Flavoured milk in a glass or cup is a good way of maximising the nutrition benefits of milk.

An Australian study has found that children who drink flavoured milk are nearly twice as likely to meet their daily calcium targets as exclusively plain milk drinkers, and that children who drink from a cup or a glass consumed twice as much milk as those who only have it with cereal or other foods.

The study, published recently by dietitians in the international peer-reviewed publicationNutrition Research, found that 31% of Australian children do not drink milk and only consume it via other foods, such...

Stress in mothers before and during pregnancy may boost the risk of congenital heart defects in their children, more new evidence suggests. But the findings aren’t conclusive, and the effect — if it exists — appears to be small.

Still, «there are several studies now that show an association,» said Dr. Edward McCabe, senior vice president and medical director of the March of Dimes, who is familiar with the results of the large new study. «It suggests there needs to be continued investigation of this.»

McCabe said he’s not aware of any other research linking stress in mothers to a specific kind ...

“Guidelines could be overstating the importance of taking vitamin D supplements during pregnancy,” The Independent has reported.

The newspaper reports on a large UK study that appears to contradict advice that vitamin D supplements in pregnancy can help strengthen babies’ bones.

Researchers assessed the link between maternal vitamin D levels and the mineral content of their child’s bones by measuring expectant mums’ vitamin D levels. They later measured the bone mineral content of the resultant children at 9-10 years of age...

Health officials say the flu season is winding down, and it has killed 105 children — about the average toll.

The flu season started earlier than usual and ended up being moderately severe.

Roughly 100 children die in an average flu season. One exception was the swine flu pandemic of 2009-2010, when 348 children died.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the latest number Friday.

The CDC said 90 percent of the children who died had not been vaccinated. This year’s vaccine didn’t work very well in older people, but was considered effective in children.

Health officials say ...

Eating a healthy, balanced diet is the best way of getting the vitamins and minerals that your body needs to stay healthy. If you are planning to conceive a child or if you are already pregnant or breast-feeding, you need higher amounts of certain nutrients for both your health and the health of your baby. Prenatal vitamin and mineral supplements will help you get all the nutrients that you need during this important time in your life.

What Are Prenatal Vitamins?

Prenatal vitamins are nutritional supplements...

You’re a working mom-to-be and your life is about to change radically. You have an exciting but also enormously challenging time ahead of you, which means that you need to be well prepared. Here are a few handy questions you should be asking.

In South Africa, pregnant workers are well protected by the law. There is specific legislation that regulates maternity leave and also protects women from discrimination related to pregnancy. These are found in the Basic Conditions of Employment Act and the Constitution of South Africa (Section 9 (3))...

If ‘toddlers and sleep’ sounds like a contradiction in terms, have a read of these tips from Caroline’s Angels.

We sometimes wonder if the words ‘toddler’ and ‘sleep’ belong in the same sentence. It seems that we interact with many families that experience sleep difficulties with their toddler.

Some families explain that their toddler has never slept well and they have now decided to address their child’s sleep. Yet others tell us that as a baby, their child slept wonderfully and the difficulties that they are now experiencing are new.

There are many reasons why toddlers either do no...

A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found many mothers are feeding babies solid foods earlier than the recommended age of six months, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends solid foods are introduced to infants no earlier than six months of age.

“Solid foods were being started before 4 months in about half of those kids,” said Dr. Deb Lonzer, a pediatrician from the Cleveland Clinic, who did not participate in the study. “And in about 10 percent of them, it was actually being started in the first four weeks of life...

Parents who are more anxious about their children’s injuries may unknowingly contribute to their kids receiving unnecessary imaging tests, including radiation, a new study from Japan suggests.

Kids in the study with «minor blunt head trauma,» who had bumped their heads seriously enough to warrant an emergency room visit, were more likely to wind up undergoing a CT scan if their parents preferred that the doctor order the scan, compared with kids whose parents deferred to the doctor’s judgment, according to the researchers. CT scans involve radiation.

«Our results indicate that medically irre...

Lego-loving children have a new way to pursue their passion: as an undercover cop in a delightful city made completely of Lego blocks. In “Lego City Undercover” kids don disguises to catch baddies while exploring a colorful, massive city made from their favorite toy construction sets.

Not only do you play as hero Chase McCain in this charming world filled with Lego characters (blocky bodies with claw hands and tons of swagger), but you also get to drive more than 100 Lego vehicles...