Children living in flats have 45% more exposure to tobacco smoke than those in detached houses, a US study says.

Researchers from Harvard and Rochester Universities say that is because the smoke seeps through walls and shared ventilation systems.

They tested cotinine levels in blood samples from 5,000 children across the US for the study in Pediatrics.

Action on Smokin Read the rest of this entry »

Researchers have identified 76 “excess” deaths which occurred at four centres for paediatric heart surgery in England. Patients’ groups described the findings as “deeply alarming” and called for an investigation.

A report into death rates at all 11 of England’s paediatric heart surgery units reveals that Guy’s and St Thomas’ Trust in London had 24 excess deaths over an eight year period to 2008. Read the rest of this entry »

There is no easy answer to the question why people get depressed. It’s certain what causes the flu, because the virus can be detected.

It’s uncertain what causes depression, however there are some important issues known about depression. Probably it depends on the following components: Genetic tendency, factors that affected you essentially while growing up.

Now you can get further information about the causes of depression here. Read the rest of this entry »

Few mothering habits, it seems, are guaranteed to provoke quite such a reaction as breastfeeding beyond babyhood.

When I told anyone who happened to be interested that I was interviewing Ann Sinnott, a mother who had breastfed her daughter for over six years and has now written a book on the subject, reactions ranged from discreet grimaces to outright revulsion.

If I’d said I was about to meet someone who believed swearing at children was to be encouraged along with smacking them daily, the disapproval could not have been greater. Read the rest of this entry »

If your child has hard stools that are painful to pass or they have to strain, they’re probably constipated.

This is a common problem especially amongst younger children and usually happens because they aren’t eating enough fibre or drinking enough fluid.

A change of diet should sort it out in a few days. However, some children resist opening their bowels because they don’t enjoy the sensation or have found it painful in the past. Read the rest of this entry »

It is a common issue…we want our kids to spend their non-school time wisely, but they often watch more TV than then we would prefer. In spite of activities to structure their time we have to look at other ways to keep kids busy so they are not caught in the TV trap.

Parents are wise to limit kid’s TV watching to a couple of hours each day. It’s a difficult limit to stick to, but if parents can establish this habit early on, it’s easier. Selective TV watching prevents children (and adults) from turning into couch potatoes with withered brain cells. Read the rest of this entry »

Parents should take extra care in selecting toys for young children and supervising their play during the holidays, according to a leading eye surgeon.

According to Dr. Mark Borchert, director, The Vision Center at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, certain toys, such as BB guns, pose a particular danger for young children. “While a BB gun pellet may not break the skin of a young child, it can puncture his eye very easily. Unfortunately, every Christmas I see young children in our emergency room who have had an eye destroyed by a BB pellet.” Read the rest of this entry »