When I met my friend Aishwarya's daughter, Aanya, on a Sunday afternoon, she was building an entire world in her backyard using only sticks, leaves, and her imagination. In her eyes, a stick became a magic wand, leaves turned into currency for her "shop," and an old cardboard box was her fortress. Aishwarya admitted that this was Aanya’s “free play” time—a period without gadgets, instructions, or adult guidance, which made me curious.

To put this to rest, we had a word with Dr Kushal Agrawal, Neonatologist and Head of the Department of Neonatology and Paediatrics at KVR Hospital Kashipur, "Unstructured play is much more than just frivolous fun. It is an integral part of child development. Today, children do not have much scope for free play. With the academic system, straddled by extracurricular activities and digital entertainment, the scope for unstructured play is getting smaller and smaller.". On the contrary, research reveals that unstructured plays hold a lot of benefits for children that structured activities may not have in store.

What are the Physical Benefits of Unstructured Play?

According to Dr Agrawal, "free time plays" are a great way for kids to get involved in physical activities meant for their growth. "When children are left to play freely, their movements become more varied and spontaneous," he says. Science behind this practice does support this because free play increases the levels of physical activity, which is moderately vigorous in children; this is essential in preventing childhood obesity and promoting health in general.

Other than these, the outdoor environments provide opportunities and challenges for natural development outside. While children run, jump, climb, and look around the outdoors, they can become able to develop strength, coordination, and endurance for a healthy and active lifestyle by exercising. Otherwise, structured activities often restrict children to specific movements or instructions.

How Play helps in Social and Emotional Growth of Kids?

Except for physical fitness, disorganized play lays the foundation for basic social and emotional capabilities. During unorganized play, children invent their games, negotiate roles, settle disputes, and collaborate to attain some common objectives. According to Dr. Agrawal, "such interactions build empathy, cooperation, and communication skills as children learn to express themselves, listen to others and adapt to group dynamics.".

Research indicates that children learn emotional resilience through unstructured play, navigating minor setbacks in a low-stakes environment. If the game goes sour, kids learn to solve the problem on the spot; this builds up their self-confidence as well as independence. This is a kind of play that gives children the freedom to learn by themselves and try new things without having the fear of being prohibited by others or the fear of failure.

How Parents can Encourage Creativity and Problem-Solving in Children

Freedom in play helps unlock a child's creativity and the problem-solving aspects. Most structured activities have predetermined tasks or instructions that do not develop creative thought. According to Dr Agrawal, "When children are allowed to be free, they can explore and create their own scenarios, which are meant for developing unique solutions based on critical thinking.".

Unstructured play provides children with a number of materials for play—blocks, sand, or leaves, for example—without script, so that they invent games, build imaginary worlds, and, in a very real sense, answer their natural curiosity. It has been proven that this type of play helps children to make decisions, adaptability, and innovations, qualities useful throughout life.

Is Play Holistic Approach to Child Development?

Dr Agrawal believes that unstructured play is a very important factor of all-rounded child development. "Nowadays, children's lives are very scheduled, so it's very important for the parents to remember how necessary play is", he further adds. Being freely playful would be a great support to their healthy physical development as well as social, emotional, and cognitive development.

As parents, we can encourage free play by creating an environment that encourages exploration and curiosity. What can be very impactful is giving the child a safe outdoor space and setting aside gadgets to allow for uninterrupted time to play. As these spaces tend to be counterintuitive to everything that can be seen as a hallmark of productivity and measurable progress, unstructured play allows the children to build resilience, independence, and joy.

Giving Children the Freedom to Play

More than just being childhood, unstructured play confers a wide range of benefits since children learn to manage social dynamics, solve problems independently, and bring their creativity into life which puts them better prepared for the challenges of adulthood. In this natural form of play, people lay down a foundation for lifelong skills to achieve balanced wellbeing and success.

The next time you catch your child playing carefree—maybe using a stick as a wand or a rock as a pet—take the time to be thankful for the developmental steps.

Allergic reactions are a common occurrence and can happen to anyone. Many people ingest things they do not know they are allergic to or accidentally eat something that is cross contaminated with allergens. The reaction one gets to coming in contact with their allergens depends on how severe their allergies are.

Allergic reactions in kids happen more often than we know, and many of these kids end up hospitalized. However, most of these could be avoided according to new research.

About 17% of children are currently staying overnight in the hospital after a serious allergic reaction to food, medicine, or insect bites. However, this study, published in The Lancet, indicates that most of these long stays might not be needed.

Researchers found that a high percentage of children, 95%, who were treated with a common allergy medication, could safely go home within just two hours. This number goes up to 98% if they are watched for four hours.

One of the researchers, a children's emergency specialist, noted that most patients are likely observed for too long. He explained that for families, this could mean the difference between leaving the hospital at 11 p.m. versus 1 a.m. or 3 a.m.

