Home Self-Care The Biggest Kids Health Stories of 2018 By Shahrzad WarkentinDecember 20, 2018 Search more like this motion-sicknesstummy-timesciencebaby-needskids-healthnew-momroad-tripsflu-seasonlettucespeechgenderglasseatsheet Read next Self-Care The Best Organic Clothes for Babies & Toddlers Self-Care 45 Pumpkin Carving Designs That’ll Wow the Neighborhood Self-Care Target’s Best Holiday Deals Start Sooner Than You Think Self-Care This Larger Than Life Mister Rogers Monument is Exactly What the World Needs Self-Care Want a Free Donut on Halloween? Here’s How to Get One from Krispy Kreme Between the never-ending recalls and a record-breaking flu season, keeping kids healthy this year was no easy feat—so give yourself a pat on the back for powering through it all in 2018. And here’s to a healthier year ahead! Staying up-to-date on the latest kids health stories is vital and here are the health stories our readers found most intriguing this year. photo: Annie Spratt via Unsplash The 2018 Flu Season The 2017–2018 flu season was a bad one. A really bad one. In addition to widespread outbreaks across every state, the flu vaccination was not as effective in 2018, making it even harder to keep your family healthy. Here’s hoping this year's flu season will be far less severe. photo: Liz Muir via Flickr Just Don't Eat Romaine Lettuce You have a good excuse to bypass the salad at the holiday table this year. A major romaine lettuce recall warned consumers not to eat any of these leafy unless you can confirm it is not from the Yuma, Arizona, growing region, the CDC advises. photo: Victoria Borodinova via Pixabay Tummy Time Cheat Sheet As a new mom you’ve likely been told repeatedly that your baby needs tummy time, but what does that really mean? A new tummy time cheat sheet makes it easier for parents to help their babies meet head control development guidelines. photo: KathrinPie The "Perfect" Age to Have a Baby It can feel like you’re never completely ready to become a mom, but according to science there is a "perfect" number when it comes to getting pregnant. According to The Wall Street Journal, the best age to have a baby is up until age 32. photo: Visuall via YouTube Glasses for Kids with Motion Sickness Nothing ruins a road trip quite like motion sickness. Car company Citroën came up with the perfect cure: glasses for motion sickness. The only downside is they look a little wacky, but we’ll gladly take a wacky aesthetic over the alternative! photo: Trinity Kubassek via Pexels Kids' Gender Can Be Detected in Their Speech New research has found that gender can be identified in children’s speech and it has nothing to do with the Peter Brady “Time to Change” voice cracklings that happen to boys during puberty. Instead, experts believe that it has something to do with the way kids pick up speech patterns from the adults around them. photo: Pexels via Pixabay Maybe Don't Eat Melons, Either? It hasn’t been a good year for people who like to eat…food. Besides the romaine lettuce lettuce, we also faced a big fresh-cut melon recall just in time to ruin your go-to summer picnic snack in 2018. photo: Salvadore Martin Yeste via Unsplash Going to the Beach Changes Your Brain It might be winter, but we’re already daydreaming about next summer’s beach days. Science has shown that when you take your kids to the beach, you’re getting more than just a day of fun in the sun (and a barrel of sand in your car). Research shows being near the ocean, or any body of water can put you in a relaxed, meditative state and even provide mental clarity. —Shahrzad Warkentin Featured photo: Visuall via YouTube RELATED STORIES: 10 Viral Stories Our Readers Couldn’t Stop Talking about This Year The 10 Best Viral Parenting Hacks That Changed Our Lives This Year All the Celebrity Parents We Couldn’t Get Enough of This Year “Surprise, I’m a Mom!” These Celebs Kept Their Pregnancies Secret in 2018
