toddlers

Parents who dream of their young child growing up to become an NBA player should maybe avoid substituting plant-based milks for cow’s milk, a study finds. Toddlers who drink soy, almond, or other milk “alternatives” may be shorter than youngsters who drink plain old cow’s milk. A strange correlation indeed.
Researchers wrote in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that each daily cup of non-cow’s milk consumed was associated with 0.4 centimeters (0.15 inches) lower height than average for a child’s age. [1]

The symptoms of autism generally begin to emerge in a person between 12 and 18 months of age. Oftentimes, babies develop normally until this age, but then they start regressing and lose skills. Now, a recent study suggests it may be possible to spot autism on an MRI scan months before symptoms start. [1]
Geraldine Dawson, a clinical psychologist and autism researcher at Duke University who was not involved in the new work, says:

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is recommending that fruit juice should not be given to children under 1 year old. [1]
The new guidance replaces the group’s previous recommendation of no fruit juice for children under 6 months. The AAP has also recommended limits in the past for older infants and children.

Smartphones and tablets are a good way to keep young children quiet and entertained, but a recent study suggests that babies and toddlers allowed too much screen time may go on to develop speech delays.
Study principal investigator Dr. Catherine Birken, a staff pediatrician and scientist at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, says:

The laxative product MiraLAX seems harmless enough. Doctors recommend it and it can be purchased over-the-counter at any pharmacy. It’s not the sort of product you would think could cause serious mental problems in children, but many parents claim such side effects are real; they’ve seen it with their own eyes.
The complaints were numerous enough and serious enough for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) to quietly launch an FDA-funded study into the matter.

It is no secret that obesity is on the rise in the west, with a new study finding that 10 percent of UK parents are giving their toddlers adult-sized portions instead of those appropriate to their age. Needless to say, this is likely a contributing factor in the increasing waistlines of children across the western world.
The alarming research also found that almost 80 percent of children ages 1 to 4 are getting more food than they need. This, while other children don’t know when their next meal will come, or where it will come from.