An allergy happens when your body's defense system, called the immune system, mistakenly thinks something is harmful and reacts too strongly to it. The problems you feel because of this reaction are called an allergic reaction. The things that cause these reactions are known as allergens. Allergens can enter your body in several ways, leading to an allergic reaction

How Allergies Are Affecting More And More Kids?

While most kids get better quickly with the first dose of medicine, about 5% might have their symptoms return later, even after the initial treatment.

For this study, researchers looked at information from over 5,600 emergency room visits at many hospitals in the U.S. and Canada where allergic reactions were treated with the common allergy medication. Most of these reactions (about 90%) were caused by foods like peanuts, eggs, milk, and shellfish. Medicines caused about 6% of reactions, and insect stings caused 3%.

The study showed that only about 5% of children needed a second dose of medicine within two hours of their first shot, and this dropped to just 2% after four hours. Importantly, most children who were admitted to the hospital never needed a second dose or intensive care.

Keeping kids in the hospital longer than needed causes problems. As one allergy expert pointed out, families might avoid or delay going to the emergency room because they don't want to spend hours waiting. Such delays can be dangerous. Allowing patients to go home sooner could encourage them to get help when they need it.

Also, holding kids in the hospital unnecessarily uses up important hospital resources. A senior researcher explained that children's emergency departments can get very busy, especially during winter. Making sure patients move through efficiently helps the hospital care for as many people as possible. He added that because this study was so large, its results can give doctors confidence that sending children home in less than two hours, if they show no concerning symptoms, will be safe for most kids. According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, allergies and asthma can be prevented with the correct steps.

How Parents Can Help Prevent Allergies In Children?

According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, allergies and asthma can be prevented with the correct steps.

Preventing Food Allergies

Understanding the Risk

Food allergies range from mild to severe, often triggered by peanuts, milk, and eggs. Babies are at higher risk if family members have allergies or if the baby already has eczema.

Diet During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

Don't avoid common allergens while pregnant or breastfeeding for allergy prevention; research shows little benefit. Breast milk is ideal, strengthening immunity and reducing allergy risk. If needed, use special hypoallergenic formulas.

Introducing Solid Foods

Start single-ingredient baby foods (fruits, veggies, cereals) at 4-6 months, one at a time. Importantly, introduce common allergens like egg and peanuts during this period. Delaying might increase allergy risk.

When to See a Specialist

Consult an allergist if your baby has allergic reactions, like bad eczema, or if a sibling has a peanut allergy. They'll provide expert guidance and a personalized plan.

Environmental Allergies and Asthma

Dust Mites

Reduce dust mite exposure early, especially for high-risk children, to delay or prevent symptoms. Use allergen-proof covers, wash bedding weekly in hot water, and keep humidity low. Remove carpets if possible.

Pets and Other Animals

The link between early animal exposure and allergies is complex. Newer research suggests early exposure to cats and dogs might actually protect children. Discuss this with your doctor.

Tobacco Smoke

Crucially, shield children from tobacco smoke before and after birth. Smoking during pregnancy increases infant wheezing. Secondhand smoke boosts asthma risk and other breathing problems.

Benefits of Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding for at least 4-6 months strengthens a child's immune system. This helps fight lung infections that trigger asthma, potentially reducing long-term asthma risk.

You can't completely shield your teen from stress, and a little bit can even be good for them. However, too much stress might make them more likely to get sick. For instance, teens feeling overloaded due to midterms, college applications, or other school pressures could become more vulnerable to catching viruses. This is because stress genuinely affects our bodies, making us more prone to illness, especially during winter when colds and flu spread easily in schools.

Stress Weakens the Immune System

According to a 2024 study published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine ongoing stress directly hits a teen's immune system, which is their body's way of fighting off sickness. When stress hormones are released, they can damage the immune system. Long-term stress can even lower the number of white blood cells that fight infections. If teens are always busy, not sleeping enough, and ignoring their own self-care, it sets them up perfectly to get sick. Stress also causes swelling in the body, which further weakens the immune system. During very stressful times like exams, it's really important to encourage teens to slow down and take care of their body and mind

Tips to Help Teens Stay Healthy and Less Stressed

Here are some simple ways to help your teen stay healthy, both mentally and physically:

Get Enough Sleep

Most teens don't sleep enough; they often get only about 7 hours, but they need much more, especially when stressed. Aim for up to 10 hours of sleep a night during stressful times. Good sleep helps their body and mind recharge, boosts their immune system, helps them manage emotions, and improves their thinking. Help them set a sleep schedule, put away phones at least two hours before bed, keep their room dark and cool, and try relaxing activities before sleep.

