For how we live.
Paediatrics, pregnancy, development, and raising healthy kids.
A Bayesian meta-analysis of 10 trials and 2,365 preterm infants tied drug treatment of the patent ductus arteriosus to a higher risk of death before 36 weeks, with no offsetting fall in lung disease.
In 481 infants born before 28 weeks, making a three-strain probiotic routine halved the adjusted odds of necrotising enterocolitis and cut time to full feeds by two days. One baby developed probiotic sepsis.
In 240 adolescents primed with the Pfizer vaccine, a protein-based, non-mRNA booster called PHH-1V produced antibody levels no lower than in young adults, with mostly mild side effects, an early-phase study found.
A Swedish cohort of 1,455,645 children found maternal autoimmune disease in pregnancy raised offspring type 1 diabetes risk by 57 percent — but fathers carried nearly the same risk, pointing to shared family genes.
A 210-youth randomised trial of a telehealth aerobic-exercise program found faster symptom recovery at three months than stretching — an edge that disappeared by six months and held only for recent injuries.
In 425 US adolescents followed with phone sensors and Fitbits across 7,591 nights, heavier-than-usual late-evening phone use tracked with later, shorter sleep — the association growing hour by hour toward midnight.
Among 93,406 children in Japan's national birth cohort, preterm birth was linked to higher odds of thinness at ages 4 to 6 and persistently lower BMI from 3 to 6, with no sign of catch-up.
In a 180-infant phase 1/2 trial, a live-attenuated intranasal RSV vaccine raised neutralising antibodies in two-thirds or more of RSV-naive babies but barely budged those already exposed. Sanofi funded the study.
A register-based study spanning 181,999 infants and four RSV seasons found acute otitis media dropped 44% and RSV detections 83% in infants under 12 months after a nirsevimab immunisation programme began.
In a cluster trial across 11 Massachusetts youth clubs, 437 children aged 8–13 got a six-week behaviour programme. The between-group BMI z-score difference was −0.19 and significant; within-group changes were not.
Across 10 US children's hospitals and 697 patients, reoperation for recurrent twisting was rare either way — but laparoscopic repair carried lower odds of surgery for later bowel obstruction.
A population-linked Australian cohort followed children to school entry after antenatal metformin. The adjusted relative risk of developmental vulnerability was 0.97 — no different from unexposed children.
In a 366-child phase 2b trial, the live attenuated nasal vaccine BPZE1 raised the mucosal antibody current shots miss, and did not blunt a co-given Tdap. The maker funded the study.
The LEAP trial found that feeding peanut to high-risk babies from infancy cut peanut allergy at age five from 13.7% to 1.9%. A follow-up showed the protection held — but high-risk infants should be assessed first.
A Cochrane review of six trials finds honey modestly eases cough in children over one, and does as well as common syrup ingredients — while regulators say those syrups do not shorten a cold. Never give honey under one.
Disordered eating is far more common in adolescents than most parents realise, and weight is a poor guide. A pooled analysis found about 22% of children and teens screen positive, and girls far more than boys.
Positional flat head affects nearly half of two-month-olds and is usually mild. In the one randomised trial, moulding helmets matched the natural course — and every parent reported a side effect.
Topical antibiotics beat placebo in pooled trials, but UK guidance now recommends hydrogen peroxide cream first for mild cases — a deliberate move to spare antibiotics.
There is no single number. A US expert panel sets wide bands — 12 to 16 hours for infants down to 8 to 10 for teenagers — and warns that regularly falling short is linked to attention, behaviour and learning problems.
Up to a third of children get the label, but a review of 145 studies shows doctors do not agree what growing pains are — not even that they involve the legs. Here is what the evidence supports, and the warning signs.
Regulators say benzocaine and lidocaine gels, homeopathic tablets and amber necklaces carry real risks — a rare blood disorder, seizures, choking deaths — for little proven benefit in teething.
England's scarlet fever rate tripled after 2014 and a more toxigenic strep A lineage emerged, culminating in the deadly 2022 wave of invasive infections in children.
Insecticide shampoos increasingly meet resistant lice. Trials favour physical treatments — a silicone lotion and methodical wet combing — that lice cannot evolve around.
The system sorts feverish under-5s into red, amber and green. Validation studies find it misses serious illness and over-refers the well — a prompt, not a reliable test.
Fever is often the only clue in a young child, a properly collected urine sample confirms it, and most cases clear on a short antibiotic course. Preventive antibiotics cut recurrences but breed resistant bugs.
From January 2026 children in England are offered varicella vaccine as MMRV at 12 and 18 months. Pooled trial data put one dose near 81% effective against any chickenpox and 98% against severe disease.
Most newborn jaundice needs no treatment. The reason clinicians watch it is a rare progression to brain injury — a burden that falls overwhelmingly on poorer countries.
The global target is an average of 60 minutes a day of moderate-to-vigorous activity, plus muscle-strengthening. Most adolescents miss it: in 2016, 81% worldwide were insufficiently active, and girls more than boys.
Acne is not caused by dirt or bad washing, and it does respond to treatment. Guidelines strongly back benzoyl peroxide and topical retinoids first, with oral isotretinoin reserved for severe or scarring acne.
