CathyMum's Blog

Children who play violent computer games on a regular basis are more likely to be aggressive, researchers have found. The findings were revealed at a conference held by the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect in Dublin yesterday. The study of more than 1,000 teenagers found a strong link between young people who regularly played violent games and increased...

Britain’s Deputy Prime Minister is to announce the introduction of a free school meal scheme in schools for infant children. The £600million plan is expected the save families an average of £437 a year per child. Under the current system, free school meals are limited to 400,000 of the poorest families. Nick Clegg will tell delegates today that he believes ‘every primary school pupil should...

Research in Scotland has found the health of pregnant women and their babies is put at risk when mothers are overweight or underweight. The analysis of 110,000 pregnancies between 2003 and 2010 showed the risk of complications increased in women with a higher BMI. These women also had an increased risk of hypertension and diabetes, which can affect the baby. While obese women were 45% more likely...

The head of Amsterdam’s health service is claiming sugar is the "most dangerous drug of the times" and is calling for the substance to be tightly regulated. Research has found that sugar, unlike fat, actually interferes with the body’s appetite and creates an insatiable desire to keep eating. " Whoever uses sugar wants more and more, even when they are no longer hungry. Give someone eggs and...

Do you feel you’re excluding the couples in your life who don’t have children? And worse, do you regularly make their reproductive decision a topic of conversation? While there has been an increase in the number of babies born in recent times, there are also a significant number of couples who either can’t have children or have made the decision not to have them. These couples have reported...

Freebirthing, giving birth at home without medical intervention, is on the rise in Britain. Approximately 20 to 30 freebirths occur each year. Most ‘freebirthers’ believe labour works better without interference, preferring to deliver on their own without a midwife on hand or going into hospital. Women who opt to go alone believe there are little risks if you have had a healthy pregnancy and...

Milk and cookies may be a beloved combination, but a US doctor has raised concerns over kids eating late-night sugary snacks. Dr Julie Wei says the combination of sugar and dairy late at night could be causing runny noses, coughs, sore throats and fatigue. After treating a number of children with these chronic symptoms, she found that many of them frequently had sugary snacks such as cookies, as...

One in four teachers say they’ve seen pupils fall asleep in class, while one in seven pupils is turning up to primary school hungry. A new report in the UK has found that 820,000 children are skipping breakfast at least once a week and that many parents are struggling to afford enough food. The Lost Education report commissioned by Kellogg’s found that 12% of parents don’t give their...

There have been calls for a stronger focus on caring for the mental health of mum and baby during post-natal care. Obstetrician Dr Dan Poulter has said that Britain needs a new preventive approach from the earliest days of pregnancy to avoid mental and physical problems later in life. At the moment, focus is on the physical health of mothers and infants in basic areas such as weight gain, however...

Education experts have called for children to start primary school at age six or seven. The group of 130 teachers, academics and authors claim the pressure of performing in class at a young age can be very damaging. Under the UK’s current system, children start primary school at four or five, but the education coalition is calling for Britain to follow the Scandinavian model. With the government...