Find Ways to Cope

Help your teen discover ways to calm down and lower stress. This could be things like walking outside in nature, making a healthy meal, writing in a journal, trying simple breathing exercises, or using a meditation app. Teens who regularly practice mindful exercises to reduce stress often feel much less stressed overall.

Take Breaks from Tech

Many teens spend hours every day on phones and other devices outside of school. Too much screen time can actually make stress worse, not better. Encourage your teen to "unplug" by taking breaks from their devices. Suggest setting time limits for apps and social media.

Plan Ahead

If your teen has a stressful event coming up, help them prepare. Suggest a study schedule with breaks, and work together to make a plan. Getting organized can really help. Encourage them to use a planner or calendar, or help them make "to-do" lists, which makes managing deadlines easier.

Eat Well and Drink Water

While sugary snacks and caffeine might seem helpful during study sessions, they usually do more harm than good. Keep healthy snacks like protein bars, nuts, and fruit around. Providing healthy, comforting meals can also help lower stress. And don't forget to remind them to drink plenty of water, as not drinking enough can affect their body and even make them feel more anxious.

Is It Sickness or Just Stress?

Stress and anxiety can cause physical symptoms that feel a lot like being sick, such as headaches, stomach aches, and muscle pain. Often, teens might "feel" sick when they are actually just anxious. It's tough to measure stress because what causes it and how much it affects someone is different for everyone. It's important to talk to your teen about how they're feeling. If they have physical symptoms, take them to a doctor to make sure they aren't actually sick with the flu or another virus.

If your teen does get sick during a stressful time, help them deal with it so it doesn't add more stress. Let them know it's okay to take breaks for their health, and help them figure out how to catch up on any schoolwork. Teaching teens to take care of themselves is really important.

A baby is considered fully developed and full-term at 39 weeks of gestation. A baby can be born anywhere between 37 and 42 weeks and can still be considered full-term. This period helps in baby's organ development like brain, lungs, and liver. It also reduces baby's health risks, promotes a better brain development and helps with other cognitive activities.

However, under certain circumstances, premature babies are also born. However, when a baby is born at 24 weeks or later, the baby has chance to survival and this chance increases with each additional week of gestation. However, babies who are born before 24 weeks face a high risk of mortality and potential long-term health issues.

A baby born before 22 weeks has a survival rate of 6%. So if a baby born in 21 weeks survives, it is no less than a miracle.

This is the story of one such miracle that happened where a baby, who had less than 1% chance of survival is now thriving and has broken the world record.

"Defied All Scientific Odds"

This is from the year 2020 when at 21 weeks, in Alabama, the most premature baby in the world, as per the Guinness World Records, was born.

Curtis Means and his twin sister, C'Asya Means, were born on July 5, 2020, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Hospital. Delivered at just 21 weeks and 1 day of gestation—132 days premature—the twins faced overwhelming odds, with UAB estimating their chance of survival at less than 1%. According to Guinness World Records, they were born nearly 19 weeks early.

"Numbers show that babies born so young have little to no chances of survival," said Dr. Brian Sims, a professor of pediatrics at the UAB who was the on-call physician when the twins' mother, Michelle Butler. The doctor's statement is part of UAB's official statement.

However, C'Asya did not respond to treatment and died the day after birth, but Curtis' heart rate and oxygen levels started to improve.

"We have never been able to bring a baby that young to the neonatal intensive care unit, so [Curtis] was literally the first of his kind," Sims told Guinness World Records. We were in uncharted territory."

Curtis received constant medical care that helped him breathe. His body temperature was also regulated and other care, including enough nutrition intakes were maintained. It was in about three months, when the doctors were finally able to take him off a ventilator.

Dr Colm Travers, an assistant professor in the Division of Neonatology said in a statement, "Curtis defied all scientific odds." Indeed he did. Age and birth weight are two of the most important factors in determining a newborn’s chances of survival, he explained. The odds are also higher if the baby is female, not part of a multiple birth, and if the mother received steroids before delivery to aid lung development—none of which applied in Curtis’s case. Yet, Curtis survived.

How The Baby Survived

At birth, Curtis weighed just 14.8 ounces (420 grams)—roughly one-seventh the weight of an average full-term newborn, according to Guinness World Records. Despite the odds, he grew stronger each day and was discharged from the hospital around nine months later, supported by medication, a feeding tube, and bottled oxygen.

After celebrating his first birthday, Curtis—affectionately nicknamed "Poodie" by his family—was officially recognized by Guinness World Records as the most premature surviving baby.

Six months after his discharge, Curtis’ medical team gathered outside the University of Alabama at Birmingham hospital to surprise his mother with the Guinness World Record certificate. The previous record holder, Richard Hutchinson, had been born just a month earlier, on June 5, 2020, at 21 weeks and 2 days.