In this episode, Greg Dickens and I discuss a recent paper on the effects of different parenting practises on a child’s brain volume… when they are seventy. We discuss a study investigating whether induction of labour reduces the risk of stillbirth in migrant women. We then discuss shoes – why we should care about the shoes that we put our children in, and what we can do with their shoes to set them up for healthy feet and bodies throughout life. Finally, we discuss what parents of older children can do to help their jaws grow enough to make space for their teeth.

For more information on selecting shoes for children, try this article:

For more information on why children should go barefoot, try this article: https://guenbradbury.substack.com/p/why-barefoot-running-isnt-possible

For more information on helping children avoid having crooked teeth, try this article: https://guenbradbury.substack.com/p/biting-off-less-than-we-can-chew

Topics covered

* How does brain volume at seventy correlate with a person’s relationship with their mother? [01:14]

* How does induction of labour affect the risk of stillbirth in migrant women? [05:02]

* How do shoes affect a child’s long-term health? [13:30]

* What should a child wear on their feet? [20:35]

* What can parents do to help older children grow jaws that fit their teeth? [26:22]

Hello, I’m so glad you’re here! I need a hand…

I’m trying to find a publisher for my book at the moment, and they use ‘number of subscribers’ as a proxy for value of writing. I want to keep my writing on Substack free so it’s available for all parents, but Substack’s algorithm seems to now hide a lot of unpaywalled writing. I’m struggling to get much reach.

If you find my writing or podcasts useful, please would you consider forwarding this email to someone you know who might be interested? Or liking, sharing, or commenting if you read it on the Substack app?

My agent is approaching publishers in the next month or two, so your help would be SO appreciated. 😊 Thank you so much!

These other podcast episodes cover related topics:

Notes

“Associations between perceived excessive maternal control in childhood, well-being, and dorsal striatum volume in older adults” https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-20526-4

“There was no improvement in the perinatal mortality rate with IOL at any gestation for non-Australian region of birth groups.” https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/birt.70003

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit guenbradbury.substack.com