Why parents are addicted to Calpol

The long read: It is the one medicine we reach for whenever our babies are feverish or in pain. What’s the secret of its success?

Mother Ship by Francesca Segal review – a moving story about motherhood

A remarkable memoir-diary about giving birth to premature twins is also a love letter to solidarity

How Stockholm became the city of work-life balance

With flexible hours the norm, and almost two years’ parental leave for every child, Sweden’s capital boasts a happy and efficient workforce. What can other cities learn?

Children are stuck inside more than ever – how can we give them back their freedom?

British children spend half the time their parents did playing in the street. But some campaigners are fighting back against a culture that is keeping kids from exercising their right to play

Limiting screen use for one week may improve teenagers’ sleep – study

Reducing blue light exposure at night may decrease fatigue and mood swings, researchers find

Schools of thought: can mindfulness lessons boost child mental health?

Children are under increasing pressure. Investing in their mental wellbeing could could help them now and in the future

‘My tutor said it wasn’t a job for a man’: my journey from roofer to midwife

I’ve encountered sexism, but it’s an amazing job and an honour to support women giving birth

Louis Theroux: ‘I worried I might be mansplaining motherhood’

As he tackles one of his most harrowing subjects yet, the documentary-maker talks about parenting, psychosis – and his secret beard

Opening up school sports facilities would give every child a healthy summer

The fitness of children from low-income familes suffers in the holidays, say former sports stars Tanni Grey-Thompson and Lawrence Dallaglio

WHO warnings over children’s screen time disputed by UK experts

Paediatricians say latest guidelines on TV, bedtimes and play based on poor evidence

Forget their future – worry about what your kids are doing now

By focusing on the type of adults we want our children to become we ignore the quality of their experience as kids, now

Social media addiction is not natural or normal – but is it really a disease?

We should be focusing on living with Facebook et al, rather then abandoning, restricting or censoring it, says technology writer Roisin Kiberd

Children’s meals in pubs and fast food chains ‘getting saltier’

Action on Salt study calls for traffic light labelling to help parents pick healthier options

Bedtime social media use may be harming UK teenagers, study says

Exclusive: a fifth of 13- to 15-year-olds ‘spend five hours or more a day on social media’

A lifetime of sleep, from birth to menopause and beyond

Babies wake at any hour, teenagers refuse to get out of bed, older adults find a good night’s rest harder to achieve. Why do our sleep patterns shift with age?