For the first time in two decades, the infant mortality rate in the United States has risen, new government data shows.

In a report released Thursday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, researchers found that more than 20,500 babies died in 2022 before the age of 1. Overall, there were 5.6 ...

As millions of American teens continue to struggle with their mental health, a new survey reveals a sizable gap between how much support teens say they get and how much support their parents think they are getting.

In the report, published Tuesday by the National Center for Health Statistics, just over a quarter of teens said t...

When your preschooler pitches a fit, handing them a smartphone or tablet is probably the fastest -- and the worst -- way to stop it, a new study suggests.

"If parents regularly offer a digital device to their child to calm them or to stop a tantrum, the child won't learn to regulate their emotions," said first author Veronika Konok...

Tending to a teething baby is tough: Parents want to help, but might not be sure how.

Teething typically begins around 4 to 7 months of age, as the 20 or so "baby teeth" that will emerge by the age of 3 begin to form.

The usual signs of teething include "mild irritability, a low-grade fever, drooling and an urge to chew something hard," the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in...

Youth sports are important for the development of children and teenagers, but there's no sure way to ensure a youngster doesn't get hurt while competing.

That's why it's important for parents to spot and appropriately respond to their children's sports injuries, Dr. Eileen Crawford, an orthopedic surgeon with ...

Mothers tend to speak less to infants when they're on their smartphones, a new study finds.

Moms talked 16% less to their babies when they were fiddling with their phone, researchers found.

Shorter 1- to 2-minute intervals of phone use interfered with mom-baby interaction even more, decreasing a mother's baby talk by 26%.

"Our advice to new parents is to be cognizant of the im...

Nearly 1 in 4 parents struggle to get their child to sleep, a new poll reports.

Some of this is related to poor sleep hygiene, but some also is due to dark worries harbored by the kids, researchers report.

Parents of sleepless children are less likely to have a bedtime routine, more likel...

In half of American homes containing a loaded gun, that gun is kept unsecured and ready for potential use, often with children in the home, new research shows.

The finding is especially troubling given the link between gun accessibility and accidental child deaths, as well as rising rates of gun-related suicides in the United States, researchers said.

"The presence of a firearm in t...

If your child is among the youngest in their school grade, it's more likely they'll be mistakenly identified by teachers as having ADHD or autism, a new study confirms.

"Adults involved in identifying or raising concerns over a child's behavior -- such as parents and teachers -- may be inadverte...

Teenagers who are part of close-knit neighborhoods and families are less likely to have sex at a young age, a new study has found.

On the other hand, teens' schools have less influence on their sexual behavior, researchers report.

"Our results echo other studies' findings on the importance of families and neighborhoods in protecting youth from risky behaviors, and show that feeling ...

Parents frustrated with kids who are seemingly glued to their phones, take heart: New research finds you can tear them away from their devices.

Two approaches seem to work best: Limiting screens during meals or bedtime, and modeling good screen behaviors yourself, according to a team from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

"These results are heartening because they ...

As an epidemic of drug abuse cuts it way through America, none are left unharmed, even the very young.

New data finds that the rate of infants dying from drug-related reasons more than doubled between 2018 and 2022.

In 2018, 10.8% of all deaths to babies under 1 year of age were linked to drugs. Four years later that had risen by 120%, to 24.4% of fatalities, according to research...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning parents about a goat milk infant formula potentially tainted with a bacterium that's very dangerous to babies.

Crecelac brand formula, already under recall since May 24, could contain Cronobacter, which "can cause bloodstream and central nervous system infections, such as sepsis and meningitis" in infants, the FDA warned in

In just one year, U.S. deaths linked to the use of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) jumped by a third, according to the latest report from the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

With another summer set to begi...

Does advising your teen sometimes feel like talking to the proverbial brick wall?

Don't fret: New research shows that even when your preteen or teen gives your advice a flat "no way," your counsel is probably having an impact.

It may simply be tucked away by your child, ready for use another day.

"The kids are at an age where they're maturing and wanting to make their own de...

A mom or dad who vapes at home might be setting their child up for eczema, new research suggests.

In a study involving data from over 35,000 U.S. households, children with a parent who used e-cigarettes had a 24% higher odds for eczema (also known as atopic dermatitis) than kids with two non-vapi...

TikTok is full of fun memes, pranks, dances and challenges -- and illicit vaping product sales targeting teenagers, a new study reports.

Advertising and sales of vaping products is common on the video-sharing platform, according to findings published May 23 in the journ...

Doctors have long known that excessive marijuana use can trigger psychosis, especially in the young. But new research suggests the link is stronger that ever imagined before.

Teens who use cannabis face 11 times the odds for a psychotic episode compared to teens who abstain from the drug, new Canadian research contends.

The teen years may be an especially vulnerable time in this re...

Many teens are spending their days buzzed on caffeine, with their parents mostly unaware of the potential risks, a new national poll says.

A quarter of parents reported that caffeine is basically part of their teen's daily life, according to the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health released Monday.

Two out of three parents sa...

Kids and young adults who use social media for seven or more hours per day have double the risk of taking up vaping or smoking or both, new research shows.

The study is based on a survey of almost 11,000 young British people ages 10 to 25 who were tracked from 2015 through 2021.

Overall, 8.5% said they currently smoked, 2.5% said they vaped and about 1% did both.

How much ti...

Sleepaway camp can be a lot of fun for kids, but only if they're ready for the experience.

And that's the tough part -- figuring out as a parent when a child is ready to stay away from home, and what they'll need while they're at camp, said Dr. Laurel Williams, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Baylor...

More than 320,000 U.S. children lost a parent to drug overdose during the past decade, according to a new study reported May 8 in JAMA Psychiatry.

What's more, the death rate accelerated during the period, more than doubling between 2011 and 2021, researchers found.

About 27 children per 100,000 had a parent die ...

Parents striving to be "perfect"will never attain that goal, and the aim isn't even healthy for their families, a new study says.

The risks of striving for perfection are such that researchers have now created a scale to help parents track their burnout and, if necessary, counter it.

The first-of-its-kind