8 important manners you should teach your little ones

8 important manners you should teach your little ones - We all want to raise our little ones to be polite and well behaved, and learning those lessons starts at home. It's never too early to teach your little ones basic manners! Here are eight of the most important manners you should try to teach your little ones before they go to school. They won't remember them all, or get them right every time, but patience and perseverance should get you through:

1. Always say please and thank you. 

Whether they're activities as small as giving your little one a snack, or them asking if they can play in the garden, always reinforce the importance of saying please and thank you. No matter how young your children are, you can't start enforcing this rule too early! 

2. Table manners

When your tiny tots are just learning to eat at the table, start teaching them the manners you'd like them to have for the rest of their lives! Rules like not eating with their mouths open, or not putting their elbows on the table, are good life lessons for your children to learn as soon as possible. 

3. Play dates

When you're little ones go on play dates, or to birthday parties, remind them to thank their friends parents for having them over. If you aren't going to be attending the play date or event with your little one, ensure your little ones know they should treat their friends parents (and all grown-ups) with the same respect they treat you. 

4. Birthday party etiquette

It's often said that kids go wild at birthday parties - all the sweet snacks and fun can make little ones get excited, and sometimes forget their manners. But no matter how excited your little one is on their birthday, there are some manners they shouldn't forget: to open their presents thoughtfully (not ripping off the paper, or tossing the present to one side as soon as they've seen it) and to say thank you for every gift, and to every attendee. 

5. Mind the language

There will come a moment every parent dreads: the moment your little one swears. And then finds it funny! The worst thing you can do in this scenario is laugh. Let them know that you already know that word, you think it's unpleasant, not funny, and ask your little one not to use it again! 

6. Don't be mean

Kids tease each other, and they find it funny. But this can sometimes go a step too far and lead to bullying. Make sure your little ones don't call others mean names, and don't make fun of anyone for any reason. Ganging up on someone else is cruel, not clever.

7. Excuse me!

Once your little ones have mastered saying please and thank you, teach them to say excuse me. It's the polite thing to say when you have to interrupt someone, or bump into somebody. 

8. TMI!

There are some things that are too much information, and that your little ones shouldn't talk about in public! These include genitals, poo, nose picking, and all the other gory things that amuse kids! ( Gurgle.com )

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Breastfeeding Advocates Protest Facebook With Nurse-In

Breastfeeding Advocates Protest Facebook With Nurse-In - A group of moms protested outside Facebook offices around the world Monday charging that the social network has repeatedly taken down photos that show mothers breastfeeding their babies.

The site even disabled the accounts of some moms who had uploaded the nursing pictures, the group said.

"A woman is protected to breastfeed her child wherever she is legally allowed," said Emma Kwasnica, a childbirth and breastfeeding educator who helped spearhead the nurse-in. "Health experts are always pushing women to breastfeed, but we're constantly seeing road blocks like this."

Mothers stage a nurse-in outside Facebook headquarters to protest the removal of breastfeeding photos on the social media site, in Menlo Park, Calif., Monday, Feb. 6, 2012. (Courtesy Paala Secor)

Kwasnica implored Facebook to train their staff to better decipher what is and what isn't appropriate. She also asked that the social networking giant build stronger ties to their clients, so that there is a point of contact for clients in case errors such as these continue to arise.

Breastfeeding photos are allowed to be uploaded to the social networking site, but if another Facebook user flags a photo as inappropriate, it may be taken down, according to a company spokesperson.

In the course of processing more than one billion photos per day, employees are bound to make a mistake once in a while, when it comes to determining what is and is not appropriate, Facebook said.

Kwasnica said dozens of her photos have been flagged since she joined Facebook in 2007. Her personal page has been disabled four times due to the breastfeeding pictures.

A spokesperson for the site said Facebook is glad that mothers and their families, including many who work at Facebook, use the site to share their parenting experiences, including breastfeeding their children.

"By uploading photos, joining groups, and engaging with different organizations, these families are able to share and connect on a very important topic, and we are thrilled they are using Facebook to do so," a Facebook spokesperson said. "When it comes to uploaded photos on Facebook, the vast majority of breastfeeding photos comply with our Statement of Rights and Responsibilities, which closely mirrors the policy that governs broadcast television.

