Read these brief informative pieces from For Our Babies, early child care groups, and guest bloggers. Topics cover a wide range of ideas from reading, to follow-up care for children with disabilities or other special needs, to taking action for our babies and our future.
“The parents in our program are busy. I know they care about early brain development but they don’t have much free time to read about it. What do you suggest we share with them?” This question was asked during one of the For Our Babies Bookclub discussions with Dr. Lally. Because we think it’s a […] Read more
A New Study Suggests a Father’s Diet and Folate (Vitamin B9) Levels Before Conception May Be as Important to Infant Health and Development as That of the Mother A recent study from McGill University using mice with low paternal dietary folate levels showed alterations in mouse sperm epigenome associated with negative pregnancy outcomes. This study […] Read more
Inadequate Pregnancy Weight Gain Increases Risk of Infant Mortality According to a recent study out of the University of Maryland School of Public Health, not gaining enough weight during pregnancy can put babies at risk. Researchers examined the relationship between the mother’s body mass index, gestational weight gain before and during pregnancy, and infant mortality […] Read more
New legislation, the Family Medical Insurance Leave Act (the FAMILY Act) is being introduced in the House today! Legislative OverviewSponsored by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D – Conn.) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D – N.Y.), the FAMILY Act would ensure people have some income during family or medical leave. The FAMILY Act would: Provide workers […] Read more
Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child’s “InBrief Series” is one to check out. This series includes short (one page) summaries and video companion pieces on recent scientific presentations and research on the science of early childhood development and early childhood program evaluation. A new video in this series, “The Science of Neglect“, is a 6 […] Read more
In this article “The Human Brains Need for a Social Womb” J. Ronald Lally tells us why the young brain needs a protected and nurtured experience equivalent to the protection a fetus receives in the womb. Because of the lasting impact of early brain structuring, Lally argues that whether a baby is cared for at […] Read more
New Research Study on Depression During Pregnancy Shows Preference for Therapy Over Medication Researchers in a preliminary study from the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Butler Hospital, and Women & Infants’ Hospital of Rhode Island interviewed 61 pregnant women, about half of whom were clinically depressed, to assess their experiences and preferences regarding […] Read more
Pre-natal Exposure to Music Induces Lasting Neural Effects Pre-natal sound exposure is found to induce long-term neural effects in this recent study out of the University of Helsinki, Finland. The study was composed of a learning group and a control group of pregnant women in their last semester, with the learning group listening intensely to […] Read more
Earliest Marker for Autism Found in Young Infants Autism isn’t usually diagnosed until after age 2. This study, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health, was published this month in the journal Nature. It reveals the earliest sign of developing autism ever observed — a steady […] Read more
National legislation on publicly-funded preschool education is the focus of prominent debate for the first time in a generation. A new research brief “Investing in Our Future: The Evidence Base on Preschool Education,” reviews rigorous evidence on why early skills matter, which children benefit from preschool, the short- and long-term effects of preschool programs on […] Read more
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