child development

14 Stories

These Are the Hazards of Too Much Toddler Screen Time
No, Screen Time
Is Not Good
for Your Toddler
NEW STUDY
Aug 22, 2023 9:31 AM CDT

No, Screen Time Is Not Good for Your Toddler

Researchers find delays in development of speech, social, fine motor skills

(Newser) - A new study cautions parents against turning on a phone or tablet to entertain toddlers for extended periods, finding 1-year-olds exposed to above-average screen time go on to suffer developmental delays. Researchers in Japan found 1-year-olds exposed to more than four hours of screen time per day experienced developmental delays...

Study: Negative Effects of Spanking Can Linger for Years
Spanking an
Infant Changes
Behavior as Teen
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Aug 6, 2017 6:33 AM CDT

Spanking an Infant Changes Behavior as Teen

And not for the better

(Newser) - "It is very important that parents refrain from physical punishment as it can have long-lasting impacts," Gustavo Carlo says in a press release . The University of Missouri professor is behind a study recently published in Developmental Psychology that looked at the long-term ramifications of spanking and other forms...

Kids Like Dogs Better Than Siblings
A Child's Best Friend?
It Really Is the Dog
 
NEW STUDY
Jan 30, 2017 3:35 PM CST

A Child's Best Friend? It Really Is the Dog

The benefits of having a pet may follow children into adulthood, researchers say

(Newser) - A child's best friend is the family pet, a new study suggests. Not only do kids report getting more satisfaction from relationships with the dog or cat than their brothers and sisters, they also get along better with the four-legged friend. "The fact that pets cannot understand or...

Newborns' Brains Grow 1% a Day

Rate slows down after initial burst in early weeks

(Newser) - The first study of its kind shows that newborns' brains grow fast—figure a staggering 1% a day immediately after birth, though it slows to about half that rate by the end of three months. Using MRI scans of 87 newborns' brains, researchers discovered that the first weeks of life...

Nurturing Moms Help Kids' Brains Grow
 Nurturing 
 Moms Help 
 Kids' Brains Grow 
study says
Jan 31, 2012 3:55 PM CST

Nurturing Moms Help Kids' Brains Grow

Children of caring mothers have larger hippocampi: study

(Newser) - A mother's care may affect the physical development of a child's brain, a study suggests. Researchers found that preschool kids with more nurturing mothers had larger hippocampi than their peers by the time they were school age, reports HealthDay News, via the Philadelphia Inquirer . The hippocampus is a...

Lying Kids More Likely to Succeed (Honest!)

Researchers believe it's a sign of mental development

(Newser) - Don't get angry if little Johnny fibs: The ability to lie well and lie early indicates a fast-developing brain, according to some researchers, who suggest that kids who are convincing liars may grow into more successful adults. “Almost all children lie,” says Dr. Kang Lee, who headed the...

Babies Cry in Their Parents' Language

Within 3 days, French, German infants wail differently

(Newser) - It’s apparently possible for a baby to cry in French. Within three days of birth, babies begin to pick up the accent of their parents, according to a study. Researchers analyzed 60 newborns—half French, half German—and discovered that soon the French babies took on a specific cry,...

TV Noise Hurts Parent-Kid Bond
 TV Noise Hurts Parent-Kid Bond 
Sep 16, 2009 8:35 AM CDT

TV Noise Hurts Parent-Kid Bond

Having TV on reduces quantity and quality of parent-child interactions

(Newser) - Having a television on reduces parent-child interaction and may hold back the development of young children—even if nobody's watching it, according to a new study. Researchers studied children ages 1 to 3 playing with their parents with and without an adult's show like Jeopardy playing in the background and...

Pollution During Pregnancy Makes Kids Dumber: Study

(Newser) - Smog might be just as bad for your brain as it is for your lungs, a study finds. Researchers monitored the air pollution 249 mothers were exposed to during pregnancy, then monitored their children. They found that high pollution levels corresponded to a four-point drop in the kids’ IQ scores...

TV Slows Babies' Learning: Study

Cuts crucial talking time with adults

(Newser) - Infants’ time in front of the tube can mean less interaction with parents—interaction key to language development, a study suggests. Over 2 years, researchers recorded what kids aged two months to 4 years heard and said in random 12- to 16-hour periods. The scientists found that every additional hour...

A Dad's Quest for Mind-Expanding Music

On expert advice, he tries everything from Baroque to 12-tone

(Newser) - A father brings home his newborn and ponders the CD rack: How best to develop the baby's brain? Mozart? Bach? Toddler tunes? With the stakes so high, Jeremy Eichler takes his dilemma to the experts, he writes in the Boston Globe. One tells him that infants benefit from tricky rhythms,...

Smaller Babies Become Hostile Adults: Study

Low weight at birth and childhood linked to more hostility later in life

(Newser) - New research has linked low birth weight and slow growth in childhood to increased levels of hostility in adults, Reuters reports. Researchers also discovered that the higher levels of aggression were linked to health trouble, including coronary problems, type 2 diabetes and earlier death. The levels of hostility appeared unconnected...

Obese Toddlers: Too Many Calories, Too Little Iron

Parents should wean children, feed them meat, eggs, study says

(Newser) - Overweight toddlers are more than twice as likely to have iron deficiencies as their skinnier counterparts, with Hispanics facing the highest risk, concludes a study in September’s Pediatrics, the first to link obesity with low iron levels. Researchers stressed the importance of weaning kids 1 to 3 years old...

School Bans Tag on Playground
School Bans Tag on Playground
Aug 30, 2007 6:12 AM CDT

School Bans Tag on Playground

Colorado school bans game in effort decrease schoolyard disputes

(Newser) - When the new term starts next week at a Colorado elementary school, kids won't be chasing each other around the playground. Tag has been banned at Discovery Canyon Campus school, where it was deemed to generate too many injuries and complaints. “It causes a lot of conflict on the...

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