Parenting/Kids News Headlines

In movies and TV a secret pregnancy is always revealed after the woman declines a cocktail. The assumption being, of course, that responsible, educated moms-to-be would never partake in alcohol while they’re expecting for fear of hurting their unborn child. Trouble is, the research on drinking during pregnancy has never …

By Gene Emery NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A new study has confirmed that removing the tonsils and adenoids of children with obstructive sleep apnea can reduce sleepiness and improve the quality of life, but putting off the surgery might not hurt either. The study is the first controlled test to compare the operation with …

Video Game to Help Kids Fight Cancer

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - A Philadelphia abortion doctor was found guilty on Monday of murdering three babies during late-term abortions at a clinic serving low-income women. Dr. Kermit Gosnell, 72, who ran the now-shuttered Women's Medical Society Clinic, faces the possibility of the death penalty in the case that focused …

By Andrew M. Seaman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Children born after being exposed to the flu during pregnancy may have a nearly four-fold higher risk of later developing bipolar disorder, according to a small new study. The senior researcher said the results can't prove that a mother's bout of flu while pregnant causes …

By Genevra Pittman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Pregnant women can be reassured that cleaning with a bidet after using the toilet will not throw off their vaginal bacteria balance or increase the risk their baby will be born early, a new study suggests. One cause of premature birth is inflammation around the fetus, which …

By Kerry Grens NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Injuries from gasoline, lamp oil and similar chemicals have dropped considerably among small children in the last decade, according to a new study. "It seems to decline right around 2000, 2001. That's when the Consumer Products Safety Commission mandated products be placed in child-resistant …

(Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned on the use of migraine drug valproate sodium in pregnant women as it could result in lower IQ scores in the baby. The FDA said the results of a recent study showed that children exposed to valproate products in the womb had lower IQ at the age of six than children …

By Genevra Pittman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Toddlers are less likely to have asthma and itchy rashes if their parents "cleaned" their pacifiers by sucking on them when the kids were infants, a small new study suggests. The findings don't prove that technique protects kids against asthma, eczema or other allergies. But …

By Andrew M. Seaman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Mothers who are mildly iodine deficient are more likely to have children who perform poorly in spelling, grammar and literacy, according to a new study from Australia. Severe iodine deficiency during pregnancy is known to cause serious mental disabilities in children, but …

NEW YORK (AP) — Parents are reporting more skin and food allergies in their children, a big government survey found.

By Andrew M. Seaman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A change to a U.S. program that provides food and medical visits to many infants, children and pregnant women succeeded in reducing the amount of juice bought overall, according to a new study. Researchers examined the impact of an October 2009 change in the Special Supplemental …

By Andrew M. Seaman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Certain school-based programs that aim to keep kids from smoking cigarettes seem to work, according to a fresh look at some past research. After examining over a hundred "gold standard" studies, researchers found that school-based programs that teach children life skills and …

(Reuters) - Wrigley's new Alert Energy Caffeine Gum has prompted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to look into the potential impact that added caffeine may have on children and adolescents. The FDA said on Monday it was taking a "fresh look" at the issue in response to the launch of a caffeinated gum, "and if necessary, …

By Genevra Pittman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Kids and teens who are born abroad and immigrate to the United States are about half as likely to have asthma and allergies as those who are born in the U.S., according to a new study. Researchers surveyed the parents of 80,000 children in one of six languages and found that …

By Genevra Pittman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who take the epilepsy drug valproate during pregnancy are three times more likely to have a child with an autism spectrum disorder, suggests new research based on close to 700,000 babies born in Denmark. Previous studies have found more birth defects and lower intelligence …

Mothers who pick up their infants and walk with them when they are crying trigger a specific set of emotional and physical responses, according to a new study published in the journal Current Biology on Thursday. Researchers believe the responses originally developed to promote bonding between a mother and her child.

How to Make Kids Smarter and Ease Existential Terror

By Suzi Parker LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (Reuters) - Groups supporting the right to abortion filed suit on Tuesday challenging an Arkansas law that would ban most abortions after 12 weeks, seeking to block one of the nation's most restrictive abortion measures before it takes effect in July. The Republican-controlled Arkansas …

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — As parents, Jeremy Richman and Jennifer Hensel were plunged into grief when their only child, 6-year-old Avielle, was killed in the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School. As scientists, they wanted answers about what could lead a person to commit such violence.

By Andrew M. Seaman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The people and information sources parents surround themselves with may influence their choice to vaccinate their children or not, according to a survey from one county in Washington state. Of almost 200 parents who took the survey, almost all said they had groups of people …

A Wild Bet: Can Inoculating Newborns with Innocuous Strains of Bacteria Save Them from Deadly Ones?

By Kathryn Doyle NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Regularly eating cereal for breakfast is tied to healthy weight for kids, according to a new study that endorses making breakfast cereal accessible to low-income kids to help fight childhood obesity. One in every four American children lives in a food insecure household where …