Breast is best if you want top marks for your children? You’ve got to be kidding

A piece of research that doesn’t stand up to scrutiny is piling the guilt on to mothers

Ministers urged to restrict marketing of vapes to children in England

Rachel de Souza points to research showing evidence about pressure to vape and its subsequent effects

Toddlers’ gut bacteria may predict future obesity, study suggests

Researchers identify differences in bacteria that colonise the gut in adults living with obesity

Babies are dying because of NHS failings, poverty and inequality, charities warn

Maternity services need urgent improvement and investment to meet government target of halving stillbirths and neonatal deaths

A psychologist’s guide to talking to teens about online porn

Listen, be non-confrontational, and be clear about what is unacceptable behaviour in online pornography

Sex education review is ‘politically motivated’, say teaching unions

Tory MPs’ claims of extreme graphic lessons at England’s schools written off as ‘inflammatory rhetoric’

Post-birth surfing was my source of joy, and parental guilt

While pregnant, surfer Gill Hutchison voluntarily ‘beached herself’. Her return to the waves required a new type of balancing act

‘Don’t tell us the bad news all at once’: how to talk to kids about grown-up things

Abortion, toxic masculinity, human extinction ... What’s the best way to talk to children about the big issues of the day? We ask the experts

Young people don’t hate their bodies because they are weak – but because capitalism demands it

From buccal fat to cellulite, anything innate to humans that can be made into a problem will create a market for the solution, says Guardian columnist Zoe Williams

The sleep switch: the hormone supplement sending Australian children to sleep

Experts have seen an increase in the number of children using melatonin. What do we know about the ‘hormone of darkness’?

New parents in the UK: what challenges are you facing?

We’rd like to hear from new mothers and fathers in the UK who are facing challenges, such as financial worries, health concerns or a lack of support

A question to keep parents up at night: whether to allow their children into their bed

Christina Ricci’s comment that she frequently shares a bed with her eight-year-old son has led to a debate about co-sleeping: should kids be kept firmly in their own rooms, and can you stop them climbing under your duvet even if you don’t want them to?

Authoritarian, freewheeler or data wonk – what type of parent are you?

Is your kids’ bedtime data-led or boundary-free? Is the naughty step unused or well worn? Our guide decodes modern parenting

I used to be ashamed of being a fangirl. Now I see how joyous and creative it was

Lady Gaga was my idol, but I didn’t dare tell anyone. Now a new wave of books and films shows us why female obsession is such an important part of growing up

‘Everyone seemed at ease’: how art is making hospital visits less painful

Some of life’s hardest moments are spent in hospital, but two organisations are working to ease that with ingenious designs. Mina Holland explains how art has been a lifeline