Parenting and family news, picked by parents

For 20+ years, scientists have proven the harmful effects of bisphenol-A (BPA), a synthetic estrogen found in everyday products. More...

An ordinary teaspoon isn’t accurate enough when it comes to giving your child medicine More...

Babies whose mothers shower them with affection are better at coping with stress when they get older, researchers say. More...

So just how useful is the Internet for finding out about your children's health? More...

Inquisitive Tayjha Brown climbed onto the sofa before clambering onto a windowsill and falling 30 feet head-first into the garden below. More...

The majority of parents fail to get the sleep they need in their child's early years. More...

The parents who celebrated a one-in-750,000 blessing by giving birth to quads are welcomed their babies home for the first time. More...

breastfeeding and mastitis More...

My panicked moments when my daughter had convulsions. More...

Interesting article on the National Trust's website about their "wild child" campaign to get children back outside enjoying nature. Having just spent a few days camping on the Isle of Wight with two ten month olds who absolutely loved it, I couldn't agree more! More...

Little M writes about my "sad" days. Its not easy, but I am not alone. More...

Your teenager’s brain is developing fast – so how can you tell the difference between typical teenage mood swings and genuine stress or depression? We show you some of the signs to look out for and offer some advice on what to do if you’re worried about your teen. More...

Some children hate going to see the doctor, and may be terrified by the very idea of it. We look into why children are afraid of these visits and what you can do, before and during, to help allay their fears. More...

All children are exposed to viruses, but what if your child is ill all the time? It might be for real, or they might have another reason for avoiding school. We have some tips on how to tell the difference, and what to do. More...

With puberty happening earlier, do you know what to expect fro your child when hormones start to kick in? With advice on coping with the changing behaviour of a hormonal child, and tips on supporting boys and girls through this challenging time. More...

Meeting the needs of your child and the other demands of your life can sometimes take its toll. Find out why it’s important to make some time for yourself and manage your own feelings when times get tough - including tips for resolving conflicts and calming things down in your family relationships. More...

Worried about drugs? How much do you really know? Learn how to keep yourself in the know, so you can keep things in perspective and have an informed discussion with your teen about whatever’s worrying you. More...

If your child has witnessed or experienced a traumatic event they may be struggling with some very upsetting emotions. We talk about the best ways to support them through a recovery from these emotional and psychological repurcussions, and the help that is available for your child. More...

Why do some teens self harm? How dangerous is it and how should you respond if you find out your teen is self harming? We look at some of the causes, some of the signs to look out for, and the best ways to support your teen. More...

How do you talk to your teenager about sex without feeling embarrassed? We offer advice on finding out what they already know, and the pressures they may face, as well as tips on how to be honest and keep them safe. More...

With easy internet access, more teens may be being exposed to pornography. Learn more about this behaviour and what it might mean if you discover your teen has been watching porn - with tips for keeping the conversation out in the open. More...

Before I turned off the TV this morning , I caught a question from a breakfast show that really did get me thinking. I turned the TV off and didn't continue to listen to what was said. But I sat down to think about the question Are parents that smoke child abusers? More...

Most parents would balk at the idea of toddlers in high heels, but what about sandals or trainers? Some experts now believe that all shoes are best avoided in childhood, says Sam Murphy More...

Photo via WLS Channel An eye-opening study profiled in the New York Times reveals that some girls in the United States are hitting puberty at abnormally early ages -- sometimes at 7 or 8 years old. There are a More...

Salmonella in pet food, pesticides in flea collars are among dangers. More...

In some cases letters have been sent from the NHS to children just a couple of pounds overweight. Now, some experts believe the charts used to assess if a child is obese are flawed. More...

Adversity and stress early in life leads to long-term ill health and even early death, a group of psychologists warn. More...

A growing school of thought believes that we have actually gained something from the last few years of economic gloom; that we are starting to value the things that matter: our friends, homes and the world we live in. More...

More than 100 children a week are turning to the ChildLine helpline with worries about their parents' drinking or drug use, the NSPCC says. More...

I felt like a right fraud the other morning. There I was turning up to a blogger/press briefing for Nurofen, Bonjela and Karvol’s new website, Mumschool, with Little Mister – the poster child for perfect management of teething, colds and post-immunisation fever. So what was I doing there? I’m still not entirely sure but I’m glad I went. More...

