How to train your child to use the potty

Wait till they’re ready, read a book about it with them, use distractions, and take the potty with you when you go out

‘We’re cosseting our kids’ – the war against today’s dangerously dull playgrounds

Architects are taking issue with risk-averse playparks full of sluggish roundabouts and tiny climbing frames. But are playgrounds in the middle of roads really the answer?

Five ways to deal with head lice and nits

Parents dread discovering an infestation of the itchy menaces, but with the right approach you can stop them in their tracks

Britain claims it protects girls from FGM. So why are we deporting them?

The government cares more about its immigration targets than vulnerable girls, says human rights barrister Charlotte Proudman

How a pioneering study of child health has influenced a generation of parents

Prof Jean Golding has been tracking the ‘Children of the 90s’ for nearly 30 years, most recently finding a 50% increase in rates of prenatal depression

Caesarean babies have different gut bacteria, microbiome study finds

C-section babies pick up more hospital bacteria than those born vaginally, research shows

Repeat after me: vagina is not a dirty word

Our collective reluctance to say ‘vagina’ shrouds women’s bodies – and their sexuality – in shame

The rise of Arfid: the truth about the eating disorder that made a teenager go blind

People with avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder will eat only a very limited range of foods and may have significant phobias. It’s a long way from simply being a picky eater

Barely any UK teens meeting exercise and screen time guidelines

Canadian researchers developed guidelines relating to exercise, screen time and sleep

‘No food should be taboo’: how to tackle your child’s weight – without giving them a complex

A third of children are overweight or obese by the time they leave primary school. Here’s how parents can help them forge good habits and avoid creating lifelong insecurities

From ball pits to water slides: the designer who changed children’s playgrounds for ever

The long read: Eric McMillan revolutionised playground design in the 1970s. Why has the spirit of experimental play that he championed been lost? By Nicholas Hune-Brown

Lessons in love from my new teenage foster daughter

As well as joys, challenges and unusual pets she brought fresh insights to our home. By Jill Dawson

Foreskin reclaimers: the ‘intactivists’ fighting infant male circumcision

Emboldened by the body-positive movement and a sense of rage, a growing chorus is pushing back against a common custom

HPV vaccine to be given to boys in effort to slash cancer rates

Move by NHS could prevent more than 100,000 cancers across UK by 2058

Majority of parents don’t know how much exercise children need

Survey shows that 68% of adults are unaware of recommended exercise time