News
Can umbilical cord blood help with early autism diagnosis?
Researchers have discovered cord blood of new born babies might help doctors with the early diagnosis and intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) As we know, many children with autism face challenges which affect their behaviour and development. A study by a team at the University of California David MIND…
Smartphones vs children
We know parenthood brings many new things to worry about but maybe we can ease your fears about the impact smartphones can have on your relationship with your children. New analysis published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry shows mums and dads using their phones can actually even improve their parenting…
Understanding teenage boys
Teen boys are a much-maligned group but we’re told beyond the stereotypes of being hard to talk to, always hungry, restless and accident prone they are generally big hearted youths yearning to be understood and valued. Teen boys face biological drivers which make their struggle to venture into independence very real and which…
Kindness matters
Parents want to their kids to be kind, and say it’s a trait they value over intelligence and work ethic. The U.S group Meredith Corporation’s first ever Parents’ Values Study has found while parents value kindness above all else, they believe young people today are less kind than in previous generations. Here’s…
Thinking of others starts really, really young
Toddlers might not be as self-absorbed as you think. A study into altruism in 19-month-olds found that even when hungry, they would give a tasty snack to a stranger in need. The team at the University of Washington’s Institution for Learning and Brain Sciences studied nearly 100 toddlers and found not only do…
How Maia’s cord blood changed her life and the lives of her family
How Maia’s cord blood changed her life and the lives of her family Maia Friedlander was the first NZ child to be successfully treated with her own cord blood after suffering brain damage at birth. Thankfully her parents, Jillian and Daniel, had this option because they had saved Maia’s cord blood stem cells with…
Keeping Shai’s memory alive
Keeping Shai’s memory alive Frances Verter gave up a career at NASA to dedicate her life to telling expectant parents about the importance of cord blood banking. When her daughter Shai was born, Frances did not know cord blood banking was an option and had no idea of how life-changing these stem cells could…
Saving Frances’ cord blood saved her life
Saving Frances’ cord blood saved her life This is a cord blood story that is both heart-wrenching and inspirational. When Frances Everall’s family banked her cord blood with CordBank in 2002, they never dreamed it would be needed so soon and so dramatically. But at four years old their daughter was diagnosed with a…
Pandemic baby bonus
Singapore is planning to give couples around NZ$3200 for any baby born in the next two years. It’s a response to Covid-19 as surveys have shown around a third of couples there are planning to delay starting or extending their families as a result of the pandemic. The one-off payment is designed to…
Why friend networks are so important
If your friends are friends you are likely to feel more supported. A study done by Ohio State University has found people whose friends and family know and like each other feel they have more social support. The study author, David Lee, says the more cohesive and dense your network of friends and family is,…