More Screen Time, Better Thinking? What an 8-Year Study of 260 Children Actually Found
A Finnish 8-year study links more screen time to better cognition. What it found, its weak spot, and what it...
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Every article from the Ted&Co blog, in one place.
121 articles
Why Won't My Child Listen? What Is Really Happening in a 3 to 6 Year Old Brain
Your 4-year-old ignores you, and it is usually not defiance. Here is what research says about listening at ages 3...
Does an AI Toy Record My Child? What Actually Happens to Your Child's Voice Data
Does an AI toy record your child? Here is what really happens to voice data, what COPPA and the GDPR...
UNICEF Compared AI Chatbot Rules for Kids in Six Countries
UNICEF compared AI chatbot rules across six jurisdictions in June 2026. Here is what the brief found, and what it...
How Do I Get My Child to Sleep in Their Own Bed? A Calm 3-Week Plan
A practical, evidence-based plan for moving a 3 to 6 year old back into their own bed, including the bedtime...
What Are the Best Educational Toys for a 5-Year-Old? A Parent's Guide for 2026
What actually makes a toy educational for a five year old, what pediatricians recommend, and how to judge any toy...
Speaking Four Languages Was Linked to a Brain 13 Years Younger. What That Means for Kids Learning Now
A 2026 study links speaking four languages to a brain that looked 13 years younger. Here is what it really...
Why Does My Child Talk to Themselves? What Self-Talk Means at Ages 3 to 7
Talking out loud to yourself peaks between ages 4 and 6, and research links it to better self-control. What self-talk...
What Do Kids Actually Say to AI Chatbots? Inside the 163-Word Gap
A 2026 Aura analysis found children send 163 words per message to AI companions and 12 to a friend. What...
Do Talking Plush Toys Need a Subscription? Ary, Nyo and Ted Compared
Most talking plush toys have no monthly fee, but the real cost varies. Ary, Nyo and Ted compared on price,...
How Many Words Should a 4-Year-Old Know? Vocabulary Milestones by Age
Most 4-year-olds use around 1,500 words, but the range is huge. Milestones by age, what matters more than the count,...
California SB 867: AI Toy Ban Starts 1 January 2027
Updated 17 September 2026: Newsom signed SB 867 on 10 September, but the ban on AI chatbot toys does not...
Can You Raise a Bilingual Child If Only One Parent Speaks the Language?
Only one of you speaks the second language? Research on 1,899 families shows what that does to the odds, and...
Why Is My Child Suddenly Scared of the Dark? A Calm Bedtime Plan for Ages 3 to 6
Fear of the dark peaks between 3 and 6 for a specific developmental reason. Here is what research says causes...
Researchers Put a Storytelling Robot in 9 Homes for 8 Days. Here Is What Kids Actually Learned
A Johns Hopkins team put an AI storytelling robot in 9 family homes for 8 days. Children learned 2.6 new...
Why Does My Child Melt Down When Screen Time Ends?
Turning off the tablet triggers a meltdown in most families. Here is what the research says about why, and the...
Why Does My Child Want the Same Bedtime Story Every Night?
Your child asks for the same book again. Research shows that repetition is doing real work on vocabulary and sleep....
Pediatricians Say AI Is a Tool, Not a Friend. What That Means for Kids Under 5
A new Pediatrics review from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia maps the risks and benefits of AI by age. Here is...
How Many Hours a Week Does a Child Need to Become Bilingual?
Research links 40 to 60 percent of a child's daily input to monolingual level comprehension. What that means in real...
How Do I Get My Child to Tell Their Own Stories? (And Why It Helps Them Read Later)
Preschool storytelling predicts reading comprehension years later. Here are the prompts that work at each age, and what the research...
How Do I Help My Child Handle Big Emotions? A Guide for Ages 3 to 6
Why small things cause huge meltdowns between 3 and 6, what to say in the moment, and what research says...
States Passed 14 New AI Chatbot Laws This Year. What It Means for Kids' Toys
Updated 12 September 2026. US states passed 14 AI chatbot laws in 2026, and three states now have bills that...
Why Is Pretend Play So Important for Your Child's Development?
Pretend play builds language, executive function and empathy. Here's what pediatricians and researchers found, and why kids now get 25%...
10 Simple Activities to Help Your Child Learn English at Home
10 research-backed activities to help your child learn English at home, plus what the science says about timing, screen time...
OpenAI Just Launched ChatGPT for Teens. What Does It Mean for Younger Kids?
OpenAI launched ChatGPT for Teens on August 18, 2026. We break down the parental controls, the CHATBOT Act, and what...