Mummy bloggers head to Bangladesh At the end of August 3 influential UK mummy bloggers will be heading to Bangladesh with Save the Children to see first hand the work they do first hand. More...

Training nurses how to spot the first signs of post-natal depression when they go to women's homes could reduce the risk of developing the illness by almost a third, a study has found. More...

Training health visitors to help mothers after childbirth can reduce post-natal depression rates, a study suggests. More...

Figures from the Office of National Statistics show that the rate of cot deaths falls with the age of the mother More...

Amiee Langdon, who turns two next week, put her hand in it as she tumbled in a public park, then wiped her left eye. More...

We have, officially, dropped the dummy. Yay! We didn't do it consciously... it just kinda happened More...

The CDC has reported that circumcision rates in the US have fallen sharply over the last decade—from 56% of newborn boys circumcised in 2006, to 33% in 2009. Declines are being attributed to the American Academy of Pediatrics statement in 1999 More...

Did you know that Maxi had a health condition? No well that means we are doing everything OK then! More...

From the age of six, children with a squint are less likely to be invited to a birthday party than their non-squinting counterparts, a Swiss study suggests. More...

Undetected vision problems in the under-eights blamed for learning difficulties, as opticians warn of an increased threat of blindness in later life More...

I am 24 weeks pregnant and I'm worried about chickenpox, as my three-year-old son has been exposed to it at his nursery. Is there any chance that the baby will be infected or damaged by chickenpox? More...

Raising awareness by sharing my experiences of depression, social anxiety and panic attacks. More...

Parents developing nurturing skills on pilot course report big drop in behavioural problems among their children, says Bibi van der Zee More...

Hooter Hiders, enormous tent-like accessories used to cover up breastfeeding are suddenly much in demand. Are they a brilliant idea, or a huge step backwards? More...

Medical myths debunked More...

Medical myths debunked More...

Frequent house moving can be bad for your children More...

By Teresa Conrick A long and hard fight for compensation due to a vaccine injury has been won -- finally. You can read about it HERE. This is an historic event in that this is the first UK MMR case... More...

The clear upside of a C-section is there's none of that mess you get with childbirth (eeuww) after all not all of us are lucky enough to have a delivery through the sunroof... More...

The clear upside of a C-section is there's none of that mess you get with childbirth (eeuww) after all not all of us are lucky enough to have a delivery through the sunroof... More...

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Wearing a programmable wristwatch could help children manage their daytime bladder control problems, a new study suggests. More...

Giving newborn babies sugar does not help ease the pain of injections – and a cuddle from mum would perhaps do the job better, it is claimed. More...

The National Patient Safety Agency issues alert following death of baby girl given too high amount of dextrose More...

Apparently us Mum's do the jobs of 23 professionals according to the Express and this is one newspaper article I don't disagree with. I would say I did at least 5 before breakfast this morning. More...

According to Rabbi Hyman Schachtel, “Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have”. This may or may not be true in our hyper speed world More...

Owning a dog is being linked with a reduction in childhood obesity, according to researchers. More...

Every new day is filled with love, activity, potential complications, and yes, the chance to eat. If you are like most moms, the dynamic nature of your life More...

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Mothers who smoke early in pregnancy may sow the seeds of infertility in their unborn sons by arresting the development of sperm cells, research suggests. More...

A rather frightening post discussing the rise in children from especially low income families being put on high schedule drugs as it's cheaper than family therapy (US) More...

A few weeks back I had an email from SplashAbout asking whether I would like to review one of their products, Isabella and I said Yes Please! So a few days later a rather exciting parcel arrived with a float jacket in Isabella’s size! Now for those of you that know me quite well you know that I do get a little freaked out around water. More...

When Emma asked me to share with you why I try to be a natural parent and how I came to it I had to smile. It's something I've asked myself a number of times and have even wanted to write about on my own blog http://www.diaryofafirstchild.com, but have never really been able to find the words. So I guess the best place to start is at the beginning...... More...

We are lucky to have great locak parks More...

This is about handling challenging behaviour in children generally and also specifically the behaviour of your child with autism/ADHD/Downs or other disabilites. More...

British researchers found the calorie-controlled regime almost halved cancer-causing hormones in women at high risk of the disease. More...

Children who spend longer than two hours a day in front of a computer or TV are more likely to suffer psychological difficulties than other youngsters, a UK study suggests. More...

Researchers say they have found the first direct evidence of a genetic link to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. More...

