Parenting

15-year-olds who had a moderate amount of daily screen time reported better mental well-being compared to those who had very little (less than 1-2 hours) or a lot (more than 5-6 hours) of screen time each day.

Newborns fed with their mother's milk had greater microbial "richness" (more variety of bacterial species) than those fed with formula.

PLOS ONE

Poor sleep makes it more difficult for mothers at 18 weeks postpartum to perceive and interpret their infant’s cues and respond appropriately.

Sleep Medicine

Middle schoolers with social disorders showed greater improvement in their social abilities when they were grouped with other children based on social skill level rather than type of disorder.

Toddlers with only four toys in their environment played longer and more creatively than toddlers with 16 toys in their environment, suggesting that having fewer accessible toys encourages more focused and creative play.

Parenting

The amount of cotinine (a molecular marker for nicotine) in children's saliva is a better measure of tobacco exposure and predictor of hospitalization rates for severe asthma than caregiver reports, suggesting that caregivers tend to underestimate children's environmental tobacco smoke exposure.

Archives of Disease in Childhood

Compared to children of non-smokers, high school children who had at least one parent who smoked had more favorable attitudes towards smoking, and were more likely to smoke if they viewed it favorably.

Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy

Mothers with depression had blood tests with higher levels of a protein associated with inflammation and expressed more negativity towards their children. Their children also had blood tests with elevated levels of this protein and were more socially withdrawn.

Girls aged 4 to 6 were more likely to be overweight or obese if they had a TV in their bedroom.

Science & Sports

In a group of mostly young, low-income mothers, tobacco and marijuana use during pregnancy were associated with maternal stress and aggression before and after giving birth, as well as negative birth outcomes such as lower birthweight and greater infant emotional reactivity.