On Becoming Babywise: It’s not always easy.

I got the comment below from one of my readers and found it particularly helpful in that it highlights a very important aspect of the PDF / Babywise method… It takes work.  Just like everything else in life, few good things come easy.  Parenting is no different.  At the moment our son is closing in on 5 months.  He still sleeps good at night.  Taking a nap, which was a problem when I last wrote about Babywise, is no longer a problem.  He goes right to sleep when we put him down.  This did not come easily though.  It took several weeks to get this to stick and a few painful cry it out sessions. Read more

Understanding Newborn Hepatitis B Vaccination

This is a difficult topic to cover in just one post but I will try to give you an overview.  If you want a more detailed review of Hepatitis B infection, visit this link for an excellent article in American Family Physician.  Hepatitis B vaccination for newborns is far more about a pubic health initiative than it is about the health of most of the kids that receive the vaccination.  However this does not necessarily mean that you should not vaccinate your kids.  Let me try to explain… Read more

Antibiotic Eye Ointment in Babies

In the hospital, one of the first things the delivery nurse is likely to do to your baby is spread a greasy concoction of antibiotic ointment into your baby’s eyes.  This ointment will certainly make it hazy during those early hours Read more

Ask The Doctor: UTI

AG Asks:

I have a question for you regarding UTI. My one-year old daughter got one a few weeks ago and they ran some tests on her. They found a little reflux in her right kidney, gave it a level 2. The urologist is recommending putting her on a low grade antibiotic for a year and then retesting her. Read more

The Vitamin K Shot

I am often asked about the need for the Vitamin K shot given to baby right after delivery.  Here are a few facts and my opinion on the subject… Read more

The Delivery

Often people ask me questions surrounding the delivery of a new baby.  Should I get the ointment in the eyes?  What about the Vitamin K shot?  Do they really need the Hepatitis B vaccine? Read more

Do Vaccines Cause That?!

Here is a new book about vaccine safety.  There are a wealth of books written by what I would consider unreliable sources.  The Vaccine Book on the other hand, written by Dr. Sears, is an excellent resource that I have commented on before.  Do Vaccines Cause that?! is another book that addresses the recent concerns that have been well publicized by the media.  It is difficult to decide what is best for your children.  Only by becoming a SmartParent can you hope to truly be equipped to make the best decisions for your children.  Read a brief excerpt here from amazon.  Read what other parents think by clicking here.

Flying with Babies

We just returned from a week-long trip to Texas.  This trip involved one round-trip flight and one round-trip 4-hour drive from Dallas to Houston.  It was quite a week for our almost 4 month old son.  Overall, it was a huge success, so I thought I should report on what we did and how it worked. Read more

FluMist Nasal Flu Vaccine?

WR asks:

What are your thoughts about the FluMist that my pediatric office in Ames is recommending? Does it have the same mercury risks? Read more