Baby News and Research

RSS

New project aims to diagnose asthma in young children

Although asthma is the most common chronic condition in childhood, current tests can only diagnose it from the age of five.

17 Sep 2026

Ultra-processed foods enter babies’ diets early. What comes with them?

In a Denver cohort of 114 healthy infants, higher ultra-processed food intake during complementary feeding was associated with greater added sugar and sodium intake at 9 and 12 months. UPF intake showed no consistent relationship with growth through 12 months, while dietary diversity was not reduced among infants consuming more UPFs.

14 Sep 2026

Liberian women face long waits for urgent fistula surgery

For more than three years, Lorpu has lived with the constant leakage of urine and faeces caused by obstetric fistula, a debilitating childbirth injury.

11 Sep 2026

Shade and protective clothing best protect young babies from the sun

When you go outdoors with your infant, whether for a quick stroll in the park or a day at the beach, it's important to keep your little one out of the sun. But should you put sunscreen on your baby to protect them from the sun's bright rays? Not usually.

10 Sep 2026

Popular AMH blood test fails to predict natural fertility

Increasing numbers of Australian women are using a blood test to assess their fertility, but new research suggests it may not provide the answers many are looking for.

10 Sep 2026

Skin microbiome changes may predict infant eczema and food allergies

The first clues that a baby may develop eczema or food allergies could be hiding in the microscopic organisms living on their skin, according to a study led by researchers in Washington State University's College of Veterinary Medicine.

9 Sep 2026

Prenatal paracetamol exposure linked to smaller ovaries in daughters

Researchers in Denmark have found that girls whose mothers took paracetamol during pregnancy had smaller ovaries, fewer ovarian follicles (the structures that contain immature eggs), smaller uteruses and lower levels of reproductive hormones at three months old.

8 Sep 2026

Bariatric surgery restores menstrual cycles and reduces polycystic ovaries in obese women

Metabolic bariatric surgery improves menstrual cycle frequency and symptoms of polycystic ovaries in women living with obesity, a new study from the University of Surrey reports.

7 Sep 2026

Genetic COPD risk emerges early with higher air pollution

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a serious, incurable lung disease that is common in older people.

6 Sep 2026

ART-conceived children show reassuring long-term health outcomes

The birth of Louise Brown in 1978, the world's first baby conceived through assisted reproductive technology (ART), was a major breakthrough that reshaped the field of reproductive medicine.

4 Sep 2026

Pregnant Filipina women reveal creative ways to manage stress

The everchanging social, political, and economic landscape in many countries has become more tenuous and intense in recent years.

4 Sep 2026

Digital health coaching moves into routine care for gestational diabetes

Researchers at University College Dublin (UCD) published the full study protocol for Bump2Baby & Me+ (B2B&Me+) today.

2 Sep 2026

Early baby swimming linked to a small IQ advantage by preschool age

A prospective cohort study of 1,935 mother-child pairs examined whether baby swimming during the first 6 months of life was associated with IQ and cognitive performance at ages 4 to 6 years. Swimming participation was associated with modestly higher scores across several cognitive domains, but the researchers cautioned that the observational findings cannot establish causation and may partly reflect socioeconomic and family-level differences.

1 Sep 2026

Could the type of fiber children eat matter for their developing gut microbiome?

A recent study found that different dietary fibers can shape the composition and activity of the gut microbiome during early childhood, with xyloglucan, arabinoxylan, and pectin increasing short-chain fatty acid production in laboratory fermentation experiments. Some fibers also supported gut barrier measures and altered inflammatory responses, while observational data linked higher pectin intake with greater microbial diversity in young children.

31 Aug 2026

Birth-related PTSD may go undiagnosed among thousands of new mothers

Tens of thousands of new mums across Britain may be suffering undiagnosed PTSD following childbirth, according to a University of East Anglia report.

27 Aug 2026

Exposure to drought during pregnancy associated with higher risk of preterm birth

Climate change is making droughts more frequent, prolonged, and intense in many regions of the world, increasing the need to understand their effects on health.

25 Aug 2026

Psychological factors determine maternal readiness to care for newborns

The first days after childbirth are a time of profound change – not only physically, but emotionally as well. Although the rooming-in model, in which mothers and newborns stay together around the clock, is standard practice in maternity wards, not every woman feels ready to care for her baby independently from the very first hours after delivery.

20 Aug 2026

Rapid test breakthrough could transform iron treatment worldwide

WEHI researchers have developed a blood test that can detect iron deficiency in minutes, overcoming key limitations of existing point-of-care diagnostics and potentially transforming how the condition is diagnosed and treated worldwide.

20 Aug 2026

Infants' sense of agency develops through culture-specific caregiver interactions

A baby sits on the floor and reaches toward a red ball on a floor and grunts. The mother responds, "Do you see the ball?" She picks it up and holds it in front of baby and says, "Do you want to hold the ball?" The baby shrieks in excitement as the mother hands the ball to the baby.

18 Aug 2026

Health visitor support helps mothers stay smoke-free after childbirth

Women who receive health visitor support alongside smoking relapse prevention advice are more likely to remain smoke-free after childbirth, according to University of East Anglia (UEA) research.

18 Aug 2026