What I’m really thinking: the birth mother

At school, friends’ mothers told me I had done the right thing, while their daughters stared, unable to think of anything to say

Swings, slides and iPads: the gaming companies targeting kids’ outdoor play

Startups are applying gaming to the great outdoors as a recent survey reveals three-quarters of UK children spend less time outside than prison inmates

Post-recession Britons are healthier, better off and living greener lives

National wellbeing snapshot covering period as UK shrugged off financial crisis finds improvements in 17 of its measures

The sugar tax is a great idea. Why not go after processed foods too?

At long last, there is a plan to improve children’s health, but it must be the start of a more widespread campaign

Taking a baby from its mother is a horrific job for a midwife

No training can prepare you for a mother’s animalistic howl as her child is removed, but it’s my job to protect newborn babies

Early introduction of peanuts and eggs cuts allergy risk, study finds

Babies introduced to potentially allergenic foods from three months had lower chance of developing allergy later in life

Childhood obesity strategy delayed further, government admits

Campaigners say delay in publication is ‘unforgivable’ and fear tax on sugary drinks will be rejected

All children need to learn about sexual consent – it’s their right

Half the female victims of sexual assault are under 16. Rape victims are most likely to be aged 15 to 19. Schools need to teach young people about healthy relationships

Children in England near bottom in international happiness table

England ranks 13th out of 16 countries in survey, with body image and school among areas of concern among eight-year-olds

Letter to my daughter: what is it like to be a girl in 2016?

Psychotherapist and anti-FGM campaigner shares her hopes and fears for all girls around the globe this year in a letter to her 13-year-old daughter

Breastfeeding could prevent 800,000 child deaths, Lancet says

Breastfeeding at risk from poor government policies, lack of support for mothers and aggressive formula milk industry, research finds

The chicken shop mile and how Britain got fat

With cheap and fattening food everywhere, there has been a shape shift that means people do not recognise obesity when they see it in the mirror

Cancer patient mother says she would have kept her baby ‘in my tummy’

Heidi Loughlin says she would not have chosen to deliver baby 12 weeks early to undergo chemotherapy had she known daughter would not survive

Is sharing residency better for children’s mental health?

Divorce and separation can have a hugely detrimental impact on children. But Swedish studies show that having them live with each parent half the time is the best way to help them cope

FGM court orders: a quiet revolution in child protection

School holidays can leave girls particularly vulnerable to female genital mutilation, but a recent measure avoiding criminal law can help