"Facebook receives hundreds of thousands of reports every week, and as you might expect, occasionally we make a mistake and remove a piece of content we shouldn't," the company said.

When this happens, employees at the social network quickly work to address an error by apologizing to those affected and making any necessary changes to the processes to ensure the same type of mistakes do not continue to be made, the company said. The site encourages people to re-upload the photos they believe were removed in error.

But, Kwasnica said she receives messages nearly every day from other mothers who have been blocked or suspended from Facebook due to their breastfeeding photos.

"If it is truly because of employee errors, it happens so much that it seems that Facebook has lost control of its network," said Kwasnica.

Health organizations have long encouraged mothers to breastfeed their newborn babies. Breast milk provides antibodies against pathogens, and has been associated with reduced morbidity and mortality from gastrointestinal, respiratory and other diseases.

Health experts agree that "breast is best" for growing infants. About 75 percent of new moms in the U.S. start breastfeeding their newborns, but only about 13 percent continue to breastfeed after the baby is six months old, according to the CDC.

"I don't see Facebook taking down photos of anyone else eating in public," said Susan Burger, president of the New York Lactation Consultant Association. "People need to start realizing that babies need to eat in the normal way that they were supposed to eat. No one else is expected to eat under a blanket or in a bathroom or only at home… Of all the members of society that one could harass, why would anyone want to harass babies and the mothers who are caring for them?"

And most of the time, a woman's nipple and areola are not exposed when breastfeeding her child, said Dr. Ruth Lawrence, director of the Human Lactation Study Center at the University of Rochester School of Medicine.

"One sees more of the breast with present day fashions than when a baby is suckling," said Lawrence. "If this is nudity, then there is nudity everywhere, on the street, on TV and online. Children should grow up knowing breastfeeding is normal, natural, and essential to infant care."

Dr. Kathleen Marinelli, a physician at Connecticut Children's Medical Center, agreed and said society is much more comfortable allowing marketing companies to use breasts to sell beers and cars than seeing a woman using her breasts in their most natural and functioning form.

"It's a very convoluted way of seeing things," said Marinelli. "We need not sexualize breasts and see them in their natural form. I think Facebook pictures of women breastfeeding would help normalize this perception." ( abcnews.go.com )

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Breastfeeding Not Free, Costs Women Plenty in Lost Income

Breastfeeding Not Free, Costs Women Plenty in Lost Income - Although she enjoys nursing her 4½-month-old daughter and believes breastfeeding is best for her baby, K.M. fears she may soon have to stop.

Her employer has provided a separate pumping room, as federal law mandates, but K.M. said it's difficult for her to leave her desk during the work day to pump milk. K.M., who didn't want to divulge her real name or her employer's out of fear of reprisal, said she had a large case load and numerous meetings throughout the day and that she could use her time more efficiently by staying at her desk to pump. And that's what she tried to do.

"I was covered up and faced away from everyone, so my co-workers didn't mind, but after about a month, it came to my attention that somebody complained and HR asked me not to do it," she said.

While breastfeeding not cost anything compared to bottle-feeding, a new study suggests many nursing mothers pay a much bigger financial price in terms of lost income and other sacrifices. (Getty Images)

Her employer, K.M. said, recently changed its policy and now prohibits pumping outside the designated area.

"I'm really at a crossroads now. Is this the universe telling me that I need to make a change? My priority is my family, but in order to make my family a priority, I need to work," she said.

Since cutting back to part-time work or leaving the work force entirely is not financially possible for K.M. or her family, the only option for her may be to stop breastfeeding altogether. K.M. still hopes to work something out with her employer that would allow her to continue to work full-time and still breastfeed, but so far, no compromise.

K.M. is just one of many mothers facing this dilemma: Quit breastfeeding, or face the economic consequences of lost income. While breastfeeding, unlike bottle-feeding, doesn't require a cash outlay for formula and bottles, a new study suggests that many nursing mothers pay a much bigger financial price in terms of lost income.

Evaluating a range of data from a U.S. national database, researchers found that while all first-time mothers lost income after giving birth, mothers who breastfed for six months or longer experienced a much bigger and lengthier loss of earnings compared to mothers who breastfed for shorter periods of time, or not at all.

"Studies say that one of the reasons women choose to breastfeed is because it's free, but is it really free? It takes time, and women's time is worth money," said co-author Mary Noonan, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Iowa in Iowa City.

