By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

(HealthDay News) -- Cutting kids' TV and computer time by half reduced the amount of food they ate and helped them lose weight, a new study found.

The finding offers hope to the problem of childhood obesity in the United States, where an estimated 16 percent of children ages 6 to 19 years old are overweight, a 45 percent increase in one decade, according to federal researchers.

MONDAY, March 3 (HealthDay News) -- Obese children are much more likely than normal-weight children to have breathing-related problems during surgery, says a University of Michigan Health System study.

(HealthDay News) - Dental care for your child should begin even before the first tooth emerges, the Nemours Foundation says.

Use a damp washcloth and run it over the child's gums to ward off harmful germs.

Once the teeth start coming in, use a child's toothbrush, but without toothpaste. At about age 2 or 3, a pea-sized amount of toothpaste is OK, as long as you're there to supervise. Make sure the child spits the toothpaste out and doesn't swallow it.

Toddlers should see a dentist by their first birthday, experts recommend.

Copyright © 2008 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.

FRIDAY, Feb. 29 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Abilify (aripiprazole) to treat manic and mixed episodes in children aged 10 to 17 with bipolar 1 disorder, makers Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. and Bristol-Myers Squibb Inc. said Friday.

By Amanda Gardner
EmpowHer's HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Feb. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers have uncovered another damaging consequence of spanking: risky sexual behaviors, or even sexual deviancy, when the child grows up.

(HealthDay News) - Children are by no means immune from the emotions and stressful times that can contribute to depression.

Here's a list of possible warning signs of depression in children, courtesy of the American Academy of Family Physicians:

* Loss of appetite, or weight loss.
* Loss of desire, among young children, for playtime.
* Lack of confidence or self-esteem.
* General disinterest in themselves, family members or once-favored activities.
* Not wanting to go to school.
* Significant changes in sleeping or eating habits.

ATLANTA - A federal advisory panel is recommending that all children get flu shots.

The panel voted Wednesday to expand annual flu shots to virtually all children except infants younger than 6 months and those with serious egg allergies.

That means about 30 million more children could be getting vaccinated. If heeded, it would be one of the largest expansions in flu vaccination coverage in U.S. history.

Read full story

Friends have a strong influence on children's non-physical social aggression -- such as teasing, rumor-spreading and exclusion -- against peers, says a Canadian study that looked at 406 pairs of 7-year-old twins.

(HealthDay News) - Frostbite occurs when body tissue essentially freezes after exposure to extreme cold.

Children are at greater risk because their body heat escapes more easily, and because they may be less prone to coming inside when it's downright freezing, the Nemours Foundation says.

The foundation offers these suggestions aimed at warding off frostbite among kids:

* Get your child inside immediately if you notice fingers, cheeks, ears, lips, nose or toes that are turning white. If these areas take on a waxy appearance, seek emergency treatment at once.

TV Could Be Disrupting Your Kid's Sleep
By Kathleen Doheny
EmpowHer's HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Feb. 25 (HealthDay News) -- It may seem like a good idea: Use a bit of TV viewing to help your young child get to sleep.

But a growing body of research is finding that infants and children under the age of 3 who watch TV -- even too much TV during the day -- struggle with interrupted sleep and irregular bed and naptime schedules.