A Few Last Words Jun 28 06:58am The first of my blogs on parenting and children went up a little over two and a half years ago. I learned a lot from writing them, and I hope some of you found some of them helpful, too. It is one thing to be a pediatrician seeing one child at a... Read more

Get Your Children to Eat Vegetables Jun 24 10:14am When the 7 th edition of Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care came out, some people were upset by the nutrition advice. Dr. Spock, who was born at the very beginning of the 20 th century had, by the last years of his life, become a vegetarian. He... Read more

Dads Are Lucky Jun 16 09:39am A big man was standing next to a little baby. They were in an exam room in my clinic. The mom and I were sitting across the room. "Whew!" the man said, "She really needs a new diaper."  Then the man went about changing the... Read more

Is Your Child Lactose Intolerant? Jun 13 04:41am A 9-year-old boy came to see me for Attention Deficit Disorder.  I'll call him Jack. I had been treating Jack's ADHD with methylphenidate, the active drug in Ritalin and other brands. Like my other ADHD patients, he came to see me every... Read more

Not Talking: A Sign of Autism? May 24 06:20am Every month I see a few toddlers who are not talking. Most are boys; all are worrying their parents. Some have autism, and others don't. There are so many children with autism now, that almost everybody knows somebody who knows somebody who has... Read more

The Best Way to Potty Train May 09 08:59am In the interest of full disclosure, I need to tell you that I get no money from any maker of diapers, drugs, or potties. Well, to be honest, no one has made me an offer. But I am talking with a publisher about writing a book on toilet training. And... Read more

Vaccines and Autism - Errors and News Apr 25 06:10am I know I shouldn't write any more about vaccines and autism, because I could do it forever and probably not change a single mind. But I have to. First, I have to apologize for an error. I was wrong when I stated that the three vaccines in MMR... Read more

Vaccines and Autism: Facts and Fears Apr 15 08:08am When I wrote "Should You Refuse Vaccines?," I was not trying to stir things up. I just wanted to say publicly what I say privately to any of my patients who ask that same question. I had the idea that the debate about vaccines and autism... Read more

Are You Ready for Pandemic Flu? Apr 10 07:34am Imagine this: The Asian bird flu has evolved so that it passes from person to person, spread by sneezing. Cases have begun to show up in the US, and last week, a dozen people in your state were hospitalized with the same deadly virus. With talk of... Read more

Should You Refuse Vaccines? Apr 03 05:29am A few days ago, the front page of the New York Times carried a sad story. More and more parents are refusing to give their children vaccines. They believe that vaccines can cause autism or other developmental problems. They feel that they need to... Read more