Pacifier Use and Breastfeeding

Does Pacifier use interfere with breastfeeding? Recent research indicates that pacifier use does not interfere with breastfeeding success in the first 6 months of infancy. So, if a mom is dedicated to breastfeeding, using a pacifier to calm her infant will not interfere. I recommend delaying its introduction until 3-4 weeks of age, and then only using it after a feeding is complete and the baby just wants to suck. Pacifiers can also help calm … [Read more...]

Cell Phones and Calming Children

It is so tempting to give your restless or angry toddler your phone to calm him. We understand! But recent research indicates that doing so may make matters worse. Looking at toddlers, ages 3 to 5 years, researchers found increased emotional outbursts and poorer self-control in children whose parents commonly used cell phones to distract or calm them. It makes sense: Cell phone distracting robs your child of opportunities to learn emotional … [Read more...]

Fever is Our Friend

Have you ever heard it said that “Fever is our Friend?”  Despite popular opinion, fever is helpful to our bodies. It is simply a sign of an underlying illness, not an illness itself.  Our bodies are designed to increase temperature in response to any insult that causes an inflammatory response, such as an infection. Fever is defined as a temperature of 100.4 or greater.  A rectal temperature is the best indicator of our body’s core … [Read more...]

Dr. Morrison Retiring

Dear Friends and Families of Pediatric Healthcare, After 39 years, I will be retiring from Pediatric Healthcare, effective July 21, 2023.  What a privilege it has been to take care of your children.  When I started out in 1984, it never occurred to me that if I did this long enough, I would care for two generations of children. It’s been a joy to watch babies grow up to eventually become parents.  What I have loved most are the … [Read more...]

MMR Vaccine NOT Linked to Autism

A March 2019 research article describes a study in which 657,461 children were monitored for a possible link between the MMR vaccine and Autism. Here are the researchers' findings: "The study strongly supports that MMR vaccination does not increase the risk for autism, does not trigger autism in susceptible children, and is not associated with clustering of autism cases after vaccination. It adds to previous studies through significant … [Read more...]

Best Toys are the Basic Toys

The AAP offers families and physicians guidance in an updated clinical report, "Selecting Appropriate Toys for Young Children in the Digital Era," to be published in the January 2019 issue of Pediatrics and available online Dec. 3. The report focuses on toys for children from birth through school age. "Toys have evolved over the years, and advertisements may leave parents with the impression that toys with a 'virtual' or digital-based platform … [Read more...]

Kids’ Brainpower Tied to Exercise, Sleep and Limited Screen Time

From the NY Times: Researchers tied three behaviors to higher scores on tests of mental ability in children: At least 60 minutes of physical activity a day, Nine to 11 hours of sleep a night, and No more than two hours a day of recreational screen time. The new study, in Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, included 4,524 children ages 8 to 11 who were assessed with six standard tests that measure language skills, memory, … [Read more...]

Child Play is Good for Your Child’s Development

Child play is essential to children’s development. Play contributes to brain development and learning, physical development, and social development including language and communication. To view entire article, go to Child Play … [Read more...]

Read to Your Preschool Children

During the preschool years, children’s brains are rapidly developing to take in new information about the world. Reading to children is a key part of this cognitive development and builds literacy skills, which include the ability to read, write, and learn. View full article here: Reading to Preschool Children … [Read more...]

How Technology Can Effect Parents and their Children

For information on how technology can effect both parents and children, read the following web resources. Parents For Your Child's Sake, Put Down that Smartphone!  It's not just kids who are overdoing screen time. Parents are often just as guilty of spending too much time checking smartphones and e-mail — and the consequences for their children can be troubling.  Read more about how technology can effect your interactions with your … [Read more...]