Exposure in the first two months of pregnancy to air pollution from traffic sharply increases the risk for birth defects, a new study has found.

Researchers used data from two large studies carried out in eight counties in the San Joaquin Valley in California. One has tracked birth defects since 1997, and the other has recorded concentrations of nitrogen dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide and particulate matter at 20 locations in the valley since the 1970s. Read on.

Babies in bilingual environments can learn to distinguish the grammatical structures of two different languages at a young age, a new study finds.

Read the full article here.

Pregnant women exposed to particulate air pollution -- commonly known as smog -- have a significantly greater risk of having a baby with a low birth weight, according to a large new international study. Read on.

Western babies are potty trained later these days and need diapers until an average of three years of age. But even infants can be potty trained. A study by researchers at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, followed 47 infants and their mothers in Vietnam -- where potty training starts at birth and the need for diapers is usually eliminated by nine months of age.

Read the full article here.

We recently flew with our baby from Nashville to Chicago. We didn't think much of it. It was a short flight, and little Maggs had flown with us several times before. NBD, right? Read on.

Diabetes in China, already a greater burden than in any other country, is probably being exacerbated by its one-child policy.

About 100 million families have just one child, the Chinese government says. That translates into an equal number of firstborns, a status that researchers are finding may be tied to conditions that raise obesity risk, said Chong Yap Seng, a scientist at Singapore's National University Hospital. Read on.

Earlier this week on a day celebrated in China as Bachelors' Day, Duoduo was already dressed shortly after sunrise. It was her big day and she was going to look for a boyfriend. She is little more than 2 years old. Read on.

Green Parenting has fast become a new trend among both celebrity mums and dads and everyday parents alike. Here are some expert tips on how you can reduce your baby's carbon footprint. Read on.

China's Bright Dairy & Food Co Ltd has been ordered by the Shanghai government to recall a cheese product for babies as it includes an additive banned for years, a Shanghai government newspaper said on Thursday. Read On.

Does an organic strawberry contain more vitamin C than a conventional one? Maybe or Maybe not. Stanford University scientists have weighed in on the “maybe not” side of the debate after an extensive examination of four decades of research comparing organic and conventional foods. Read on here.

"Tiger mother" became a buzzword last year for tough love and parenting in the United States, but in recent months across the Pacific a Chinese "Eagle Dad" has sparked a new furore with his own brand of discipline. Read more here.

THERE are more so-called remedies for jet lag than there are time zones, from long-standing antidotes like No-Jet-Lag’s homeopathic tablets to new innovations like the Valkee Brain Stimulation Headset, which was tested earlier this year by Finnair and purports to alleviate jet lag by channeling bright light into the brain through the ear canal. Read on here.

Domestic workers: the nannies, cooks and cleaners that make many families’ lives so much better, are at a high risk of being abused and exploited. Because the work they do takes place in private homes, they are invisible and often can’t get government protection.On Aug. 6, the International Labor Organization’s Convention on Domestic Work was ratified – setting international standards to protect the world’s 50 million to 100 million domestic workers. Read full article here.

SHANGHAI is to mandate the installation of child-safety seat in cars to protect children's health and safety, experts told a seminar pushing the legislation yesterday. Read on here.

HONG KONG — A month after large batches of Chinese baby formula were found to contain dangerous levels of mercury, state media outlets reported Monday that the authorities have discovered more shipments of contaminated formula, this time poisoned with a cancer-causing toxin. Read more here.