Growth Curve

The inexact science of raising kids

  1. Health & Medicine

    The science behind kids’ belief in Santa

    Children’s belief in Santa is strong — until it isn’t anymore, usually at around age 8.

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  2. Health & Medicine

    An abundance of toys can curb kids’ creativity and focus

    Too many toys may lead to more shallow play for toddlers, a new study suggests.

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  3. Health & Medicine

    Staring into a baby’s eyes puts her brain waves and yours in sync

    Brain waves line up when adults and babies lock eyes.

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  4. Health & Medicine

    Six-month-old babies know words for common things, but struggle with similar nouns

    Young babies know a cup of juice from a car, but have a hard time distinguishing more similar nouns, a new study finds.

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  5. Health & Medicine

    Let most babies eat food containing peanuts. Really.

    Pediatricians are not yet peanut-savvy when it comes to convincing parents to feed babies food containing peanuts, a new survey suggests.

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  6. Health & Medicine

    C-sections lead to heftier mouse pups, but the implications for people aren’t clear

    Mice born via C-section gained more weight than mice born vaginally, adding to the body of research that hints at a link between birth mode and future health.

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  7. Health & Medicine

    Moms tweak the timbre of their voice when talking to their babies

    Mothers shift the timbre, or quality, of their voice when talking to their babies, a change that happens in many different languages.

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  8. Health & Medicine

    Parenting advice gets a fact-check

    A new website called Parentifact attempts to fight parenting misinformation.

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  9. Health & Medicine

    Seeing an adult struggle before succeeding inspires toddlers to persevere too

    When 15-month-olds watched an adult struggle and then succeed, the toddlers were more likely to try harder themselves, a study found.

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  10. Health & Medicine

    Telling children they’re smart could tempt them to cheat

    Kids who were praised for being smart were more likely to cheat, two studies suggest.

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  11. Health & Medicine

    Help for postpartum mood disorders can be hard to come by

    A new survey suggests that many postpartum women who suffer from depression, anxiety and other mood disorders don’t get the help they need.

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  12. Health & Medicine

    Sugars in breast milk may fight harmful bacteria directly

    A small study finds that the sugars present in some women’s breast milk may fight potentially harmful bacteria.

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