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An intervention developed by UCL psychologists significantly increases consumption of fruit and vegetables commonly disliked among picky young children, new research has found. The research, published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, showed that in a randomised controlled trial involving 450 young children, a new method of taste exposure significantly increased the proportion of children willing to try new foods and to continue eating them.

It is common for parents to influence mate choice - from arranged marriages to more subtle forms of persuasion - but they often disagree with their children about what makes a suitable partner. A new study has found an evolutionary explanation for why some parents try to control who their children pair up with.

Children who are exposed to negative parenting - including abuse, neglect but also overprotection - are more likely to experience childhood bullying by their peers, according to a meta-analysis of 70 studies of more than 200,000 children. The research, led by the University of Warwick and published in the journal Child Abuse & Neglect, found the effects of poor parenting were stronger for children who are both a victim and perpetrator of bulling (bully-victims) than children who were solely victims.

05 Apr 2013 Experts from The University of Manchester have revealed their findings from the most in-depth study ever to take place in the UK into the tragic instances of child killing by parents, known as filicide. The research, published in journal PLOS ONE, found 37 per cent of parents and step-parents who killed their children were suffering from some form of mental illness and 12% had been in with mental health services within a year of the offence.

A research group at the University of Sussex is looking to enlist baby scientists to help with an exciting new project. The call-out for babies comes from the Sussex Baby Lab , 1 where researchers study tiny tots at play to find out what babies can understand, how they experience the world around them and how they develop and learn.

Research into adoptive families headed by same-sex couples paints a positive picture of relationships and wellbeing in these new families. The study, which was carried out by Cambridge University, suggests that adoptive families with gay fathers might be faring particularly well. Overall we found markedly more similarities than differences in experiences between family types.

Eating meals together as a family, even if only twice a week, boosts children's daily fruit and vegetable intake to near the recommended 5 A Day, according to researchers at the University of Leeds. It is published today in the British Medical Journal’s Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health .

Infants are more likely to recognise words spoken in the dialect of their local communities than those used by their parents, psychologists have revealed. A study at Plymouth University has shown toddlers are more receptive to regional accents which might be spoken in nurseries and playgroups, even if they are vastly different to those spoken in the home.

Mums and Dads from opposite sides of the globe will share their experience of raising their children to help researchers build a picture of the effects of culture and individual beliefs on parenting practices. Merideth Gattis from the University's School of Psychology is working with Professor Terry Au of Hong Kong University to evaluate parenting choices in Britain and China.

New research has found that a brand of baby wipes is just as safe and hydrating as using water alone on newborn skin, suggesting official guidance may need updating. The University of Manchester study, published in BioMed Central's open-access journal BMC Paediatrics , compared Johnson's Baby Extra Sensitive Wipes against cotton wool and water on 280 newborn babies split into two groups over a three-year period.

Dads with 'postnatal' depression are more likely to fix on negatives and be more critical of themselves when talking to their new babies. The study by Oxford University researchers is the first to look at the speech of new fathers with depression in their early interactions with their babies.

A new study concludes that Ofsted grades are too broad to provide a detailed measure of quality in nurseries and preschools. The study carried out by the University of Oxford and A+ Education for the charity, Daycare Trust, found that Ofsted reports are best used alongside other existing quality assessments.

For the first time, researchers from Oxford University will work with NCT, the UK's largest charity for parents, to conduct an academic study into how fathers feel about the new baby, both before and after the birth. The study, funded by the British Academy, will focus in particular on the bonding process between new fathers and their babies.

Proposed legislation to introduce and enforce a presumption of shared parenting time for separating couples is not in the interests of children, according to a briefing paper published by the Department of Social Policy and Intervention at the University of Oxford. The term 'shared parenting' has no legal status but generally refers to a child spending an equal amount of time with each parent.

A University researcher has helped a man abandoned at birth in Gatwick airport to trace his genetic roots. Dr Jim Wilson, of the Centre for Population Health Sciences, analysed the man's to identify where his parents may have come from. Steve Hydes, now 25, was found as a ten day old baby on the floor of a ladies toilet in Gatwick airport.

Science 14 Mar 11 Researchers have shown that breastfeeding causes children to do better at school. The research conducted by Oxford University and the Institute for Social and Economic Research, Essex University, found that as little as four weeks of breastfeeding for a newborn baby has a significant effect on brain development, which persists until the child is at least 14 years old.

Science 19 Jan 11 Changes in the environment that put the lives of adults at risk drive parents to invest more in caring for their offspring, scientists have found. The new research, led by Oxford University scientists, examined how the mortality rates of parents and offspring and the fertility of adults influence the evolution of how much parents care for and feed their young.

PA345 /10 Parents face many barriers in seeking help for their child's mental health problems, according to new research led by experts in psychiatry at The University of Nottingham. The study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry found that parents are often deterred from asking for professional help for their child because of embarrassment, stigma and the fear of their child being 'labelled'.

Scientists have developed a genetic test that reveals how diverse a person's ancestors were. Research conducted by the University of Edinburgh has shown that an individual's DNA records a historical archive of where they come from. The study has found that it is possible to determine whether a person's ancestors came from small, isolated communities, or from large, cosmopolitan populations.

The testimony of a University of Cambridge researcher has played a key role in the decision to overturn California's ban on same-sex marriages. Professor Michael Lamb, from the University's Department of Social Psychology, provided information that played a crucial role in the decision of a Federal Judge to overturn "Proposition 8" last week.