How to Make Your Child's Hospital Stay Safer, Less Stressful

THURSDAY, July 18, 2019 -- More than 3 million kids are hospitalized in the United States every year. Whether it's for a planned test or surgery or an injury or other emergency, knowing how to be involved in your child's care can help you get through what's often a stressful event.

The single most important thing you can do is be an active member of your child's health care team, taking part in every decision, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Learn as much as you can about your child's condition and needed tests and treatments from the medical staff and other reliable sources. Ask if the doctor's recommendations are based on the latest scientific evidence.

Tips for Keeping Your Child Healthy at Camp

MONDAY, June 17, 2019 -- With thousands of kids heading to camp for the summer, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has some tips for keeping them safe and happy.

In a new report, the group recommends that all children have a checkup before leaving for camp.

Reacting Against a 'Too Clean' World, Some Parents Go Too Far the Other Way

WEDNESDAY, July 3, 2019 -- Somewhere between the Mom who obsessively wipes down every knob and toy her child might touch, and the Dad who thinks rolling in the dirt is "good" for kids, there's a healthy medium, British experts say.

"We have to find a way to protect against infectious diseases and harmful microbes, whilst at the same time sustaining exposure to the essential beneficial microbes in our world," explained Sally Bloomfield.

'Dad Shaming' Is Real, Survey Shows

WEDNESDAY, June 12, 2019 -- It's not just Moms: Just ahead of Father's Day, a new survey finds that about half of American dads say they've been criticized about their parenting styles.

The way they enforced discipline topped the list of things naysayers called them to task on, with two-thirds of critiques focused on that subject.

2 of 3 Parents Read Texts While Driving

MONDAY, May 13, 2019 -- Despite countless public service messages warning against texting and driving, more than two-thirds of parents have read a text while behind the wheel and roughly half have written a text while driving, a new survey finds.

Millennial parents were more likely to report distracted driving behaviors, such as reading a text. But both millennial parents (born between 1981 and 1996) and older parents wrote text messages behind the wheel at about the same rate. The study survey also found no significant differences in crash rates between the older and younger parents.

More Than 600,000 Opioid Abusers Raising Kids in U.S.

TUESDAY, May 14, 2019 -- They might be too young to abuse opioids themselves, but America's kids are suffering nonetheless because of their drug-dependent parents.

New research shows more than 600,000 American parents with kids under 18 are addicted to opioids.