Pupil excluded from primary school for flouting healthy eating policy

Six-year-old boy's parents called to a meeting after bag of Mini Cheddars was discovered in packed lunch

Is $17.5bn incentive enough for more mothers to breastfeed?

Kailash Chand: Despite all the evidence for the benefits of breastfeeding, global rates have scarcely increased in 20 years. Could significant investment help buck the trend?

The micronutrient distribution challenge

Iodine and vitamin A are vital for child development. Frederika Whitehead reviews two distinct approaches to tackling micronutrient deficiencies

Will Mozart make my child smarter?

Luisa Dillner: Will listening to classical music or learning to play an instrument increase my child's IQ or help them do better at school?

Good teachers don’t need to know the genetics of their students

Michael Reiss: Some envisage a future in which teaching is tailored according to genes. But there are lower-tech ways of being responsive to learners' needs

NHS maternity services not good enough, says chief inspector

Survey shows 'truly shocking picture' of women's childbirth experiences despite recent improvements, according to regulator

Mothers over 30 at greater risk of negative birth outcome, study finds

Research showing higher incidence of premature and stillbirths could change medical thinking about age of 'older mothers'

Sexual violence against girls – we must open our eyes

Deborah Orr: A report this week revealed that girls are being abused by other children. Why do adults fail to understand how vulnerable and alone adolescent girls can be?

Now the weedy kid is king it’s time to reinvent school sports day

Today's inert children are merely adapting to our sedentary lifestyles. Time to replace the 100 metres with a biryani dash, says David Mitchell

Morrisons bans children from buying high-energy drinks

Supermarket chain is first in UK to restrict sales of high-caffeine products such as Red Bull to under-16s

Do the maths: the science behind the numbers that govern our lives

Eat five portions of fruit and veg, drink eight glasses of water, exercise five times a week… these figures grab our attention, but do the numbers really add up? Rosie Ifould finds out

Bounty parenting club under fire over maternity ward ‘exploitation’

60,000 sign petition calling on government to sever contract as MPs express concern over sales reps in hospitals

Decoding your baby’s strange behavior: live chat with Shaun Gallagher

For a peak at exciting and simple new methods parents can perform to better understand their babies, join us for a live chat! Starting time: 1pm ET | 6pm UK • Smartphone readers: click here to access the mobile version of the chat