One of the main reasons for the lost income, the authors said, is women often leave the work force entirely or scale back their hours, and one of the main reasons for that decision is many workplaces don't provide a supportive environment for nursing mothers. The law only applies to workplaces with more than 50 employees, the authors said, and even in cases when it does apply, many women still feel stigmatized.

"If it's not a supportive workplace and women choose to breastfeed for six months or longer, these women are more likely to leave their jobs if they have the means to do so," said Phyllis Rippeyoung, a co-author of the study and an assistant professor of sociology at Acadia University in Nova Scotia.

The authors take pains to emphasize that their study does not suggest that women should not breastfeed because of worry over balancing work and family responsibilties. Their message, Rippeyoung said, is that women should be made aware of the potential economic consequences of breastfeeding.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization recommend that breast milk should be the only source of nutrition until the age of 6 months.

"There are these public health prescriptions that women are being told to breastfeed or otherwise they are going to harm their baby, but if she's going to be given these sorts of messages, she should be told to take into account earnings losses," she said.

The study also found that long-term breastfeeders were also more financially able to leave the work force. These women were more likely to be married to men who could provide support if their wives needed to leave the labor force.

Elizabeth Hoffmann, an associate professor of sociology at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., has also conducted research on breastfeeding and the workplace. She found while talking to working mothers that long-term breastfeeders were also more likely to have jobs that allowed for flexibility and privacy for pumping milk, meaning they could continue working.

"Flexible schedules and private offices are critical for successful long-term breastfeeders," Hoffmann said. "If they don't have these privileges, it's hard for them to pump."

The study authors also said that despite the increasing numbers of mothers who breastfed, workplaces had not caught up with the demands of lactating women, even with the federal law in place.

Nursing Mothers Have Little Legal Protection

The 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requires that workplaces with more than 50 employees create a separate room that is not a bathroom for nursing mothers to pump, and also mandates that they receive two 30-minute breaks. But experts said that's not enough support for nursing mothers.

Not every breastfeeding woman works in a place with more than 50 employees, and the breaks are often unpaid, Noonan said.

And another problem with the law, said Philadelphia-area women's and civil rights attorney Jake Aryeh Marcus, is that no penalties are imposed on employers who don't comply unless a woman is fired.

"The women who have laws assisting them have state laws assisting them," she said.

There are 19 states with laws in place protecting breastfeeding women against discrimination at work. The law in another state, Montana, protects only public employees. Not all states have enforcement provisions in place, however.

"There has been some positive change," Marcus said. "There are some business that have voluntarily complied with the law without doing a more in-depth examination about whether they actually had to." Some of these businesses have done so, she said, to avoid having formal complaints lodged against them.

Many Mothers Feel Pressure to Nurse

A study published in March found that many mothers felt pressured to breastfeed and felt guilty if they didn't.

"There are many competing demands on new parents: lack of sleep; crying, unsettled babies; other children to look after; and work commitments," lead author Dr. Pat Hoddinott at the University of Aberdeen in the United Kingdom told ABC News when her research was published. "Families very carefully weigh the long-term benefits of breastfeeding with the family's immediate well-being.

"It puts a lot of strain on new families," Hoddinott said. "Instead of stating the World Health Organization guidelines, we should be telling women to breastfeed as long as they can. There's accumulating evidence that breastfeeding for as long as possible has heath benefits for both mother and baby."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently found that only 13 percent of new mothers in the U.S. were breastfeeding exclusively at six months. Breastfeeding advocates consider six months to be the best option for infants' health, and said they'd been pushing for mothers to receive more support.

"When mothers can't' breastfeed, it is almost always because the supports were not in place for her to do it, and those supports come from society and the health care profession," Dr. Kathleen Marinelli, a pediatrician at Connecticut Children's Medical Center in Hartford, told ABC News in March.

Given her own difficulties in breastfeeding on the job, K.M. now understands firsthand why many mothers stop nursing.

"Employers need to realize that there are benefits for them as well as for mothers and babies," she said. "My baby will be healthier, and I will feel better and less stressed, and will ultimately need less time off." ( abcnews.go.com )

READ MORE - Breastfeeding Not Free, Costs Women Plenty in Lost Income

Another Rajaratnam Named in Ring

Another Rajaratnam Named in Ring - Younger Brother of Galleon Founder Was Co-Conspirator, Prosecutors Allege; Pressure on Raj Builds

Prosecutors have alleged that a younger brother of Galleon Group founder Raj Rajaratnam was a co-conspirator in a criminal insider-trading ring, according to people familiar with the matter.

