Early puberty for girls increases depression: If your daughter is already having periods at the age of 10, she is at much greater risk of depression. This is partly because she tends to hang out with older girls and boys, making her feel inadequate. Implication: Lock up your early pubertal daughter. Developmental Psychology, 39, 3, pp 430-439 (www.apa.org/journals)

Male sweat? "Yeuch," go the girls: Loathing for men's pong is learned. Young girls, boys and men are not much bothered when exposed in experiments to the smell of male sweat but adolescent girls and women "intensely dislike" it. A possible reason is that they only whiff it during their teenage years, when men are getting physically close with a view to sex which, mostly, they don't want. Implication: Boys - don't forget to scrub up and splash on the aftershave before a date. Developmental Psychology, 39, 4, pp 670-9 (www.apa.org/journals)

Reducing aggro in toddlers towards working mums: A definitive US study on the impact of substitute care finds that the more hours a week a toddler's mother works, the greater the risk of it becoming a seriously aggressive four-and-a-half-year old. Infants cared for by someone other than mother for less than nine hours a week are three times less likely to be aggressive at the same age than those left for more than 45 hours. The longer the child was left with substitutes, the greater the likelihood of being bad. However, the aggression of most children is unaffected by daycare: three-quarters of those left for more than 45 hours a week were not aggressive. How sensitive the mother is when she is with the child moderated the impact of substitute care. Implication: Be a sensitive mother! If Little Jimmy is a fragile sort, try to keep your working hours to a minimum. Child Development, 74, 4, pp 976-1005 (www.blackwell-synergy.com)

Mums do better with younger kids if older kids do well: The emotional well-being of mothers is improved if their eldest child is academically and socially successful. This makes her better-tempered and more responsive to her next child, making it, in turn, do better. Implication: Encourage homework in oldest offspring. Developmental Psychology, 39, 3, pp 618-28 (apa.org/journals)

Not reading runs in families: Children from families in which one member has dyslexia are more likely to have reading problems by the age of eight. The ones with the least problems tend to have started speaking younger and to be gabbier. Implication: If Little Jimmy can't read very well it's probably not your fault. Child Development, 74, 2,346-73 (www.blackwell-synergy.com)

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