Parenting/Kids News Headlines - Yahoo! News

Can You Drink During Pregnancy? Sorry, the Jury Is Still Out

Wed, 22 May 2013 11:11:39 -0400

In movies and TV shows 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 been clear-cut.

Surgery offers mixed benefits for kids' sleep apnea

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:18:36 -0400

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 so-called watchful waiting as a strategy for stopping childhood obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, where the structures in the back of the mouth can temporarily block breathing during sleep. ...

Video Game to Help Kids Fight Cancer

Mon, 13 May 2013 17:49:00 -0400

Video Game to Help Kids Fight Cancer

Philadelphia doctor guilty of murdering infants in late-term abortions

Mon, 13 May 2013 15:54:12 -0400

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 on whether the infants were born alive and then killed. He was accused of delivering live babies during late-term abortions and then deliberately severing their spinal cords. ...

Bipolar disorder tied to mother's flu in pregnancy

Fri, 10 May 2013 16:56:40 -0400

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 her child to develop the mental disorder, but the association does suggest that some cases might be prevented. "The idea is that if influenza is playing a causal role - and we can't say that from one study - there is a vaccine," Dr. ...

Bidet toilets not tied to pregnancy risks: study

Fri, 10 May 2013 11:35:45 -0400

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 can stem from a vaginal infection. Researchers have been unsure whether various forms of genital washing, including bidet use and douching, might clear out healthy bacteria and increase the risk of vaginosis, or vaginal bacterial infections. ...

Kids' chemical injuries down, but may rise in summer

Tue, 07 May 2013 12:25:48 -0400

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 packaging," said Dr. Heath Jolliff, the study's lead author and associate medical director of the Central Ohio Poison Center at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus. ...

FDA warns on use of certain migraine drugs during pregnancy

Mon, 06 May 2013 14:30:06 -0400

(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 who were exposed to other antiepileptics. Drugs containing valproate are used to prevent migraine headaches, treat epileptic seizures and manic episodes associated with bipolar disorder. ...

Sucking on your kid's pacifier: good idea or gross?

Mon, 06 May 2013 00:51:36 -0400

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 researchers said it's possible the transfer of mouth microbes from parents to baby may help boost the bacterial diversity of the young child's digestive system and foster immunity. "We know these bacteria are important for development," said Dr. ...

Moms' iodine levels tied to kids' poor test scores

Fri, 03 May 2013 15:37:40 -0400

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 researchers examined the test scores of nine year olds whose mothers were only slightly iodine deficient during pregnancy and found the kids performed between 6 percent and 10 percent worse than peers born to mothers with sufficient iodine. ...

Parents see more food, skin allergies in children

Thu, 02 May 2013 10:02:59 -0400

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

Changing mothers' aid limits juice for kids

Wed, 01 May 2013 10:19:32 -0400

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 Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children - known as WIC, which cut the monthly allowance of 100 percent juice by more than half. "Basically the program achieved its goals. ...

Do school programs keep kids from smoking?

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:43:12 -0400

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 self esteem were linked to a significant reduction in the number who started using tobacco down the road. "There was a significant effect for more than one year," said Julie McLellan, one of the study's authors from the University of Oxford in the UK. ...

FDA looks at caffeine impact on kids after Wrigley gum

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:08:21 -0400

(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, will take appropriate action." While the FDA did not name the gum in its statement, Wrigley launched the product this month. ...

U.S.-born kids have more allergies, asthma

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:04:20 -0400

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 association held even after they took into account where families lived and how often they moved, as well as their race and income. ...

Epilepsy drug in pregnancy tied to autism risk

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:53:45 -0400

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 among children of mothers who took valproate, but the new work represents the "strongest evidence to date" of a link between the drug and autism, according to an editorial published with the study on Tuesday. ...

Study Finds Carrying Infants Triggers Specific Soothing Response

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 17:08:00 -0400

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

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 11:51:00 -0400

How to Make Kids Smarter and Ease Existential Terror

Arkansas sued over ban on abortion after 12 weeks pregnancy

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 17:00:44 -0400

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 legislature overrode Democratic Governor Mike Beebe's veto of the controversial measure in March. At the time, it was the most restrictive state abortion law in the nation. Since then North Dakota lawmakers passed a law banning abortion as early as six weeks. ...

Newtown parents back study for clues to violence

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 12:05:05 -0400

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.

People, networks may sway parents' vaccine choices

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 00:50:12 -0400

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 offering advice on vaccination, but those who chose not to fully vaccinate their children were more likely to have larger social groups and to turn to other sources, such as books, pamphlets and the Internet, for guidance. ...

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

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 07:00:00 -0400

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

Breakfast cereal tied to lower BMI for kids

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 17:21:19 -0400

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 breakfast isn't a sure thing, lead author Dr. Lana Frantzen told Reuters Health. ...

IUDs safe, effective for teenagers: study

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 16:44:02 -0400

By Genevra Pittman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Intrauterine devices are safe for teenagers, according to a new analysis of more than 90,000 women who used the long-term contraceptives. Researchers found less than 1 percent of all women developed serious complications from the devices, such as pelvic inflammatory disease, regardless of their age. And teens were only slightly more likely than older women to lose their periods or become pregnant while using an intrauterine device (IUD), according to findings published in Obstetrics & Gynecology. ...

Dish size, meal frequency may affect kids' weight

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 07:23:27 -0400

By Genevra Pittman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Shrinking the size of kids' plates and bowls and encouraging them to eat more frequently throughout the day might help them eat less and keep off extra weight, new research suggests. In one study, researchers found first graders served themselves smaller portions when using miniaturized dishware - and ate less food when they had less on their plate. Another review of past research found kids and teens who ate most often during the day were 22 percent less likely to be overweight than those who ate the fewest meals and snacks. ...