Just like adults, children need lots of fiber in their diets.

Fiber is part of what fuels a child's normal growth and development. It helps them feel full longer, controls blood sugar levels, reduces cholesterol and promotes regular bowel movements, according to Children's Health of Orange County, Calif. (C...

Researchers have long struggled to figure out what causes a seemingly healthy baby to die suddenly in the first year of life, with an array of possible genetic and environmental factors to choose from.

Now a large, Danish study has found that in families where one child has succumbed to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), a younger sibling's risk appears to quadruple.

“I am not v...

Autism cases are surging in the New York-New Jersey metro area, mainly fueled by the diagnosis of autistic children who don't have intellectual disabilities, a new study reports.

The percentage of kids identified with autism spectrum disorder rose from about 1% in 2000 to 3% in 2016 in that region, said lead researcher

When kids suffer a concussion, an extended period of rest at home is always the best course, right? Perhaps not.

In fact, a new study suggests that -- despite what many people may presume -- getting kids back to school quickly is the best way to boost ...

By the time they're teenagers, babies born prematurely may be getting poorer school grades than their non-preemie peers.

Researchers found that babies born before 34 weeks of pregnancy had lower scores on math and language tests during their teen years compared to kids born at 40 weeks.

However, the study did not find a significant difference in later brain function in babies born b...

While childhood obesity gets a lot of attention, some kids struggle with the opposite issue — they have trouble gaining weight.

So, how can parents know if their child is “too skinny?”

While the best resource is likely a child's pediatrician, experts have also weighed in on the topic.

“Underlying health conditions can result in children and adolescents being underweigh...

As colds, flu and COVID continue to circulate this winter, a new U.S. government study finds that young children infected with COVID plus a second virus tend to become sicker.

While severe COVID is rare among children, kids can and do fall ill enough to end up in the hospital.

During the pandemic's first two years, young U.S. children who were hospitalized with COVID tended to be mo...

When birth rates fall in the United States, experts try to figure out what's happening.

The fertility rate is at its lowest since the 1970s -- 1.71 per woman, according to a new study.

But it's not that young people today don't want children, new research suggests. In fact,...

A Texas-based education initiative has found that enrolling children in poor communities in gardening and cooking classes may help boost their long-term health.

Called “Texas Sprouts," the program covered one full academic year and exposed elementary school children in 16 low-income schools access to outdoor gardening instruction, nutrition information and cooking lessons. Parents were ...

If a study conducted at one St. Louis hospital is a good indicator, the COVID pandemic is tied to a surge in childhood injuries and deaths due to firearms.

Black children and those in low-income households were at greater risk, according to the University of Missouri-led study.

“We found a significant increase in pediatric firearm injury rates during the pandemic compared to the ...

Vaccinations among kindergarteners declined for the second year in a row, leaving hundreds of thousands of young children vulnerable to dangerous infectious diseases, U.S. health officials reported Thursday.

About 93% of kindergarteners had their required vaccinations during the 2021-2022 school year, including the measles/mumps/rubella (MMR), diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis, polio and chick...

Continuing a decades-long trend, the percentage of American women who've ever had a child declined again in the latest figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"A lower percentage of women aged 15 to 44 in 2015--2019 had ever had a biological child (52.1%) compared with women aged 15 to 44 in 2011--2015 (54.9%)," concluded a report issued Jan. 10 by the CDC's Nati...

Two companies are issuing new recalls on Monday for millions of previously recalled rocking sleepers for infants, with about 115 infant deaths possibly linked to use of the sleepers so far reported.

With both products, the Fisher-Price Rock ‘n Play Sleepers and the Kids2 Rocking Sleepers, infants have rolled from their back to their stomach or side while unrestrained, in addition to pos...

Following the deaths of 15 infants, families are advised to immediately stop using all models of Kids2 Rocking Sleepers, according to a second recall notice.

Four of those 15 babies died after the first recall notice, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reported.

The company is recalling 694,000 Rocking Sleepers. Parents can contact the Kids2 company for a refund.

An antidote to teenage depression might be found in school gymnasiums and on sports fields, a major new review argues.

Supervised exercise programs are associated with significant reductions in symptoms of depression among children and teenagers, according to the analysis of data from 21 studies involving more than 2,400 kids.

“This is the first time that we've been able to put en...

Generous parental leave policies at work can do wonders for a new mom's mental health.

This is among the key messages from a new review of 45 studies examining how parental leave policies affect mom and dad's mental health and well-being.

Mothers working for companies with generous parental leave policies were less likely to experience symptoms of depression, poor mental health...

As more U.S. states legalize marijuana, the number of preschoolers accidentally eating cannabis "edibles" is rising in tandem, a new study shows.

In the past five years, U.S. poison control centers have witnessed a whopping 14-fold increase in calls about youngsters who got their hands on marijuana edibles.

In 2017, there were just 207 cases reported nationally. By 2021, that had b...

When children have autism, it's possible to recognize the symptoms as early as when they are 18 months old.

Although it takes a doctor to diagnose the condition, parents and caregivers should be aware of the signs, advises the Autism Research Institute, offering some other tips for noticing early symptoms.

Children with autism may have variety of social, communication and behaviora...

It might seem like your toddler or preschooler has a nose that is always runny, but experts say that's normal.

“Children under 6 years of age average six to eight colds per year, with symptoms lasting an average of 14 days,” said Dr. Maria Mejia, an associate professor of family and community medicine at...

Preteens who spend much of their free time watching online videos or playing video games may have a heightened risk of developing obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), a new study suggests.

Researchers found that among 9,200 9- and 10-year-olds they assessed, the odds of developing OCD inched up ...

Cold, dry winter air and a trio of spreading viruses could cause children's asthma to flare up this winter season.

But experts at one children's hospital offer some tips to help parents keep their kids' worrisome respiratory symptoms in check.

While asthma is a lung condition that can make it harder to breathe, some things can make symptoms worse, such as illness, cold air and smok...

Many young U.S. adults are estranged from their parents, at least temporarily -- with the father/child bond being especially fragile.

Those are among the findings of a new national study that tracked thousands of parent-child relationships from the 1990s to recent years.

Researchers found that one-quarter of young adults were estranged from their fathers at some point -- four times ...

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is looking into a possible increase in invasive group A strep bacterial infections among children in the United States.

A number of children's hospitals in different parts of the country have reported seeing more dangerous strep A infections in recent weeks, leading federal officials to launch an investigation.

The agency noted the...

Keeping an eye on safety will let the joy from holiday toys last longer, without a trip to the emergency room, experts say.

Last year, more than 200,000 people were treated in emergency departments for toy-related injuries, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

Dr. R...