarettes and alcohol may not be the only items to warrant warning labels. The legislature wants sippies — those handy-dandy drinking vessels that purport to …
Online Petition for ‘Caylee’s Law’ Goes Viral
Many avid followers of the trial of Casey Anthony, the Florida woman accused of murdering her 2-year-old daughter Caylee, were incensed by Tuesday’s not-guilty verdict. Unlike most others, though, Michelle Crowder did more than …
Choosing a Sunscreen: Some Tips from an Expert
Is there anything worse than trying to make informed decisions in the sunscreen aisle? The very attempt is an exercise in frustration: on a recent trip to Target, I scanned the dozens of products on the sunblock display alongside …
The First Real-Time Study of Parents Spanking Their Kids
It’s not P.C. to admit you spank your child. But nearly 40 moms have gone a step further, recording themselves hitting and slapping their kids as part of a new study on how parents and children interact.
News Flash: Moms Resent Dads for Not Doing Enough at Home
We feel a little guilty dissing Dad so soon after Father’s Day. But a new survey of more than 1,200 mothers by ForbesWoman and the pregnancy website TheBump.com reveals that most of them resent their partners because they …