New pediatric recommendations on screen time, research on the link between infant gut health and allergies, the reason why choline may affect mental health, and why older moms rock — all in this edition of our occasional wrap-up series on the most important, informative, or entertaining news and talk in the world of early care and education.
Gizmodo: We Were Wrong About Limiting Children’s Screen Time
The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued some much-needed updates to their recommendations about screen time for children. Parents are advised to choose “high-quality programming” and to set limits for children of all ages. They’ve introduced the Family Media Use Plan tool to help parents make choices that work for the whole family. | read now
Quartz: This is What Work-Life Balance Looks Like at a Company with 100% Retention of Moms
This profile of Patagonia shows why 100% of women who have had children there over the past five years have returned to work. Extensive parental leave time and on-site child care is just the beginning. | read now
The Conversation: Gut Instinct-How the Way You’re Born and Fed Affect Your Immune System
New research is showing a link between the bacteria and fungi in the infant microbiome and the probability of developing allergy-related asthma and other health disorders. The research opens the path to developing ways to prevent these ailments. A few ways of promoting good gut bacteria development suggested are “delaying the first bath until after 12 hours, placing the newborn on the mother’s skin in the first few minutes after delivery and breastfeeding in the operating room, if permissible.” | read now
NPR: Can Mental Illness Be Prevented in the Womb?
A study from the University of Colorado suggests that an increase in choline intake during pregnancy has implications for children’s future mental health. “It occurred to us that just as folic acid can help overcome defects in brain and spinal cord development, perhaps supplementing mothers with choline could help prevent mental illness.” | listen now
WSJ: Why Older Mothers Know Best
Author Holly Finn talks about what she’s learned by having a child at an “advanced maternal age” in this post for the Wall Street Journal | read now
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