Children who spend hours in front of the TV are more likely to get asthma

Sedentary lifestyle increases a child's risk of developing the respiratory condition, study finds

Contamination fears prompt meningitis C vaccine recall

• Sterility issue in solvent for Italian medicine• Watchdog says no children believed to be at risk

Vital first steps

The early years in a child's life are vital for its long-term mental health, writes Louise Hunt

Wanted: more foster homes

An estimated 8,000 more foster carers are needed and there also needs more money invested in training

Alfie’s story is characteristic of New Labour’s failings

Polly Toynbee: The weaknesses of the teenage pregnancy strategy reflect how hard it is to roll the boulders of social change uphill

Training for new parents part of child health reform

Antenatal classes, £340m for child disability support and more contraception promotion to teenagers included in new child health strategy

Are our children really in crisis, or the victims of parents’ anxiety?

Evidence suggests constant panic about child wellbeing may do more harm than good

Children should be allowed to be sad

Lisa Miller and Margaret Rustin: We expect the young to be happy while subjecting them to our concerns. No wonder they are so anxious

Children learn to cha-cha-cha instead of chow-chow-chow

Strictly stars join fight against obesity by teaching pupils to dance

Too fat to adopt – the married, teetotal couple rejected by council because of man’s weight

Husband told that if his BMI drops and he is able to maintain weight loss, he will be reconsidered