Researchers attempt to help parents with sleepless babies

When a baby is crying and can't fall asleep, parents should move the infant out of the crib and onto the bed. Or parents should leave the baby alone. Or maybe parents should rock the baby back to sleep...

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• Want happier, brighter teens? Let them sleep late
• Insomniacs die earlier, study suggests
• Do video games cause attention problems in kids?
• Men also suffer from postpartum depression: Study
• The sleep tight fight
• Maternal depression may affect babies' sleep

Doctors failing to spot severe superbug infections in children: Survey

Children in Canada are being hospitalized with serious drug-resistant superbug infections that doctors may not be suspecting in many cases, a nationwide survey suggests.

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• What is MRSA?
• Drug-resistant diseases on the rise: Study
• Polar bear poo helps in superbug hunt
• German scientists develop fast-acting germ killer
• Sharing hospital rooms may raise infection rates: Canadian study
• Antibiotic overuse threatens modern medicine: Experts
• Beaches pose superbug risk: Study

Want happier, brighter teens? Let them sleep late

Teenagers. They're surly, lazy and moody — and it may not be entirely their fault.

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• Researchers attempt to help parents with sleepless babies
• Insomniacs die earlier, study suggests
• Lack of sleep linked to early death: Study
• Bad night's sleep can hamper body's insulin use
• From stress to success, in a few easy steps
• Sweet Dreams: iPhone apps claim to measure sleep -- but do they work?
• Canadians turning to “vitamin cocktails” to boost energy, health
• Rotating shift work may raise irritable bowel risk
• Nap lovers show higher diabetes rate

Do video games cause attention problems in kids?

Long hours in front of the television, whether channel surfing or gaming, could make it difficult for kids to concentrate in school, psychologists said Monday.

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• Fewer kids being exposed to second-hand smoke, but dangers are acute, studies say
• The Ball: The. Best. Toy. Evah.
• Wii-hab
• Pesticide link to ADHD in children: Study
• Exposure to smoke in the womb may lead to psychiatric problems, study shows
• TV viewing delays development for babies: Study
• Girls with ADHD show other mental health risks

Gallery: Summer safety tips

Summer is officially here. Follow these tips to help you and your family enjoy summertime activities safely.

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Cold cereal might beat a hot breakfast

You needn't feel guilty if you don't cook hot breakfasts for your kids. In a recent large study of children that compared breakfast-skippers, cereal eaters, and kids who had "other" breakfasts, the cereal...

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• Jamie Oliver health approach "doesn't work"
• Teens who snack may weigh less
• Many popular baby foods high in sugar: Study
• Consumer group targets McDonald's Happy Meal toys
• The right way to hydrate
• Make healthy eating a habit
• Snacks mean U.S. kids moving toward "constant eating"
• Sneaky strategies aim to get kids moving
• By all means, hold the salt!

Drinking cow's milk may offer early health benefits to children

A taste of cow's milk during the first two weeks of life may protect a child from later developing an allergy to the milk's protein, a new study suggests. Cow's milk protein allergy is the most common...

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• Study backs heart-healthy effect of dairy fat
• Is milk from grass-fed cows more heart-healthy?
• Six months of breast milk best for babies
• Breakthrough in food allergy research
• Got milk intolerance? U.S. experts say it's unclear
• Farm kids at lower allergy risk, even in their 70s

Fewer kids being exposed to second-hand smoke, but dangers are acute, studies say

American kids can breathe a sigh of relief, according to a study out today in the journal Pediatrics that finds their exposure to second-hand smoke at home has dropped significantly since the mid-1990

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• Secondhand smoke may harm mental health
• Exposure to smoke in the womb may lead to psychiatric problems, study shows
• Teen obesity linked to pre-birth tobacco exposure: Study
• Even third-hand smoke carries carcinogens: Study
• Smoking in pregnancy risks psychotic children
• Smoking pregnant increases baby's asthma risk: Study

Many popular baby foods high in sugar: Study

Many popular baby and toddler snacks found on supermarket shelves are too sugary, new research suggests.

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• Prepared toddler meals slammed for high sodium content
• U.S. nutritional guidelines should take aim at saturated fats, sodium, advisors say
• Moms' full-time work tied to childhood obesity
• Bottle-fed babies may eat more, study hints
• Parents the biggest culprits in childhood obesity
• Consumer group targets McDonald's Happy Meal toys

Dentists offer tips on accident first aid for kids

When Victoria dentist Eugene Van Der Haegen opened his family dental practice in 1967, kids were still losing or breaking teeth playing hockey. Some were still taking a puck or stick in the face when ...

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• Bodychecking triples concussions in peewee hockey: Study
• Prepare carefully before extreme sports
• Why road hockey may be kids' secret academic weapon
• Are you risking your spine riding a mountain bike?
• Minor injury, major change; Emergency-room doctor with brain damage has rebuilt his life
• Reducing kids' baseball injuries
• Don't let injury threat keep you off the slopes
• Pushing children to be jacks of all trades can cause burnout, anxiety

Cancer survivors are often parents of young children

More than 1.5 million cancer survivors in the United States are parents living with children younger than age 18, according to a study published online today in the journal Cancer.

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• Yoga helps fatigue, sleep in cancer survivors
• Scientists find genes linked to testicular cancer
• Breast cancer patients face huge financial burden: Report
• Researchers study possible links between chemotherapy and memory loss
• Site offers teens with cancer a place to connect
• Child cancer survivors have higher heart risk: Study
• Study finds benefits of soy after breast cancer

Breathing easier, thanks to salt

When Svetlana Dushin’s mother told her to take her six-year-old daughter who was suffering coughing spells to a salt room she had no hesitations. Dushin’s mother is a doctor and was familiar with salt...

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• Insufficient vitamin D tied to severe asthma attacks
• Natural birth gives baby 'good' bacteria
• Burger diet linked to higher childhood asthma risk
• Obesity and asthma are linked: Study
• Manage allergies year-round to minimize seasonal symptoms
• Climate change may extend allergy season: Study
• Does breastfeeding protect against asthma?

The Ball: The. Best. Toy. Evah.

This year, the Strong Toy Museum inducted the ball into its National Toy Hall of Fame. Along with fellow toys the Big Wheel and the Game Boy, the ball joins two other humble inductees, the cardboard box and the stick, honoured in previous years.

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• AboutKidsHealth.ca: Playtime at the hospital for babies up to 12 months
• AboutKidsHealth.ca: Playtime at the hospital for toddlers aged 1 to 3 years
• AboutKidsHealth.ca: Developmental stimulation