Momma Data

Debunking the latest studies about children's health and well-being
by Polly Palumbo, Ph.D.

The Power of Talking to Kids: The Talk and The Evidence

Parents should talk to their kids, a lot. Duh. It seems sensible that talking to babies and young children is crucial for their proper development. But have we gone too far in thinking the mere amount of words kids hear from mom or dad makes all the difference? Read More

Can Sesame Street Create Kinder Kids?

Parents can't help but encounter regular reminders about the perils of television, especially the ill effects of programming that isn't exactly educational. In my house I limit screen time of every sort every day but still I can't help but question yet another study claiming to show how television harms my family. Read More

Fooled by Nonsense Math?

Math anxiety. Math illiteracy. Kumon. It's no secret that math poses challenges for adults and children. There's reason to suspect professionals also need more help understanding numbers and statistics. Read More

Best Parenting Books of 2012

Tired of the usual parenting book about how to get your kids to eat broccoli or get into college? Tired of the bad mommy memoir? The touchy-feeley self-help manual? As a psychologist and mother I found inspiration and solace in a number of books this past year that didn't always pop up on the best-seller list or even the parenting aisle. Read More

Some Advice for the Parenting Experts

The parenting media is rife with experts and advice. The pediatrician, the educational consultant, the breast-feeding researcher and so many others make a living telling parents how to make kids healthier, safer or smarter. So often we take their advice but maybe it's time parents should be giving them advice. Read More

Profile of a Rampage Killer

We crave answers in the aftermath of the Newtown massacre. Guns, video games and mental illness have all been targeted as explanations for the school shootings. The research literature offers answers but they might surprise you. Read More

Breast Is Best: Hello, Are You There Psychology?

Everyone knows about the many health benefits of breastfeeding. Usually we read or hear about the importance of breastfeeding from pediatricians, government officials and other assorted health authorities. Sometimes it comes from lactation specialists, celebrities and mommy bloggers but rarely have psychologists weighed in. Read More

When Not Watching TV Can Be Hazardous

All parents know well the litany of dangers associated with watching television. Get ready for new warnings about harmful effects even when the kids aren't actually watching it. In other words, the set is on but the kids aren't tuned in. Read More

I Spy a Suspicious Pregnancy Expert

Surprise, there's another "expert" telling pregnant women what to do or not do. As if they need any more advice, especially flawed or simplistic advice from organizations better known for rating the suctioning power of vacuum cleaners. Read More

Got Good Parenting? It's Not Just about Breast Milk or Extracurricular Schedules

Know a good parent? Think of the mom or dad with the children you'd welcome into your home any time with or without a chaperon or a runny nose. What makes this person so good with kids? It has almost nothing to do with how much time they spend painting backdrops for the school play or how much breast milk their kid sucked down. Read More

Forget the Test Prep, the Kumon and Possible Toxins: Teach Your Children Well

Psychologist Madeline Levine says parents have lost their minds prodding their kids to achieve better grades, better test scores and ultimately better college applications. In her new book "Teach Your Children Well" she takes on the culture of hyper achievement-oriented parenting and suggests we should focus on other valuable skills beyond getting into a good college. Read More

Bullies on the Bus?

Once again bullying has been in the news, this time a grandmother sitting on a bus with a bunch of middle-school boys taunting her. With the public donations rolling in, the boys sent to bad boy school and the media teeming with reports of a bullying epidemic, it's worth asking if this was in fact a case of bullying. Read More

The Boobie Trap: Breastfeeding Goals Gone Sour

About two-thirds of new mothers aren't meeting their own breast-feeding goals. Is this a critical public health problem? Should public health officials lament the latest breastfeeding survey? Read More

The Bogus Boomerang Generation

Media reports claim 85 percent of college graduates will be "boomeranging" back home. Faced with steep student loans and a 50 percent unemployment rate, they (and their parents) have plenty of reasons to worry. Will they be sweating it out in mom's basement or is there reason to doubt the startling statistic? Read More

Playdate with Puberty:The Evidence Behind Early Puberty

Girls sprouting breasts in first grade, periods in third grade. The media routinely declares girls start puberty earlier than ever. Ask your pediatrician, friends, the school nurse, they probably agree, mine all do. Earlier puberty now seems to be a fact. But what about the evidence? Read More

Placenta Stew with a Side of Pseudo-Science

Women are eating placentas to avoid postpartum depression. Not malnourished women in some remote third-world tribal village but here in the United States, Prozac Nation, the land of plentiful and well-documented treatments for depression that don’t involve steaming and stewing one’s bodily organs. Is there any scientific evidence behind this bizarre gastronomic practice? Read More

Now I Lay Me Down to Breathe: ADHD and Snoring

Babies and toddlers who snore are more at risk of hyperactivity and aggression. The cozy and complicated link between disrupted sleep and disruptive behavior is no secret to those working in the mental health field. As parents and teachers know, a single late night spell trouble. Still, does snoring and mouth-breathing trigger ADHD? Read More

Ritalin Results Gone Wrong

A retired psychologist stirred controversy claiming medications for attention deficits don't have long-term benefits. Some responded by praising the drugs, some denouncing them. Parents told how the drugs saved their kids. Psychologists spoke of the needs of the individual child. Hardly anyone mentioned empirical evidence. Read More

Occupying the Toy Aisle One Pink Lego at a Time

A drama has settled over Lego's new Heartlake City, a pink and purple village with girly figures sporting hearts and butterfies. The feminized, pre-assembled play sets that include a beauty shop, bakery and stage have been accused of promoting gender roles, sexualizing girls and stunting spatial abilities. Are toys marketed towards girls really so harmful? Read More

Polly Palumbo, Ph.D.

Polly Palumbo, Ph.D., is a former research psychologist and founder of Momma Data, a non-profit organization that tracks and fact-checks parenting media. more...

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