children

Simple breath test during pregnancy could prevent asthma in babies

Hunter Medical Research Institute scientist Adam Collison who ran the study called it an "amazing finding".

"Ultimately, it means that kids will grow up without asthma who would have had it," Dr Collison said.

The breath test measured levels of nitric oxide, a marker of lung inflammation.

In the study, half the participants were prescribed medication doses based on how the women assessed their own symptoms.

The other half kept track of how they felt, but they were also assessed more precisely using the breath test.

Exercise levels decline 'long before adolescence'

Sitting is replacing physical activity from the time children start school, the research suggests.

Children should get at least an hour of exercise a day.

Many of the 400 children enrolled in the study did less than this as they got older.

The experts from Glasgow and Newcastle tracked the activity levels of the children over eight years using monitors worn for a week at a time.

The amount of exercise the children did was measured at age seven and then again at age nine, 12 and 15.

School using fresh food to change lives

Sunset State School in Mount Isa offers students breakfast, morning tea, and lunch free of charge — something teachers say is helping the entire community.

"It's available to everyone that comes here — any families, any children, any background," said principal Bryon Burke.

"We believe it's highly beneficial for our school and our kids, and certainly that's what the data is telling us."

Attendance rates improve

The index of community socio-educational advantage (ICSEA) ranks schools according to their level of educational advantage.

'Why compulsory sex education is important to faith schools and LGBTQ pupils'

Campaigners are celebrating the ruling, saying giving more children access to sex and relationship information from an early age will be beneficial.

It means faith schools, where sex education has previously been limited, will now teach pupils about sex.

However, parents will still be able to opt children out of these classes.

The ruling is "really important" as it will equip young people with essential information on sex and relationships, Laura Hannah, the education and training manager for leading UK sexual health charity Brook, says.

Madonna granted permission to adopt two children from Malawi

The country's High Court made the ruling today.

The singer already has two children from the African country - David, adopted in 2006, and Mercy, adopted in 2009.

Malawian judiciary spokesman Mlenga Mvula said the singer was inside the court in Lilongwe when the ruling was given.

"In fact, at the time we were granting her the permission she was in the courtroom with her lawyers," Mr Mvula said.

But less than two weeks ago Madonna denied reports she'd applied to adopt any more children, during a charity visit to Malawi.

Helicopter parenting: What can modern parents do to help their children become independent?

But what if continually being at your child's beck and call actually meant they failed to become independent and launch into adulthood?

With more young adults dependent on their families and childhood anxiety rates higher than ever before, parenting expert and author Michael Grose said parents need to take a step back and give their kids room to find their own feet.

Is the Mediterranean diet good for kids, too?

"There is no reason why a child could not thrive on a Mediterranean dietary pattern," said Rachel Johnson, a professor of nutrition and pediatrics at the University of Vermont.

However, she added that there are caveats.

The easy-to-follow Mediterranean diet involves eating mostly vegetables, fruits, legumes, unrefined grains, olive oil and fish.

Helping kids build relationship with food is better than bribery

Some take to hiding morsels in more delicious parts of meals, while others adopt a stricter approach, refusing to let little ones leave the table until plates are clear.

One "alternative" idea touted recently is for parents to essentially bribe their children, depositing money into a child's bank account as a reward when they eat vegetables -- an idea actually backed up by research.

Back to school: Know the signs it is time to get your child's eyes tested

Andrew Hogan of Optometry Australia sees a lot of children in his practice in Hobart, often when parents or teachers notice one of those symptoms.

"Kids won't complain about blurry vision," he told Helen Shield on ABC Radio Hobart.

"Kids who aren't paying attention [in class], sometimes it's simply because they can't see and they don't realise that everyone else can see, because they've got nothing to compare it to."

Parents urged to pay attention to ‘your children’

It has been observed that Human Growth Hormone (HGH) in children is released in a manner directly proportional to the amount of caring attention the child receives.

If you’ve said she/he just wants attention, that statement is correct, because a child just wants attention and she/he legitimately needs it, as stated by Raising Small Souls.

But in this day and age, parents’ attention is diverted away from the children, set off by many things in their lives.

Parents miss out on what counts as important in the lives of the children.