As I talk to more and more people the one thing they always say is “It must be difficult having an autistic child “. This has got me thinking: is it any more difficult to have an autistic child than a ‘normal’ child. Well I’m going to say NO there is no difference, do you know why? More...

Trying out NLP techniques for reclaiming your get up and go! More...

Of the 84,000 chemicals on the market today -- many of which are in objects that people come into contact with every day -- only about 1 percent of them have been studied for safety, Sen. Frank Lautenberg said Tuesday. More...

When my son was born I thought the worst things we would have to deal with would be those occasional bad nappies and projectile vomiting moments. We were wrong. By the time Oli was 6 months we had the issue of teething to deal with. Every baby is different so this can happen at any time. Here are my tips: More...

Have games consoles and health & safety stunted our children's ability to play? Don't listen to the doom-mongers – childhood fun is alive and kicking More...

My name is Ben, and I watch Desperate Housewives. Quite a big fan, in fact. Of course, it has everything to do with the intricate More...

Young children are starting nursery school unable to speak and listen properly because of continuous noise and poor conversation at home, an Ofsted report has found. More...

A discount retailer put children's lives at risk after it sold dangerously faulty digital thermometers in several stores. More...

Young children are to be immunised against six diseases at once in a bid to boost vaccination rates, the Government has confirmed. More...

Tests show that Bisphenol A can leach from the bottle into any liquid it contains, with potentially damaging results. More...

The author of the study has called for more research to weigh up the potential risks of giving paracetamol to infants with its recognised value for fever control. More...

As the amount of water we use to clean ourselves has increased, so has the incidence of eczema, the dry skin condition that causes the skin to become dry, red, scaly and sore. More...

Regular use of mobile phones in pregnancy has been linked with behavioural problems in children, new research suggests. More...

All healthy children under five could be offered the seasonal flu vaccine next year after the Department of Health announced the issue would be reviewed. More...

Suppliers being asked to gather any leftover flu jabs licensed for use in UK from factories across Europe More...

Giving babies antibiotics before they reach six months of age could increase their risk of developing asthma by more than two thirds, claims a new study. More...

TB was always ill as a baby. He suffered from just about every cold that did the rounds and in his first few months we seemed to be in the emergency room every other week for antibiotics to cure his ear infections. I had thought we were particularly lucky with Li’l Mister. Until the neck cheese incident he’d not had so much as a sniffle, and even after that he seemed surprisingly healthy. More...

The first in an amazing two-part story of a very special lady I know who was diagnosed with Acromegaly, a pituitary tumour. I'm touched Kate decided to share this two-part story on Curly&Candid; please take a minute to leave her a comment on there if you get a chance. More...

Part two of this beautiful lady's story. More...

When you have a new born baby, you have so many concerns, worries and fears running through your head. You do your best for them, but they cannot talk to you which makes things difficult. Nothing is more worrying than when your baby is ill. You take their temperature every five minutes, read, check and double check the calpol box before giving them the medicine or call someone for advice. More...

No words - just a picture of a poorly little boy More...

To me, autism is an integral part of Chipmunk and I. It’s inextricably inked in with everything else that makes us who we are. It is responsible for our thinking, our logic, our perception of the world around us and the people in it. It’s part of our DNA. Maybe this isn’t always a good thing, but the fact remains that this is how it is. More...

How did you sleep last night? If you tossed and turned and woke feeling sluggish, you are not alone. It seems Britain is in the grip of a sleeplessness epidemic. More...

We've just had Miss Frugal's MRI Brain Scan.... More...

Hundreds of youngsters are being treated in hospital for anorexia and bulimia every year thanks to the pressures to conform to certain types of body image. More...

This week, local parents share how they make time as busy parents to workout and make their resolutions to get, and stay, fit stick. More...

When Carrie Coggins, from Wigan, proposed to her husband, she was hiding a terrible secret: Ric had bowel cancer and she had just been told he only had three months to live. More...

It comes out in different ways. Some moments I just lie in bed and cry. Other days I look around with hopelessness at the wreck my house is in and see no way More...

A fifth of mums spend four hours a day carrying their children, totaling a whopping two months per year More...

New research suggests this is part of a "high alert" state, which primes both men and women to react quickly More...

Mr and Mrs Fieldsend, from Hull, East Yorkshire, claim that James's problem started when he was seven, after he was taught about healthy eating at school. More...