The secrets of self-optimisers: why ‘microefficiencies’ are on the rise

Whether brushing their teeth in the shower or wearing slip-on shoes to save time, people are finding all sorts of ways to fine-tune their routines. Are these fun life hacks or symptoms of a snowed-under society?

‘Life is brutal. Running helps’: the 17-year-old who faced despair – and ran the length of Britain

Marcus Skeet has dealt with a lot: diabetes, anxiety, depression, OCD and the pressures of being a young carer. A few years ago, he reached his lowest point. Then he began working towards an extraordinary goal

‘I feel like a drug dealer’: the parents using black-market melatonin to help their children sleep

Desperate dads meet in car parks to exchange packets; exhausted parents slip it into their kids’ drinks; families waiting months for prescriptions buy it ‘off label’. But is it worth the risk?

The best pregnancy pillows for support and comfort, tested

Our tired mum-to-be put 11 maternity pillows, from wedges to U-shapes, to the test in search of a better night’s sleep

‘Men are not expected to be interested in babies’: how society lets new fathers – and their families – down

Around one in 10 fathers experience serious mental health issues in the period before and after their child is born. What can be done?

What to say – and what not to say – to friends, or colleagues having IVF

It’s all too easy to say something crass or insensitive to someone who is going through IVF – as I discovered when I was. Here’s how to open your mouth without putting your foot in it

A jolt back to life: after years of avoiding risk, I have decided to dive in and say yes

By being scared, embarrassed or even just nervous, I feel present, like I’m still here

Having a child has been the most transformative and the most mundane experience of my life

Parenthood has opened the door to a new kind of love – one not necessarily more sacred or pure than the love for my friends, parents and husband

‘The pain was worse than giving birth’: why are so many women separated from their babies in prison?

First they had to give birth in custody, then their babies were taken away. Sometimes they never got them back. Here’s what 29 women told the Lost Mothers Project

‘One father threatened to stab the referee’: why does kids’ football bring out the worst in parents?

When they’re not shouting at their own children, many of Britain’s soccer dads like nothing more than swearing at the officials, or even trading blows on the touchline. Isn’t this supposed to be fun?

Put your baby down to nap near a washing machine, expert says

Researcher warns that dark daytime naps can disrupt babies’ sleep when they properly go to bed at night

Rogue doctors stole one woman’s eggs to get another patient pregnant. What happened next is an unlikely tale of friendship against the odds

When it emerged that a fertility clinic had made one woman pregnant with another’s baby, Renée Ballou and Carole LieberWilkins were advised to ‘lawyer up’. Instead they did something extraordinary – even as one raised the other’s biological child

New mums are being ‘strongly encouraged’ to take regular exercise and get more sleep. Hahahaha

New guidelines are well intentioned, but as parents of babies know, finding time to look after yourself is impossible, says Guardian columnist Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett

Have you ever been tired enough to put your shoes in the microwave? This is my world: welcome!

I asked on social media for stories from parents suffering extreme sleep deprivation. It was both hilarious and frightening, says journalist Nell Frizzell

‘Talk about it, focus on your values and … stay stoic’: how to cope with rejection

From the workplace to romance to friends, everything you need to know about rejection – and how to move on from it