The carefree exuberance associated with young children can make the concept of childhood depression difficult to imagine. It is not surprising then that the existence of mood disorders in children has gained acceptance only in the last few decades. While debate continues regarding conceptualisations of childhood depression, evidence from over 20 years of research suggests...

In this rep;port, ACOSS proposes the following changes to assistance with the costs of care for babies and toddlers: a universal maternity benefit; an extension of the existing parenting payment to support middle income parents caring at home for a child under 3 years old, either on a full or part time basis; reduced child...

The lack of empirical knowledge about the role of reflux in infant distress prompted a prospective research study of otherwise healthy infants admitted to Royal Children's Hospital for investigation of persistent irritability.

This first portion of this issue looks at normal sleep patterns in the first year of life, sleep problems, co-sleeping and ways of ameliorating sleep problems. The second portion looks specifically at sleep problems including what parents can do, suggestions for bedtime problems and suggestions for ongoing or severe problems.

The first article looks at the common patterns associated with sibling rivalry and ways for families to manage it. It considers the roles of spacing, gender, temperament, parenting behaviour and disability and illness. The second considers teething and the evolution in the way the medical profession thinks of it, from the mid-19th century when teething...