The latest development—which hasn't previously been made public—comes as the pressure builds on Raj Rajaratnam to plead guilty. The former hedge-fund titan is facing a criminal trial this month on 14 counts tied to insider-trading charges.

Prosecutors haven't disclosed any charges of wrongdoing against Ragakanthan Rajaratnam, 49, in the insider-trading investigation. Above, his borther, Galleon founder Raj Rajaratnam, leaves federal court last year.

In several other high-profile federal cases in the past decade, prosecutors have investigated relatives of major Wall Street defendants as they decided whether to plead guilty.

Raj Rajaratnam has denied the charges and said he will fight them in court. So far, 19 of 26 defendants in the Galleon case have pleaded guilty; several are cooperating with the U.S.

A representative for Raj Rajaratnam, 53 years old, declined to comment Tuesday, as did representatives for the Manhattan U.S. attorney's office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The government's move emerged in recent days in court filings related to charges against former Galleon trader Michael Cardillo, who pleaded guilty last week in a New York federal court to securities fraud and conspiracy to commit securities fraud.

In filing charges against Mr. Cardillo, prosecutors cite a co-conspirator, or "CC-1," whom they allege participated in an insider-trading scheme with Messrs. Cardillo, Rajaratnam and others.

"CC-1" is Raj's brother, Ragakanthan Rajaratnam, a Clorox Co. vice president, according to people familiar with the matter; he worked at Galleon between 2006 and 2009 as a portfolio manager.

Prosecutors haven't disclosed any charges of wrongdoing against Ragakanthan Rajaratnam, 49, in the insider-trading investigation.

At Clorox, Ragakanthan Rajaratnam works in the marketing division, analyzing consumer trends to develop marketing programs and products, a Clorox spokeswoman said. She declined to comment further. Ragakanthan Rajaratnam didn't return calls for comment.

Known as "R.K." when he worked at Galleon, Ragakanthan Rajaratnam managed a portfolio of stocks, and his orders to buy and sell stocks were executed by Mr. Cardillo, 33, people familiar with the matter say. A lawyer for Mr. Cardillo declined to comment.

The charging document in the case against Mr. Cardillo alleges that Mr. Cardillo, Raj Rajaratnam and CC-1 executed transactions based on inside information in shares of J.M. Smucker Co. in advance of its acquisition of Folgers in June 2008 from Procter & Gamble Co. Prosecutors also alleged that Mr. Cardillo, CC-1 and Raj Rajaratnam traded on inside information in advance of earnings by P&G.

Representatives for Smucker couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

A P&G spokesman said the company is cooperating with the government's investigation and had been told it isn't a target or subject of the probe.

R.K., the middle of three brothers, graduated from Cornell University's Johnson Graduate School of Management in 1984 and worked at General Mills Inc., Kraft Foods Inc. and ConAgra Foods Inc. before moving to Galleon in 2006, according to public records.

There is a history of such tactics by the government. For instance, prosecutors investigated the daughter and the 80-year-old father of Samuel Waksal, the former chief executive of ImClone Systems Inc., after they sold ImClone stock based on information he gave them.

Mr. Waksal pleaded guilty in an insider-trading case in 2002, agreeing to cooperate but not against his relatives. His daughter Aliza and father, Jack, never were charged.

"The fate of a family member is a huge consideration for people who are confronting a criminal investigation—and the government knows that and takes advantage of it," said Mark Pomerantz, a lawyer who represented Mr. Waksal.

When former New York State comptroller Alan Hevesi pleaded guilty last year in a pension-fund investigation by then-Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, he negotiated an agreement in which prosecutors stipulated there was no evidence to charge his sons with any crimes.

Mr. Cuomo had examined whether one of Mr. Hevesi's sons had received assistance in running for a seat in the state Assembly and whether the other won business in connection with a kickback scheme at New York's pension fund.

Messrs. Hevesi and Cuomo declined to comment.

