Last update:
Children's health news
Mothers' poor sleep quality in late pregnancy linked to higher obesity risk in their children
New research has found that mothers with poor sleep quality in late pregnancy had babies with lower weight in the first six months of life but higher weight at ages 1–2 years. This effect was strongest in male infants and ...
6 hours ago
0
1
Social context matters when studying the genetics of social behavior
Social behavior is heritable but heterogeneous. A mother reporting on her toddler learning to share, a teacher observing a schoolchild navigating friendships and peer relations, and a teenager describing their own social ...
14 hours ago
0
7
Sugar exposure in early life linked to anxiety in adulthood
Exposure to sugar in the first 1,000 days of a child's life increases the risk of developing anxiety in adulthood, according to a new study from the University of Surrey published in Translational Psychiatry. Scientists also ...
17 hours ago
0
7
Bone marrow transplants offer surprising way to treat mitochondrial disease
Bone marrow transplants offer an unexpected way for diseased cells in the heart and brain to get replacement parts, a Stanford Medicine-led study has shown. The finding offers hope for the first effective treatment of mitochondrial ...
17 hours ago
0
6
Rare pregnancy infections linked to autism
Infections that, in rare cases, can be transmitted from a pregnant woman to the fetus are linked to an increased risk of autism and intellectual disability in the child. This is shown by a study from Karolinska Institutet ...
19 hours ago
0
11
GLP-1s linked to nutritional deficiencies in children
Children prescribed GLP-1 medications for weight loss, prediabetes or type 2 diabetes are at risk for nutritional deficiencies—diagnosed in nearly one in six patients (16.8%) within the first year—according to a new study ...
14 hours ago
0
5
Higher adolescent BMI linked to faster biological aging decades later
A study by the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, found that a high adolescent body mass index (BMI) may be linked to accelerated biological aging in adulthood. The findings, published ...
18 hours ago
0
13
Pediatricians report immigrant families avoiding care for their children
More than one-third of pediatricians believe immigrant families in their practices are avoiding seeking medical care for their children, according to a research brief published in Pediatrics.
9 hours ago
0
2
Most sports parents say there's more good than harm in youth sports
Sports parents overwhelmingly say the benefits of organized competition outweigh the drawbacks for them and their children, a new survey has found.
10 hours ago
0
1
Expanded newborn screening identifies virus that can lead to hearing loss and developmental delays
Researchers at Cleveland Clinic Children's have developed a new screening program for congenital cytomegalovirus, the most common infection passed from mothers to babies during pregnancy. While many babies with congenital ...
14 hours ago
0
2
Rare genetic variant identified as new cause of neurodevelopmental disorders
Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital's Duncan Neurological Research Institute (Duncan NRI) have identified a rare genetic change that appears to cause a newly recognized neurodevelopmental ...
18 hours ago
0
14
Are girls getting their periods earlier? And can parents do anything about it?
Do you remember how old you were when you got your first period? And whether it was considered early, late or about average?
21 hours ago
0
2
Newborn girls and boys show different attention patterns within hours of birth
Cambridge scientists have shown that girls and boys differ in what they pay attention to, even at birth. Since these differences are present so early, it is possible they emerge due to prenatal factors. The findings suggest ...
Sep 21, 2026
0
47
Gut microbiome development may help predict type 1 diabetes in children at high risk
Type 1 diabetes affects more than 9 million people worldwide, including 1.8 million children and adolescents. While the disease is thought to be driven by complex genetic factors, researchers are also examining the influence ...
Sep 21, 2026
0
19
Study reveals surprising cause of immune challenges in people with Down syndrome
Getting sick can look very different for people with Down syndrome (DS); illnesses that are mild for most people may lead to serious complications, including pneumonia, hospitalization or the need for intensive care.
Sep 20, 2026
0
20
Sharper reasoning skills in teen years tied to lower dementia risk later in life
Could the way we think in our 20s offer clues about our risk of dementia decades later? Large population studies suggest that people who perform better on thinking ability tests in adolescence or young adulthood are less ...
Pittsburgh's kindergartners fall below the measles safety threshold, testing the city's vaccine legacy
It takes a lot to knock football out of the headlines in Pittsburgh. But reports of measles cases, exposure alerts and calls for residents to double-check their vaccination status have dominated local news since August 2026.
Sep 19, 2026
0
7
Eating more eggs and peanuts while pregnant does not prevent infant allergies, clinical trial finds
Millions of people around the globe might never know the taste of a PB&J sandwich or crème brûlée because of severe peanut and egg allergies. For a long time, avoiding exposure to allergy-causing foods early in life was considered ...
Small study suggests around half of US teens witness online harm, and around a third have been targeted
A survey of 472 US adolescents across 47 states found 44.7% had witnessed online harassment and 29.8% had experienced it directly in the past four weeks. Perhaps surprisingly, the same proportion of the teens reported being ...
Sep 18, 2026
0
6
Does my kid have COVID‑19 or just a cold? A pediatric nurse explains how to tell—and why it matters
Fall and winter mark the peak season for common respiratory infections such as COVID-19; respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV; influenza, better known as the flu; and the common cold. These illnesses often begin with symptoms ...
Sep 18, 2026
0
7
Decline in childhood vaccination rates in Europe since COVID-19
Childhood vaccination coverage has declined across most European Union (EU) countries in recent years, reversing some of the substantial progress made since 1980, according to a study published in The Lancet Regional Health—Europe.
Sep 18, 2026
0
5
Supplements and weight loss top misinformation themes in EU influencer posts analyzed
Scrolling through social media can mean encountering a supplement promising better health, a drink offering quick weight loss or a food promoted as a "superfood." For people looking for advice on what to eat, distinguishing ...
Sep 18, 2026
0
4
Children's pupils may reveal shifting attention in ADHD, especially when off medication
The eyes are more than lenses to the outside world; they can also be windows that offer a glimpse into what's happening inside our bodies. What if the eyes could help us understand how attention shifts from one moment to ...
Plasticizer exposure during pregnancy linked to increased autism- and ADHD-related symptoms in children
The foundations of brain development are laid during a crucial period of pregnancy, and a common household plasticizer called DEHP may be quietly interfering with this process. Scientists have now found that prenatal exposure ...
HIV injections work better than tablets for young people, clinical trial finds
Young people living with HIV manage their condition better when their antiretroviral therapy is given by injections every eight weeks rather than daily tablets, according to results of a trial in Africa led by UCL (University ...
Sep 17, 2026
0
11
