Help Me Grow | United Way of Utah County

Hot Off the Presses: New Information in the World of Child Development

It seems like news and information about child development is always changing. It can be hard to keep up with the most current science, theories, and parenting techniques. ZERO TO THREE recently compiled a list of hot, new articles and we wanted to share them with you! 


New research reveals a special neural signature associated with touching a baby’s lips. It’s an indicator of how soon infants’ brains begin to make sense of their own bodies and a first step toward other developmental milestones.

Researchers have found that infants who regularly sleep less than 12 hours total over any given 24-hour period have poorer cognitive and language development at two years of age than infants who get more sleep.

Kids who experience severe stress are more likely to develop a host of physical and mental health problems by the time they reach adulthood. But how does early life stress put children at risk when they grow up?

Using coercion to get your kid to eat healthy foods doesn’t really have effect, good or bad, on their weight. But it can cause meal-time tension and damage the parent-child relationship, a new study suggests.

A new study finds that severe childhood trauma and stresses early in parents’ lives are linked to higher rates of behavioral health problems in their own children. 

New research by UM psychologists underscores the importance of language development in low-income, high-risk children 

At Help Me Grow we always work to post current, relevant, and reputable information. Check us out on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for more on parenting and child development information. and tag us @helpmegrowutah in content you think we should share! 

There are so many places to gather good information: apps, websites, news outlets, and more. What are your favorite places to find out what’s new? Tell us in the comments below! 

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