Child Development
School Refusal Has Doubled Since the Pandemic. Here's Why Punishment Is the Worst Thing You Can Do.
Before the pandemic, 14% of children were at high risk of school avoidance. By the 2021-22 school year, that figure had jumped to 22%, and severe school refusal has more than tripled. 80% of cases are anxiety-driven.
35 States Banned Phones in Schools. After One Full Year, the Data Is in. Here's What It Says.
35 US states and Washington D.C. have now signed laws or policies restricting student phone use in K-12 classrooms. The 2024-2025 school year was the first with most of those laws in effect. The early data is mixed, surprising, and clearer than anyone expected.
TikTok Calls It the "Nap Trap." Infant Sleep Researchers Quietly Call It "Biology."
The "nap trap" shaming is one of the quieter cruelties of modern new-motherhood content. The research says contact naps are completely developmentally normal, do not create bad sleep habits, and are not a trap at all.
Giving Your Tween a Smartphone Before 14 Is One of the Most Consequential Calls You'll Make
The research on smartphones and adolescent mental health has moved from "possibly linked" to "robustly established" in the last five years. Here is what Jonathan Haidt and the wider evidence actually show, what is rewiring your tween's brain, and the four norms that are reversing the pattern.
The CDC Quietly Changed What "Normal" Baby Development Means. Most Parents Still Don't Know.
A major shift in how paediatricians measure your baby's development happened in the last few years, and most parents are still using outdated charts. Here is what actually changed, and the complete month by month guide every parent needs.
Your Newborn Isn’t Broken — Here’s What Sleep Actually Looks Like in the First Few Exhausting Weeks
Newborn sleep feels impossible because the internet sold you a myth about what "normal" looks like. Real newborn sleep is messy, frequent, and nothing like what you've been told. Here is what the evidence actually shows, and how to keep them safe.
Your Toddler's Separation Anxiety Isn't a Setback. It's a Developmental Milestone.
The crying at drop-off, the sudden clinginess, the night waking. It is not because something is wrong. It is because something is working exactly as it should. Here is what the developmental science shows and the strategies that actually help, at each predictable peak.
Your Toddler’s Yoghurt Meltdown Isn’t Random — Neuroscientists Explain Why
Your 3 year old is not being bad, manipulative, or spoiled. Their brain is literally incapable of what you are asking them to do. Here is what neuroscience shows is actually happening during a tantrum, and the three word response that stops most of them in their tracks.
Sibling Rivalry Doesn’t Mean Kids Don’t Love Each Other — Here’s What It Really Means
Sibling conflict is developmentally normal and even useful. Here is what researchers actually know about sibling relationships, why the worst years are predictable, and the four simple rules that genuinely reduce fighting in real households.
Childhood Anxiety Has Doubled Since 2019, and Child Psychologists Share What Actually Helps
1 in 5 children now shows clinical anxiety symptoms. The instinct to reassure, protect, and soothe often makes it worse. Here is what child psychologists actually recommend, the approach called "SPACE" that has changed the field, and the phrases that help versus hurt.
Potty Training Before 24 Months May Backfire, According to Research on What Actually Works
Paediatric research shows starting potty training before your child is physiologically ready can double the time it takes and increase accidents, constipation, and withholding. Here is what readiness actually looks like, and the approach that works.