Community water fluoridation has been around for more than 65 years, and although proponents cite many benefits, the practice has come under fire recently as critics are questioning the amount our children are consuming – and if it’s even necessary.

Touted as one of 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, community water fluoridation has been shown to significantly decrease tooth decay...

Ever dashed into a shop leaving a sleeping baby in the car? I think we’ve all been guilty of that but have you ever stopped to consider why children are not to be left alone in cars? Do you have any idea how long it takes for a car to heat up to temperatures that are deadly for babies and small children? Do you know how many children were rescued by emergency services in Victoria alone in this past year?

We say we know the risks of babies and children in hot cars but do we? Nine hundred Victorian parents got the shock of their lives when after dashing into the shops for a quick errand they cam...

Discussing the regrets of past drug use may seem like a good way to convey the dangers of drugs, but the move could backfire, according to a new study.

Children of parents who disclose past alcohol, drug or tobacco use are more likely to have more positive views about drugs than peers whose parents don’t, according to a study published online Jan. 25 in the journal Human Communication Research. That held even if the parents were describing their regrets about drug use.

«This is a really cool article, because it does break down the dialogue» and give parents some ideas for what to say, said Mi...

Why do some children who grow up in poverty do well, while others struggle?

To understand more about this, a group of psychologists recently did a study.

It began in a small spare room where a series of very poor mothers and their 5-month-old babies came to watch a soothing video. Soothing the baby was the point, says Elisabeth Conradt, a postdoctoral researcher at Brown University’s Brown Center for the Study of Children at Risk. The researchers needed to take measurements of the babies when they were calm.

On the screen, circles of gently colored shapes flickered and music softly played whil...

It’s estimated that half of all children under the age of 1 will experience a middle ear infection, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Seventy-five percent of kids will have one before the age of 3.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is putting out new guidelines for pediatricians and parents to follow regarding ear infections.

“There’s not much you can do for an ear infection at home,” said Dr. Emma Raizman, a pediatrician at the Cleveland Clinic. “Some of them are viral, which means they’ll go away on their own. But, a lot of them are bacterial, which means they’ll need medication...

1. Stop buying junk food.

We generally don’t eat any junk food, so we don’t buy any. This means no cookies, chocolate, crisps or fizzy drinks. Occasionally, we’ll buy arrowroot biscuits. About once every fortnight I’ll bake some cookies, muffins or cakes. This means that when my toddler is hungry between meals, she gets fruit, veggies, nuts, dried fruit, yoghurt, cheese, crackers or a glass of milk.

2. Keep offering healthy food choices.

I have persisted in offering healthy food choices during all meals and snacks. My toddler is now eating food she has disliked or refused in the past...

The controversy about the efficiency and necessity of vaccines is well known. While conventional medicine advocates the use of vaccines, it also ignores the variety of toxic substances that vaccines contain and compromise the immunological responses. At the same time that medical authorities push for compulsory vaccinations, new data proves that these artificial immunization strategies simply do not work as they are supposed to. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that undervaccinated children have better health, as it is indicated by the frequenc...

American pediatricians, alarmed by the rise of type 2 diabetes in children and failure rates for oral medication, are recommending early aggressive treatments with insulin shots for many youth who are diagnosed with the disease.

The recommendation will be made Monday, when the American Academy of Pediatricians issues its first-ever clinical guidelines for type 2 diabetes—a grim milestone for a disease that used to be rare in children before obesity rates began to rise.

As a result of the guidelines, which also recommend kids improve their diets and get more exercise, children may now have to...

Be prepared for an attack of the after-school munchies, writes Grant Jones.

It’s  all too easy to depend on a bag of chips, sugary fruit wraps and cheese-and-cracker snack packs as an emergency measure as kids tumble into the kitchen after school and dump their bags on the floor.

While packaged «convenience» foods come in handy, there are far better snack options for growing bodies. When they come in famished, being prepared to feed them fast is the key.

«Arrange a snack-attack shelf in the pantry and fridge from which the children can choose...

A drug-free placebo pill prevents migraines in kids and teens just as well as most headache medicines, according to a new review of past evidence.

Researchers found only two drugs known to help migraine-plagued adults reduced the frequency of kids’ headaches better than a placebo. And even in those cases, the effect was small — a difference of less than one headache per month compared to the dummy pills.

«Parents should be aware that our medication choices aren’t as good as they should be,» said Dr...