Bedtime blues: how to get children to sleep

One in five parents think their children are not sleeping well enough. Jon Henley meets Professor Paul Gringras, a sleep disorder specialist, who explains the importance of a good routine and how to achieve it

Why do identical twins end up having such different lives?

Their genes are exactly the same, so why don't identical siblings' lives follow more similar patterns? The scientist behind a pioneering 21-year study believes he has the answer, as he tells Robin McKie

Why we shouldn’t force children to eat their greens

Tim Lott: I recall one epic battle when I tried to get Jean, then aged about eight, to eat a single pea. I failed. And I was furious

What’s wrong with telling children they’re beautiful?

Natalie Cox: Jo Swinson worries about image being overemphasised, but faced with today's media, children's self-esteem needs bolstering

What makes a country a good place to be a mother?

Natalie Hanman: Debate of the day: Save the Children uses five indicators to rank the best and worst nations to be a mother. But tell us your criteria

Eating with parents boosts toddlers’ health, finds study

Sitting down to the same meals as Mum and Dad found to have a bigger impact on health than class or snacking habits

Let’s celebrate the miracle of birth but be honest about hard choices

Yvonne Roberts: The Turner quadruplets remind us both of the wonders of science and the need to determine our priorities

The wide-awake club: getting your child to sleep

Go The Fuck to Sleep, a rallying cry for a legion of exhausted parents, is being made into a film. Sophie Heawood discovers why getting your baby to nod off has become such big business

Listen to mother: time to change NHS practice on umbilical cord-cutting

Christina Patterson: Pregnant women need to feel medical staff are on their side – the nation's health suffers if people don't have faith in doctors

Why I wish my daughter had been vaccinated

Sophie Heawood: My child couldn't fall victim to any of those Victorian sounding diseases such as diphtheria, polio and tetanus, could she?

LA Fitness drops add-on swimming charges for children

Gym chain agrees it broke the terms of its own contracts after investigation by Observer

Fathers-to-be, trust me, watching your children being born is not traumatic

Ally Fogg: Media misrepresentation of research into life-threatening labour complications has real and harmful consequences

How can I spot signs of antisocial behaviour in my child?

Luisa Dillner: A hostile, defiant child who lies or bullies could be more than usually naughty

UK packed lunch – show us what’s inside your school lunchbox

A leading nutritionist has said what's inside school children's lunchboxes isn't much healthier than a canteen meal - what's in your lunch box? Share your picture to create a UK map

Sleepless nights with screaming babies can ruin your marriage and your health

A screaming baby or a TV in a child's room can lead to the parents' divorce, claims new series