Children need many more hours of sleep than parents think
Sleep in the first years of life not only prepares the ground for mental and physical health, but also creates the foundations for how one sleeps later in life.

Latest news and stories about child health in Portugal for expats and residents.
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Sleep in the first years of life not only prepares the ground for mental and physical health, but also creates the foundations for how one sleeps later in life.

Despite the alarm, experts say it is possible to change the situation, but certain steps must be followed.

'Motor illiteracy' is worsening in Portuguese society, says physiotherapist Beatriz Queiroz. It is the result of years of early sedentary behaviour, excessive protection and a lack of basic physical experiences that used to occur naturally in childhood.

Medicate or wait? It's one of the questions that worries parents most. When medication is introduced, the results must be monitored — especially when the effects are not as expected.

A paediatrician with intensive care experience, Clara Abadesso also dedicates herself to preventing and treating children's pain — which she believes is still largely neglected.

Joana Afonso and Rute Matias play music in hospitals to help children and older patients forget they're ill and feel like human beings. They come away having received 'twice' what they gave, but in the end they don't want applause.

Home News Infant mortality in Portugal decreased Infant mortality in Portugal decreased Portugal recorded more deaths in 2025, with 3,124 more deaths compared to 2024, but deaths of children under one year old decreased, totalling 241, 14 fewer, according to data released today by the National In

You don't have to be born that way. Hyperactivity is also shaped at home, every day, with good intentions and bad habits. Are we medicating children when we should be helping families slow down?

The incidence rate of respiratory infections remains higher in the zero-to-four age group and among people aged 65 and over.

Yes, vaccines have a significant positive impact on children's health: they protect them for life. Choosing not to vaccinate a child is a privilege of ignorance that can be deadly.
