Why be a performative Insta parent when your kids will be happy in front of the TV?

There is no best kind of parenting, but if it gets you and your kids safely through the day, then that’s enough

Pregnant women in England denied mental health help because of Covid

In 2020-21, only 31,261 out of 47,000 managed to access perinatal mental health services

How I realised my family of two was perfect for me

Families come in all different sizes – the secret is realising that yours may be even better than the one you longed for

‘I knew how dangerous things could become’: the perils of childbirth as a Black woman

When she was pregnant, Anna Malaika Tubbs was thrilled – then terrified, knowing the shockingly high death rate of Black women in childbirth. Could she find a way to stay safe?

Now Covid crisis mode is lifting, questions parked for a year are nagging once again

My newfound delight in the smallest pleasures is unlikely to survive the resumption of normal life, says Guardian columnist Emma Brockes

‘I was losing my mind’: can baby sleep gurus really help exhausted parents?

Growing numbers of frazzled parents are paying a fortune to people who claim they can help them get a good night’s rest. Are they being taken for a ride? Plus a doctor’s top tips for children of all ages

Asthma in toddlers linked to in-utero exposure to air pollution, study finds

Developing foetuses ‘exquisitely sensitive’ to harm from tiny particles, scientists say

Snoring, slugs and sarcoptic mange: is it safe for cats and dogs to sleep on our beds?

Dogs can carry bacteria and parasites, while cats smuggle in gory ‘presents’. So is it best to lock them out of the bedroom?

We should teach children about miscarriage during sex ed. Here’s why

A reported one in four pregnancies will end in miscarriage. Yet miscarriage, like abortion, is not included in most curricula

Parent trap: why the cult of the perfect mother has to end

Worldwide, mothers are overworked, underpaid, often lonely and made to feel guilty about everything from epidurals to bottle feeding. Fixing this is the unfinished work of feminism