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Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest Linkedin© 2008-14 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved These breastfeeding tips and feature articles are based on discoveries in evolutionary, cross-cultural, and clinical research. Here you’ll find evidence-based information on such topics as • Newborns.What they can smell and taste, and the evidence in favor of frequent feedings for newborns (and … Continue reading
Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest Linkedin© 2010 – 2014, Gwen Dewar, all rights reserved What are the effects of video games? Video games are highly interactive and adaptive, and often induce a sense of psychological “flow” in players — that sense of effortless concentration that makes time fly. Such features make for compelling entertainment, and promising … Continue reading
Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest Linkedin The need for evidence-based education When should kids start school? What should we teach them? How should we teach them? Where should we teach them? Research can help us answer these questions. And we should pay attention. When schools adopt the wrong programs and practices, money gets wasted. Students may … Continue reading
Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest Linkedin© 2010-2014 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved Recent research confirms that fish are high in nutrients essential for brain growth. Pregnant women who eat fish, and parents who include fish in their children’s diets, are providing their families with omega-3 fatty acids that may boost cognitive development (Strain et al … Continue reading
Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest Linkedin© 2008-2014 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved Breastfeeding may be natural, but it isn’t automatic (Volk 2009). Here are some tips for breastfeeding moms, based on research by lactation experts, anthropologists, and social scientists. For more evidence-based information about breastfeeding, see this collection of Parenting Science articles. 1. Don’t be … Continue reading
Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest Linkedin© 2009 -2014, Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved What is SIDS? Scientists can offer only partial answers. But we know this much: SIDS, or sudden infant death syndrome, seems to involve a failure to arouse from sleep during a life-threatening event–like a severe episode of sleep apnea or esophageal reflux … Continue reading
Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest Linkedin What are your child’s personal sleep requirements? Even the experts don’t know for sure. Sleep has a big impact on our well-being, so it’s understandable that parents want to know if their kids are getting enough. Recent research suggests that something as simple as a well-timed nap makes a difference … Continue reading
Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest Linkedin New research offers important insights about nutrition for kids. For example, studies confirm that, for their body weight, children burn more fat (Kostyak et al 2007). These and other observations suggest that many seemingly natural, healthful diets for adults are inappropriate for children. What else should parents keep in mind? … Continue reading
Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest Linkedin© 2009-2014 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved Putting nutrition for kids in an evolutionary context It’s become a cliché. Paleolithic people were athletic, fit, and free from the chronic diseases associated with modern, affluent, sedentary lifestyles: obesity, hypertension, heart disease, and diabetes. Why? They exercised regularly, walking an average of … Continue reading
Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest Linkedin© 2010-2013 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved Are swimming pools a health hazard? Swimming is an excellent form of exercise. But like many activities, swimming in a pool has its downside. Despite attempts to disinfect the pool, some pathogens may still lurk in the water. And research suggests that disinfectants … Continue reading
Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest Linkedin© 2009 – 2013 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved Guidelines for “SIDS prevention” are like guidelines about cancer prevention. Researchers don’t claim they know how to prevent SIDS in any given individual. But they’ve identified a number of practices that appear to increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome. … Continue reading
Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest Linkedin© 2008 – 2013 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved Pure bullies are a distinctive group In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter learns a terrible truth: His late father had been a school bully. How disturbing. After all, Harry Potter’s father hadn’t been a social oaf—a … Continue reading