Mr. Rajaratnam's other brother, Rengan, 40, also drew the interest of investigators before the criminal probe of Galleon began. The case against Raj Rajaratnam and Galleon traces back to a 2007 civil insider-trading investigation involving Rengan Rajaratnam's hedge fund, Sedna Capital Management, by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The SEC declined to comment; Rengan Rajaratnam couldn't be reached.

Sedna closed in 2007, and Rengan Rajaratnam went to work at Galleon.

The SEC hasn't filed charges in the Sedna investigation, but the probe is continuing.

In recent weeks, a technology researcher under scrutiny in a large, unrelated insider-trading case, John Kinnucan, received an SEC subpoena related to the Sedna probe, requesting three years' worth of documents and records from him, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Mr. Kinnucan, who was visited by the FBI and has also received a criminal subpoena in connection to the unrelated case, hasn't been charged with any wrongdoing.

A lawyer for Mr. Kinnucan declined to comment. ( online.wsj.com )

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Taking fish oils in pregnancy 'does not boost brain power of baby'

Taking fish oils in pregnancy 'does not boost brain power of baby' - Taking fish oil during pregnancy does not reduce the chance of post-natal depression or boost brain development in babies, research has shown.

Many women take supplements including fish oil after there were suggestions it could improve their child's co-ordination, brainpower and vocabulary.

Some studies had suggested omega 3 could also reduce the chances of post-natal depression.

However a new study conducted by the University of Adelaide has found no differences among women taken the capsules and those not.

Fish oils in pregnancy do not boost baby's brain power, a study has found

Professor Maria Makrides said a study of 2400 pregnant women in five Australian maternity hospitals between 2005 and 2009 said rates of post-natal depression were the same and that there were no differences in the cognitive development of babies at 18-months-old either.

The findings are published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

In the trial half the women were given fish oil capsules in the last three months of pregnancy and the other half were given vegetable oil capsules.

Prof Makrides, who is Professor of Human Nutrition at the University of Adelaide and Deputy Director of the Women's and Children's Health Research Institute, said: "These results show that recommendations to increase omega 3 fatty acids in pregnancy are being made without sound evidence.

"Despite the paucity of hard evidence, women are being recommended to increase their intake of fish oil fats in pregnancy and the nutritional supplement industry is successfully marketing products with fish oil, claiming they optimise brain function in both mother and infant.

"Before omega 3 supplementation in pregnancy becomes widespread, it is important to establish not only any benefits, but also any risks to mother or child." ( telegraph.co.uk )

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Primary Parenting

Primary Parenting - I have a confession to make: When I first started writing this back page column*, I was the perfect candidate for the job. I worked from home, I was on the PTA, I fed children through professional phone calls: I was the archetype Modern Mother. Okay, I may have smoked heavily at the time and worn my pyjamas almost constantly (thereby giving Lisa the Publisher a little pause for thought on her first impromptu visit), but I was, nevertheless, in serious Mom mode.

A lot has changed over the three years (gulp, is it really that long?) that I have been writing this back page. First, I now have an office job. I have also given up smoking (again) and have started wearing real clothes (well, jeans). But much more importantly, I am no longer the primary caregiver in our family. I have become the Dad.

Being egalitarian of set-up, my partner Andreas and I decided way back that we would try and share this parenting schtick as evenly as possible. So while I was the front-line parent for the first five years, Andreas took over around two years ago now. And boy, has it been interesting.

First of all, I can not stress enough how fun it is to be the Dad. To go to a job you enjoy and to be able to work at it undisturbed by sticky fingers, google-eyes or guilt, to come home to clean huggable children who have done their homework, a cooked dinner (or well defined take-out plans), a clean house and a loving partner… hell, what’s not to love?

Silly question really, because I know you all know the answer. I don’t love not being responsible for my children’s day-to-day wellbeing. It’s really hard to hand over the management of sticky fingers and homework to someone else. I am the mother. Thousands of years’ worth of female ancestors are looking down at me disapprovingly. And, dammit, Andreas doesn’t do it quite like I would – he is too strict with bath time, too uninventive with lunchboxes, too schedule-orientated, too… not me.

I remember how my stay-at-home mother used to tear her hair out when people at cocktail parties would ask her what she did and then rejoin: “Home with the kids? So you don’t really do anything then.” I am more violent a person than my mother and I know if anyone had said something similar to me when I was home with my kids I would have quite cheerfully torn their hair out.

