This book documents the early lives of almost 19,000 children born in the UK at the start of the 21st century, and their families. It is the product of an exciting collaboration from experts across a wide range of health and social science fields. It is the first time that analysis of data from the hugely important Millennium Cohort Study, which follows the progress of the children and their families, has been drawn together in a single volume. Children of the 21st Century provides a unique and authoritative analysis of family life and early childhood in the UK that cuts across old boundaries. It assesses the impact of a wide range of policies on the life courses of a new generation, including policies on child health, parenting, childcare and social exclusion.