What Are the Best Educational Gifts for a 4-Year-Old in 2026?
Building blocks, STEM kits, or a talking companion? Here's what child development experts say actually makes a toy educational for...
15 Screen-Free Activities to Keep a Bored Kid Busy
Bored kids don't need a screen. Here are 15 research-backed screen-free activities, plus what studies say about play, creativity, and...
Senators Grilled Toy Makers Over AI Chatbots. One Company Just Added an Off Switch
US senators pressed toy makers on AI chatbot safety. Miko added an off switch in response. Here's what happened, and...
How to Build a Bedtime Routine That Actually Helps Kids Sleep
Children with a consistent bedtime routine sleep more than an hour longer. Here is how to build one, plus what...
What's the Best Age to Start Teaching a Child a Second Language?
This article has been merged into our fuller guide on when to start a second language. The short version, plus...
Harvard Is Building Its Own AI Toy to Study Children's Play
This article has been merged into our fuller guide on the Harvard AI toy study. The short version, plus where...
AI Toys Failed Basic Safety Tests: What the Report Found
A safety report found AI companion toys giving kids unsafe advice. Here's what the findings mean and what to check...
How to Help a 3 to 6 Year Old Build Strong Language Skills at Home
Simple, research-backed ways to boost your 3-6 year old's language skills at home, from CDC milestones to Harvard's serve-and-return method.
Ary, Lookiz, Ted&Co: What's the Difference Between Interactive Plush Toys for Kids?
Ary, Lookiz, Ted&Co — a factual look at how interactive plush toys for kids compare in 2026: languages, privacy, pricing,...
How Does an AI Toy Actually Understand What Your Child Says?
This article has been merged into our fuller guide on how a talking toy understands a child. The short version,...
AI Toy Safety: What the 2026 Research Actually Shows
AI toy safety is now a documented field rather than a hunch. A scoping review of 51 studies, a 2026...
What's a Good Screen-Free Alternative to a Tablet for Kids?
This article has been merged into our fuller guide to screen-free alternatives to a tablet. The short version, plus where...
How to Reduce Screen Time for a 3-6 Year Old: A Routine That Actually Works
Practical, pediatrician-backed ways to cut screen time for preschoolers — screen-free zones, swap activities, and a bedtime cutoff that sticks.
EU Toy Safety Rules and AI Toys: What Applies, and When
Europe's new Toy Safety Regulation entered into force on 1 January 2026 and applies from 1 August 2030. Here is...
Nearly Half of Parents Are Now Buying AI Toys. What to Check First
A new survey finds 49% of parents have bought or considered an AI toy, but 83% worry about data collection....
Best Screen-Free Toys for Kids in 2026: Audio Players vs. Interactive Plush, Compared
Torn between an audio story player and an interactive plush toy? An honest, side-by-side comparison of prices, ages, and what...
Why Are Bedtime Stories Important for Child Development?
Bedtime stories aren't just a wind-down ritual. Research links them to better sleep, stronger literacy, and lower anxiety in kids....
State AI Toy Laws Are Here: What Oregon and Washington Just Passed
Oregon and Washington just signed the first state laws written specifically for AI toys. Here's what they require, and what's...
Why Do Kids Ask So Many Questions? The Science of Curiosity
This article has been merged into our fuller guide on why children ask so many questions. The short version, plus...
Interactive Plush Toys for Kids: How to Choose the Right One in 2026
Ary, Lookiz, Ted&Co: how do interactive plush toys for kids actually differ in 2026? A factual comparison on price, languages,...
Cambridge Researchers Say AI Toys Need Safety Labels. Here's What That Means for Parents
Cambridge researchers want AI toys to carry safety labels after finding gaps in how they handle children's emotions. Here's what...
Pediatricians Just Changed Their Screen Time Advice: What It Means for Your Family
The American Academy of Pediatrics dropped its old screen-time-limit advice in 2026. Here's the new framework, and simple ways to...
Does Learning Two Languages Delay Speech? What the Research Actually Shows
A common worry among parents is that a second language slows a child's speech. New longitudinal research says otherwise. Here's...
Is a US Ban on AI Toys Coming? What the 2026 Federal Bills Actually Propose
Two 2026 federal bills could restrict or ban AI chatbots in kids' toys. Here's what each proposal actually says, and...
Can a Predictable Talking Toy Help a Sensory-Sensitive Child?
Predictability lowers anxiety for kids with sensory sensitivities, research shows. Here's what experts recommend, and how a steady companion can...