I watch how everyone assumes Andreas doesn’t have a “proper job” because he is the primary parent (“Oooh! How lovely! Your husband just stays home all day then?”), thereby comprehensively negating the juggling act of the millions upon millions of working parents. Dreas does have a job, he is a scientist who works full day at a university, but he juggles his lunch hour, our housekeeper, the school’s aftercare programme and Woolworths’ extended shopping hours like all other working primary caregivers. And does a great job.

I watch how I get treated for being a dad-mom – raised eyebrows from art teachers (“What is it that you do that we never see you? What a shame.”) or bafflement from colleagues (“Did you just phone your husband to tell him you’d be late for dinner? Ha ha!”) despite the fact that I am behaving no differently from the men that surround me.

And then… I notice how many other couples all about are having similar battles. I see Dads in Crocs, expertly dummy-plugging whilst doing a shop. I see suited Moms on the phone patting children affectionately, but distractedly, on the head. I see men exchanging parenting tips. I see women having after work drinks. Most importantly, I see all manner of happy messy family stuff in between. And I see how, in our lifetimes, we are set to explode the distinctions between Mom and Dad and start truly parenting together. Well, if not explode, at least seriously crack.

How exciting is that? This Father’s Day, I’d like to raise my knitting and my briefcase to all parents out there – to mothering fathers and fathering mothers and conventional duos and super- capable singles and say… yay to everyone whose eyes go soft at the sight of a child. ( parent24.com )

Celebrate happily, everyone.

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Teach your child gently

Teach your child gently - Kids react positively to tender methods of disciplining than to constant shouting and threatening.

Scolding or beating your child for every little mistake will only serve to make them more rebellious. Disciplining a child is something that needs to be handled carefully, delicately and with plenty of love.

Here's how to discipline your child:

Teach your child gently (Getty Images)

- Set examples for them to follow.

Kids tend to ape the behaviour of elders. If you want them to get habituated to doing something, you should do it too. For example, throw the garbage in the bin or straighten out your bed when you wake up or eat without chomping on your food, your kid will automatically learn and follow.


- If kids are unruly in a public place, be patient and try reasoning out with them first.

If they still don't pay heed to you, resort to some stern words. If the behaviour continues, walk away from them. However, remember to not raise your voice or slap them, this will result in them throwing tantrums to gain attention — negative or positive.


- Always treat your kids as grown-ups.

They too look for respect and importance from parents. Compliment them on a task well done, include them in decision making like choosing their clothes or shoes or the colour for their room, etc.


- Try not to scold your child. If you lose your temper, it will only reveal your weak spot and kids are quick to pick on those and use them effectively. Also, follow the manners you're trying to teach your child. For example, say please or sorry or excuse me instead of pushing people out of your way.


- If your kid is misbehaving in front of guests, don't scream at them.

Wait till you get back home and then explain strictly that this kind of behaviour is unacceptable. Also, warn them that if they repeat this behaviour, you will have to take stern action. ( indiatimes.com )

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Younger mothers at greater risk of depression during pregnancy

Younger mothers at greater risk of depression during pregnancy, study claims. Younger mothers are at greater risk of suffering depression, both when they are pregnant and after they give birth, according to a study.

Young mothers need greater support, the study found. Photo Jonathan Lodge

Researchers warn that maternal mental illness will also affect their babies and put them in danger of developing emotional difficulties.

It is feared the problem could be particularly bad in Britain, which has the highest rate of teenage pregnancy in Western Europe with more than 40 in every 1,000 girls under 18 conceiving.

Lead author Cerith Waters, a researcher at the School of Psychology at Cardiff University, said: "Young mums can be very vulnerable and it is clear from these results that they need much more support, not only after the birth, but before as well.

"Programmes aimed at helping young mothers need to be multifaceted, and they need to begin during pregnancy in order to address both the mothers and the child's needs."

His research, presented at a British Psychological Society conference at Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool, analysed figures from the South London Child Development Study.

In total 180 families took part in interviews and psychological assessments over 16 years to determine the prevalence of maternal mental illness and its effects on children.

The study found that women who gave birth in their teenage years or their early 20s were more likely to suffer from depression during and after pregnancy than those who became mothers later in life.

It concluded that this difference partly accounted for the higher rates of emotional problems and cognitive deficits in their children. ( telegraph.co.uk )

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