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  • Should You Teach Your Baby Sign Language?

    How many times have you wished your baby could tell you what’s wrong instead of crying and leaving you to guess? Baby Sign Language allows babies as young as 6 months old to communicate their needs instead of crying.

  • Does Your Baby’s Head Have a Flat Spot?

    If you’ve noticed what appears to be a flat spot on your baby’s head, the first thing you should do is take a deep breath and realize it’s probably temporary and no danger to your child’s health. Babies’ brains nearly double in size during the first year of life. Their skulls are designed to accommodate this, along with that passage through the narrow birth canal during delivery. But that malleability also makes it possible for head shape abnormalities like flat spots to develop. 

  • Can bottled water harm my kid’s teeth?

    Americans are now consuming on average 8.4 billion gallons of bottled water each year, according to the Beverage Marketing Corp. 8.4 billion gallons?! If you ask any person why they choose to drink bottled water over tap water, the answer is almost always, “it’s convenient and just tastes better.” This is true for adults and kids alike- bottled water is easy to pack in lunch boxes, take on family picnics, or stash in the car.

  • Health benefits of circumcision outweigh risks

    The health benefits of circumcision in male newborns outweigh the risks, but parents should be free to choose what they believe is in the best interest of their child.

  • A handwritten note: a small gesture that speaks volumes

    Last night, as it became clear that bedtime was just around the corner, my daughter started to cry. At three and a half, it is her life’s mission to negotiate or manipulate her way out of naptime and bedtime. Every day. Every night. It is exhausting.

  • Should my child take swim lessons?

    Summer is in full swing, and many families in central Florida are heading to the pool or the beach to cool off. While you are having fun with your family, it’s important to use layers of protection to help keep your children safe when they are playing in or near the water.

  • Caden's journey through autism

    Bonnie remembers that day five years ago like it was yesterday. Her son Caden was 18 months old. And it was the day his doctor first said that fateful word: autism.

  • Should I give my child probiotics?

    Did you know that your digestive tract contains over 400 different types of bacteria? This complex ecosystem is called intestinal microflora. The concentration of bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract increases dramatically moving from the stomach towards the colon. In humans, the intestinal microflora is vital in many important functions including digestion of nutrients and prevention of infection. Disruption of the “normal flora” can lead to many problems including diarrhea, bloating, abdominal pain and poor absorption of nutrients.

    What is a probiotic?

    Probiotics are “friendly bacteria” or “good bacteria” similar to those that occur naturally in the digestive tract. A few years ago, the defined “probiotics” as “live microorganisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host.”

  • Pediatricians can’t ask you about guns

    There’s been an ongoing court battle here in the state of Florida over whether physicians have the right to ask families about gun ownership in their home.

  • Emergency contraception: what every parent of a teenager should know

    In the United States, recent news about teenage sexuality is promising. Fewer teens are having sex, down 3% since 2001. Approximately 44% of girls have sex before they graduate high school according to the 2011 data from the Florida Youth Risk Behavior Survey of high school students. Teen pregnancy rates are also falling; there has been a 48% decline in teen pregnancy rates since 1988, probably due to a combination of fewer teens having sex, better long-acting contraception options such as DepoProvera, and condom use by teens. In spite of this great news, the United States still has one of the highest rates of teen pregnancy among developed countries. Nearly 80% of teen pregnancies are unplanned, a result of contraception failure or nonuse, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).