What hazards lurk around the home for your baby or toddler? Some of them may be the very items you bought for your child, such as pacifiers, bottles and sippy cups.

Early detection of autism is important because intervening early can increase the odds that children will succeed. New research shows that some warning signs at 6 months of age may help in early detection of autism.

Early diagnosis can give parents access to interventions and treatments to improve outcomes for children with autism. How young an age can doctors be sure of a diagnosis, and are incorrect diagnoses harmful?

Exactly how does prenatal alcohol exposure slow down a kid’s cognitive ability? Compared to normal kids, they seem to have a much tougher time with ‘higher order’ thought process.

If boys will be boys, that's generally because of the testosterone coursing through their bodies, but how much of this testosterone results from the environment and how much is genetic?

Once a woman reaches full term in her pregnancy, it can be hard not to wish the baby would arrive already. Fortunately, choosing to be induced is no riskier than waiting for labor.

Nobody wants to be yelled at on the playing field.  Supportive and fun sports environments can have a real impact on the stability of a child. Learning emotional management skills and lower rates of depression are just part of the benefits. Having fun while exercising has more than just physical perks. Research points to ‘caring climates’ for sports activities to improve feelings of depression and ability to manage negative thoughts. Find your child a fun sport to join! Mary Fry PhD., Associate Professor of health, sport and exercise science at the University of Kansas,...

Shedding pounds before getting pregnant can reduce a number of health risks - but it may also add a few points to your child's reading and math scores. A recent study has found a link between a mother's weight before pregnancy and their children's cognitive skills: obese women's children score lower on math and reading tests when they were 5 to 7 years old. Get to a healthy weight before becoming pregnant. Lead author Rika Tanda , a nursing doctoral candidate at Ohio State University, and colleagues wanted to investigate potential connections between a mother's pre-pregnancy ob...

Of course you adore your adorably chubby little toddler, but you do know how much of that chubbiness is normal or whether your child might actually be overweight? Many moms don't. A recent study found that the vast majority of mothers whose toddlers were overweight had a different perception of their little ones and could not correctly identify an image representing their baby's body size. Ask your doctor if your toddler is a healthy weight. Erin Hager, PhD, of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, led the study of 281 pairs of moms and their toddlers, with an average a...

When it comes to feeding babies, it's not just what you feed your child but how you feed your child. Even breastmilk in a bottle affects weight gain differently than milk directly from the breast. A recent study has found that infants fed only by bottle gained more weight each month than if they were only breastfed, regardless of whether the bottle had breastmilk or another food. Breastfeeding is better than bottle - when possible. Lead author Ruowei Li, PhD, a researcher at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesi...