Daysitter's roundup of the latest in parenting news...

Pregnant women and girls warned by FDA not to buy acne drug Accutane online. [CNN]

Studies on lab animals raise concerns about effects of anaesthesia on children's development. [MSNBC]

Al Roker to host Food Network special, "Childhood Obesity: Danger Zone," premiering Saturday. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Steve Irwin's eight-year-old daughter Bindi to host children's conservation show on the Discovery Kids Channel. [Seattle Post-Intelligencer]

New animated Disney feature, Meet the Robinsons, gets harsh critical reception. [NY Times]

Daysitter's roundup of the latest in parenting news...

Nation's testing companies can't keep up with demand required by No Child Left Behind, resulting in delays and errors. [CNN]

Cell phones like Firefly are marketed to children under ten -- but how young is too young? [NY Times]

Experts advise starting early when teaching kids about money [CNN]

Chinese officials warned they'll lose promotions if they exceed allowable number of children [Yahoo! News]

Sex ed in Sweden starts at age six. [US News]

Final Harry Potter covers -- adult and children's editions due July 21 -- are released; lack of clues frustrates bloggers. (Click image to enlarge kids' version.) [Daily Mail]

Daysitter's roundup of the latest in parenting news...

Kids see 21 food ads per day; three in four are for junk food, according to Kaiser Foundation study. [SF Chronicle]

Who knew? Women who eat red meat during pregnancy may lower sons' sperm count. [MSNBC]

Study highlights toddlers' "emotional eavesdropping" and sensitivity to emotions exchanged between adults. [WebMD]

Calls to increase MRI use for breast exams. [New York Times]

Colorado bus driver calls cops to remove 13 non-paying toddlers who boarded his bus. [Fox News]

Kids' Choice Awards this Saturday to feature -- and possibly slime -- celebs including Will Smith, Halle Berry, Julia Roberts, Queen Latifah, Johnny Depp, Gwen Stefani and Maroon 5. [Yahoo! News]

Daysitter's roundup of the latest in parenting news...

Study cited to show behavior problems resulting from early day care (in yesterday's roundup) also finds high-quality preschool day care boosts vocabulary in fifth-graders. [CBS]

Elective C-sections carry substantially higher risk. [NY Times]

Identical, fraternal, and now "semi-identical": medical researchers identify a rare, third type of twin, when two sperm cells fertilize a single egg. [CNN]

Study suggests autistic children read people's emotions by reading their facial expressions. [WebMD]

Eminem and ex-wife Kim Mathers, twice married and divorced, agree in court to avoid disparaging each other, for daughter's sake. [Yahoo! News]

New album features songs written by song-writing workshops that harness kids' spontaneity -- the younger, the better -- and performed by leading artists like Delbert McClinton and Amy Grant. [NPR]

Daysitter's roundup of the latest in parenting news...

Congress acts to provide health coverage for six million uninsured children. [LA Times]

Longer school days, prompted by school districts trying to reverse poor test scores, get a mixed response from teachers and parents. [NY Times]

Proposed California law would ban smoking in cars with children. [SF Chronicle]

Study links day care to disruptive behavior through sixth grade. [NY Times]

Kids' allergic reactions to peanut butter continue to rise. [CNN]

New techniques to help paralyzed men father children. [MSNBC]

Pictures of deadbeat parents who dodge child support now featured on pizza boxes. [CNN]

The '90s are back! Marketers bank on Teletubbies [NY Times]; Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles rule the weekend box office [MSNBC].

Daysitter's roundup of the latest in parenting news...

Federal judge tosses out 1998 law intended to protect kids from online porn; shifts burden from web operators to parents. [CBS]

South Carolina poised to pass law requiring women to view ultrasound scans before having an abortion. [ABC]

Britain passes gay adoption rights law. [Daily Mail]

New York judge allows white couple who gave birth to black baby to sue clinic who gave them the wrong sperm. [MSNBC, Gawker]

Virginia challenges feds over standardized tests for immigrant kids, risks millions in funding. [Washington Post]

Childhood leukemia survivors are at long-term risk for cancer. [WebMD]

Gisele Bundchen refutes pregnancy rumors. [Boston Globe]

Daysitter's roundup of the latest in parenting news...

Iraqi children are "silent victims." [CNN]

Viacom Ex-CEO Tom Freston demands NYC pay for his learning-disabled son's private education, after he rejects public option. [NY Times]

Sex is painful for one in three new moms. [WebMD]

Angelina Jolie returns to U.S. from Vietnam with her newly-adopted 3-year-old son. [MSNBC]

Rhode Island couple sentenced to probation for having "educational" sex in front of woman's preteen daughter. [Yahoo! News]

Second-graders in New Jersey form "Mortal Enemy Club" to spy on and ostracize classmate; teacher copes. [NY Times]

Daysitter's roundup of the latest in parenting news...

Supreme Court mulls constitutionality of high schooler's 14-foot banner proclaiming "Bong Hits 4 Jesus." Pro-drug message? Nah, says Justice David Souter: "It sounds like just a kid's provocative statement to me." [MSNBC]

Moms today spend more time with their kids than 40 years ago, but feel guiltier than ever about not having enough time with their children. What get sacrificed: housework and sleep. [Wash. Post]

Get off the couch! Researchers find that children who do just 15 minutes a day of higher intensity exercise -- kicking a ball, swimming, running around -- are 50 percent less likely to be fat. [Yahoo! News]

Ann Spado, ex-lesbian partner of IBM heiress, sues for her share of millions left by heiress' mom. Since they couldn't get married, Spado had been adopted by heiress under Maine law, but broke up with her less than a year later. [NY Times]

Wondering if you're having a boy or a girl? Do like the Egyptians and pee on a pile of wheat and barley. Barley sprouts = boy. Wheat sprouts = girl. No sprouts = no sprout. [LA Times]

Daysitter's roundup of the latest in parenting news:

One in ten school cafeterias skip twice-yearly health inspections required by federal law. [CNN]

Britain revises pregnancy drinking guidelines, advises no alcohol at all. [Daily Mail]

Court rules employers may offer health insurance that doesn't cover birth control. [NY Times]

Parenting blogs and forums often become a "sanctimommy" smackdown. [Minneapolis Star-Tribune]

Unruly middle-schoolers challenge teachers, education policy-makers. [NY Times]

Boy and mom in Chicago become ill after father's smallpox vaccination. [MSNBC]

Oprah's Angel Network opens another school for disadvantaged kids in South Africa. [TMZ]

Controversial British scientist takes nine young children to Everest base camp for month of experiments on altitude and oxygen. [ABC]

Daysitter's roundup of the latest in parenting news:

Angelina Jolie adopts 3-year-old Vietnamese boy, names him Pax Thien Jolie. [MSNBC]

Federal spending on children to shrink by billions of dollars over the next decade. [Reuters]

Autism may be caused by as many as 100 genes; affects one in every 150 children. [MSNBC]

Report says California public schools are "broken," crippled by bureaucracy, flawed teacher policies, and misspent money. [NY Times]

L.A. police come upon dogfight, find two battered pit bulls and a bunch of kids, including 13-year-old organizer. [LA Times]

Leading Baptist's article saying homosexuality is genetic, and prenatal treatment to reverse gay orientation is biblically justified, irks conservatives and gays both. [Washington Post]

Daysitter's roundup of the latest in parenting news...

It's art, I say! "Full Monty" teacher fights for right to drop trou. [MSNBC]

Los Angeles fertility clinic launches first program dedicated to gay men wanting to become parents. [Reuters]

No Child Left Behind reading and math proficiency target is called unattainable. [MSNBC]

They can't read but at least they'll be healthy: Top Congressional Democrats propose expanding health insurance for kids. [NY Times]

Department of D'oh! Study finds women bond over female "fat talk." [MSNBC]

Sleep deprivation, the scourge of newborn parents, also hinders the ability to make quick decisions in a crisis. [Yahoo! News]

Fat at age 3 + fatter through age 6 = breasts by age 9. [MSNBC]

Chickenpox vaccine effective, but not for long. [NY Times]

Daysitter's daily roundup of the latest in parenting news...