Children reach words at different ages, and many late talkers catch up. But a wait-and-see approach can miss those who need help, so certain milestones and warning signs are worth acting on early.
Occasional snoring is common in young children and often harmless. Loud, habitual snoring with pauses in breathing can mean obstructive sleep apnoea — a treatable problem that surgery can improve.
Bringing up milk is normal in healthy babies: it peaks around four months and usually fades by the first birthday. Most infants need no medicine, and the evidence for acid-suppressing drugs in simple reflux is weak.
Milk is a useful source of calcium, protein and vitamin D for young children, but too much crowds out iron-rich food and can cause deficiency. Around two cups a day suits most toddlers.
Croup gives young children a barking cough and noisy breathing. It is usually mild and self-limiting, and a single dose of oral steroid shortens it — with a low dose working about as well as a high one.
Regular moisturisers and short courses of topical steroids are the mainstays, with modest trial support. Most children improve with age, and popular add-ons like bleach baths are no better than plain water.
A multivitamin is not the fix for fussy eating, and picky eating rarely dents growth. But UK guidance recommends a specific supplement for nearly all under-fives — and iron and zinc are the nutrients that matter.
For most children with gastroenteritis, the treatment is oral rehydration fluid at home — not a drip, and not stopping fluids. Here is what the evidence shows works, and the warning signs that mean a doctor now.
The WHO sets clear screen-time limits by age: none under two, an hour or less from two. The evidence behind them is real but modest — and the direction of cause and effect is not as simple as it sounds.
Tantrums are normal development, not a failure of discipline. The evidence favours calm, consistent responses and structured parenting programmes, and advises against smacking and shouting.
Iron shortfall is the leading cause of anaemia in young children and is linked to poorer development. Yet the evidence that screening symptom-free toddlers or routinely supplementing them helps their brains is thin.
Guidelines settle on a limit near 200 mg a day — roughly two mugs of coffee. But the underlying studies are observational, and a vocal minority argues there is no clearly safe level.
Colic is intense crying in a healthy, well-fed baby that peaks in the first six weeks and eases by three months. Most remedies do little; the best evidence is modest and mainly for breastfed infants.
The childhood infection clears on its own in most children and has no specific antiviral. The evidence that matters is about the rare severe case — and where it happens.
Most constipation in children has no underlying disease. Guidelines say the treatment that works is a laxative — clearing the backlog, then a maintenance dose for weeks — not simply adding fibre or fluid.
There is no established safe amount, and UK and US authorities advise not drinking at all. Heavy drinking clearly causes fetal alcohol harm; the data on light drinking are genuinely sparse, not reassuring.
A child with a suspected concussion should be removed from play and not return the same day. But prolonged strict rest is no longer advised, and light activity within days can speed recovery.
An injection at birth prevents a rare but often catastrophic bleeding disorder. Pooled surveillance data put late-onset bleeding at a median of 35 per 100,000 unprotected infants — and near zero after the shot.
Back sleeping, a firm flat surface, and room-sharing without bed-sharing are the core of the American Academy of Pediatrics' safe-sleep guidance. Roughly 3,500 US infants still die in sleep each year.
The blood test known as NIPT is a strong screen for Down syndrome but not a diagnosis. In a general-risk population a positive result was correct about 81% of the time — and much less often for rarer conditions.
The largest study, comparing siblings to strip out family confounding, found no link between paracetamol in pregnancy and autism or ADHD. Guidelines still call it the preferred painkiller when one is needed.
A large Cochrane review found fish-oil supplements cut early preterm birth substantially. The biggest single trial since found no effect at all — a genuine split the marketing skips over.
A few drops of blood taken in the first days of life are checked for dozens of rare but treatable disorders. The US panel has grown from 29 conditions to 35, and states adopt each one at very different speeds.
Guidelines now ask for an objective test before an asthma label is fixed to a child, and inhaled steroids remain the mainstay of control. Their benefit is real; so is a small, mostly temporary effect on growth.
The main randomised trial found babies who fed themselves were no slimmer, no more iron-deficient and no more likely to choke than spoon-fed babies — provided parents were coached to offer safe, iron-rich foods.
Paediatric bodies advise formal autism screening at 18 and 24 months; a US task force found the evidence for universal screening merely insufficient, not against it. Large studies find no link to vaccines.
AIROPLANE enrolled 1,818 newborns at 32 to 35 weeks across 26 Australian hospitals. Starting with 30% oxygen instead of room air left the same share still on respiratory support leaving the delivery room.
In the largest trial, combining fluoxetine with talking therapy helped most, and both worked better than placebo. A later network analysis found only fluoxetine, alone or with therapy, clearly beat placebo.
Enuresis alarms have the best evidence for a lasting cure, working in about two-thirds of children who use them. Desmopressin acts faster but the wetting tends to return when it stops.
E-cigarettes are the tobacco product US teenagers use most, and youth use has fallen from its peak. The clearest documented harm is that teens who vape are several times more likely to start smoking cigarettes.
Most acute ear infections settle on their own, and antibiotics barely change symptoms in the first day. Their benefit is real but modest, which is why guidelines allow a short period of watchful waiting.
Intensive family-based behavioural programmes produce small, real cuts in children's BMI; the newer weight-loss drugs produce much larger ones, but the weight returns when they stop.