Most of the families in my practice accept the usual recommendations for routine immunization. They do so because they understand the benefits, and they can ignore the unfounded fears that some people promote. Routine vaccination prevents illness. Another recent study has confirmed the value of these shots. In the June 2009 issue of Pediatrics, doctors [...]
Rotarix vaccine has been found to contain an extraneous virus. Fortunately, the “extra” contaminant is unlikely to cause a problem. Rotarix vaccine protects babies from infection with Rotavirus, an intestinal virus causing vomiting and diarrhea which can be severe. Since the introduction of Rotarix (and a similal vaccine, RotaTeq, from another manufacturer), rates of infection [...]
A new website, www.healthychildren.org, has been launched by the American Academy of Pediatrics. It’s excellent! The information is clearly presented, and the topics are very appropriate for families. I highly recommend, for example, the developmental information. Click on www.healthychildren.org and take a look! – David Epstein, MD
If you are breastfeeding, good for you (and your baby!) If you can pump some, and store some for later, so much the better. It can be stored for about 6 months in the back of your freezer. (Click HERE for more information.) Some mothers produce so much milk that their baby can’t drink it [...]
How do you know when your school-aged child can safely come out of the car seat, and use a regular seat belt? It’s longer than you think. The safety issue relates to the way that the safety belts themselves restrain the child. In order for the belt to restrain the child without causing injury, the [...]
We always try to prescribe the least expensive medication available that will treat your child effectively. And we usually use generic medications, which are just as effective as the branded drugs for most children. But medications can be expensive! Your insurance plan’s drug benefit should help cover the cost, but sometimes there’s a problem. If [...]
How should you take care of your newborn’s umbilical cord? Conflicting instructions confuse new parents. But proper care is not difficult. The most important technique is to expose the base of the cord. If the base is not exposed to air, then bacteria can thrive in the wet, low oxygen environment; this may lead to [...]
Lots of experts give advice about how to care for fussy babies. There are special medicines (such as Mylicon), special formulas (such as Nutramigen), and home remedies galore. (Could someone please tell me what “gripe water” actually contains?) But most babies who cry a lot don’t have colic. I haven’t made this diagnosis more than [...]
When patients in the past have asked me whether to give their kids vitamin supplements, my opinion has been lukewarm. Most foods are supplemented with vitamins, even junk food! There’s no harm in a daily supplement, but I have not felt strongly about it. Until now! Recently, I have seen a steady stream of recent [...]
A few parents are still asking about the safety of the H1N1 vaccine. Please be reassured! You and your children are much better off with the vaccine than without it. This is certainly not a “new” vaccine; the H1N1 vaccines are just like the regular seasonal vaccine, made by the same manufacturers, who use the [...]