Ex-governor of New Jersey James McGreevey who resigned after gay affair with male staffer sues estranged wife for custody of 5-year-old daughter, child support. [CNN]

U.K. formula makers told to back off claims that suggest they're just as good as breast milk. [thisislondon.co.uk]

States contend with free flow of meds to troubled foster kids. [MSNBC]

Humans' interminable childhoods has ancient roots. [MSNBC]

Glaxo's breast cancer bill wins FDA approval. [Reuters]

Texas lawmakers vote to reject governor's order requiring vaccines for sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer. [NY Times]

Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott spawn "little man" Liam Aaron McDermott. [People]

Daysitter's daily roundup of the latest in parenting news...

Oprah's South African girls school bans junk food, places strict limits on visits and phone calls. [Chicago Sun-Times]

In the wake of E. coli and salmonella outbreaks, FDA issues totally voluntary guidelines to avert veggie-linked food poisoning. [MSNBC]

Mentally challenged children are given a chance to grow up, learn to live on their own. [NY Times]

New Mexico to join Texas in requiring sixth-grade girls to be vaccinated against sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer. [AP]

Perinatal hospice programs offer parents a way to prepare for the birth and death of fatally ill newborns. [NY Times]

Mouse for moms: Disney to launch a parenting website called Disney Family. [Yahoo! News]

Cutest baby ever? Brad Pitt brings Shiloh to the set. Paparazzi go nuts. [Splash News Online]

Daysitter's daily roundup of the latest in parenting news...

Schools teach toddlers to love their veggies. [NY Times]

Sex, drugs and rock-and-roll? Not if your kids have anything to say about it. [NY Times]

Georgia to introduce Bible-based literature classes in public schools. [MSNBC]

Infertile couples frequently use alternative medicine such as herbs, acupuncture, and chiropractic care, in effort to conceive. [Reuters]

Peanut butter recall linked to salmonella outbreak extends to products bought as far back as 2004. [CNN]

Eye drops for "lazy eye" may help slow progress of nearsightedness in kids. [NPR]

German man chain saws house in two in divorce split, takes off with his half on a truck. [MSNBC]

Daysitter's roundup of the latest in parenting news...

Local schools give up millions in federal funds rather than submit to Reading First guidelines requiring phonics. [NY Times]

Only three in ten kids with asthma get flu shots that health officials believe they need. [Washington Post]

According to a survey, workers believe parenting affects the performance of female bosses more than male ones. [MSNBC]

Opponents fail to block pilot sex-ed program in Maryland that introduces concept of sexual orientation. [Washington Post]

Illinois judge blocks sex offender's trip to Disneyland. [Chicago Sun-Times]

California school district bills parents whose kids miss classes for family vacations. [Fox News]

Airlines, parents, and other passengers cope with children on flights. [MSNBC]

Daysitter's roundup of the latest in parenting news...

Congress considers laws to limit sale of junk food in schools. [WebMD]

Most states have passed new laws allowing parents to give up their children to authorities without facing abandonment charges. [NPR]

Immigration authorities detain hundreds of illegal immigrants at New Bedford, Mass., factory; dozens of their children being cared for by social service agencies. [Boston Globe]

Parents' role as sex educators declines. [NPR]

Gas station mechanic in Newton, Mass., delivers baby. [Boston Globe]

Daysitter's roundup of the latest in parenting news...

Look out world! Coke and Pepsi prepare to introduce vitamin- and mineral-enriched "healthy" sodas like Tava and Diet Coke Plus. (Let's assume they're not rolling out Diet Coke Plus Mentos!) [NY Times]

College application procedures become friendlier to homeschooling. [CNN]

Poor communication with child patients puts them at higher risk for medication errors during surgery. [NY Times]

Meanwhile, many pediatric hospitals prescribe off-label medication for kids below the FDA-approved age. [Philadelphia Inquirer]

And a patent dispute forces the withdrawal of a drug to spur growth in extremely short children. [NY Times]

Jenna Bush to publish book about an HIV-positive single mother, based on her experiences working for UNICEF. [Fox News]

Trans fat ban backfires, forcing bakeries to use processed fats like margarine instead of butter, which contains traces of natural trans fat. [NY Times]

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie file papers starting the process to adopt their fourth child; seeking a Vietnamese boy between ages 3 and 5. [People]