Infant
Pacifiers and SIDS?
I want to know what you think. And we have some fresh evidence to consider. In October 2005, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) updated its position on preventing SIDS, boldly including the use …
Swaddling and Sleep
To reduce crying in irritable babies and to prolong sleep in babies who seem to wake up all the time, parents in many parts of the world swaddle their babies when putting them down to sleep. This cust…
A Colic Diet
Imagine for a moment the sound of 3 hours with a peaceful, happy baby. And imagine the opposite! About ¼ of babies will experience colic, defined as at least 3 hours of crying per day on at least 3 da…
Simple Dimples
Dr. Greene's take on dimples... Many healthy babies have small dimples on their lower backs. A mother who had just graduated from nursing school came to my office hours chat this week at DrGreene.com.…
Probiotics for Baby Eczema?
Most parents don't realize how often baby eczema is triggered by food allergies ? indeed, how often it is the first sign of food allergies. In one study, about 40 percent of babies with eczema had pro…
Screening to Prevent SIDS?
Italy is considering a new screening program for all newborn babies, based on the impressive initial results of a pilot study, suggesting this program could prevent the anguish of 30 sudden infant dea…
Breastfeeding and Kids’ Cancer Risk
The various studies looking at the effects of breastfeeding on childhood leukemia have had inconclusive and inconsistent results. Experts, led by Marilyn Kwan at the School of Public Health, Universit…
Flat Heads and Tummy Time
Having babies sleep on their backs has successfully reduced the rate of SIDS, but has also been accompanied by reports of an increase in the number of babies diagnosed with flattening of the back of t…
Cabbage Leaves and Engorgement
Painful breasts are the second most common reason that women give up breastfeeding in the first two weeks. Engorged breasts can hurt! And this can happen both at the beginning and ending of the nursin…
Early Multivitamins, Asthma, and Food Allergies
We know that the first months of life are a very impressionable time when it comes to the developing immune system. Even brief breastfeeding in the first few months of life, for instance, may give lon…
Breastfeeding and Saving Lives
Many studies have demonstrated a variety of benefits from breastfeeding, including lowering the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). The first study linking breastfeeding with overall lower in…
Postpartum Depression and the Pediatrician
Dr. Greene's take on postpartum depression... It's not unusual for women to become depressed at some point during the first year after having a baby. Often this depression sets in sometime after the r…
Rising Life Expectancy, Rising Infant Mortality
Dr. Greene's take on infant mortality... About 4 million babies are born each year in the United States. Although there is one troubling new statistic, most babies born in the U.S. today can look forw…
SIDS and Sleeping Arrangements
SIDS rates have fallen dramatically since the 1990's when we learned that putting babies to sleep on their backs could save lives. To understand the SIDS situation today, researchers conducted studies…
Head CT’s and Smarts
Exposing babies' or toddlers' brains to radiation might result in small but measurable decreases in intellectual function, according to a study in the January 3, 2004 British Medical Journal. At least…
Breast-fed Babies Breathe Easier
The longer that children breastfeed, the less likely they are to wheeze when they reach their first birthdays, according to a study published in the October 2003 Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immuno…
Baby Bath Seats
Some baby-baths are times of giggling delight; some are frustrating fits of crying ? for the baby and the parents. Baby bath seats are one attempt to make bath time easier, safer, and happier, but the…
Can She Hear Me?
Most babies with hearing loss are not diagnosed until they are 1½ to 3 years old, unless a routine screening hearing test is done. These simple tests are recommended for all babies. However, about 1 o…
Full Fat Yogurt for Infants and Toddlers
The AAP's Caring for Your Baby and Young Child suggests yogurt as a healthy food for babies and toddlers as early as 8 months old. Most young babies begin life nutritionally sound with breast milk or …
Iron and Behavior
This is a story about two groups of 6-month-old babies. One group received a very simple intervention. At their first birthdays, babies in this group were quicker thinkers, more likely to be happy, to…