Health & Fitness

It’s a sad fact that congenital heart disease, the most common group of birth defects, affects 35,000 to 40,000 U.S. infants born annually. Currently, most congenital heart defects have no known cause.

SIDS prevention tips can help save your baby’s life. The most important thing that you can do is make sure that your child has plenty of access to fresh air. In the interest of promoting air flow, make sure that infants are not confined to the point of being unable to move head and limbs, or protected to the point of being smothered by blankets or pillows. Never leave loose blankets or pillows in your baby's crib.

Jaundice sounds rather scary but it is rather common. While infant jaundice occurs in roughly half of the babies carried to full term, it is more prevalent in premature infants. Symptoms usually last seven to 14 days and in most cases is not harmful to the baby. The condition can be easily diagnosed through the yellowing color of an infant’s skin and eyes. If your baby is jaundiced your pediatrician will want to do a few blood tests to make sure it is only a passing condition.

We are very excited to let you know about a site we just discovered called Healthy Stuff. It's a site that gives you immediate access to research done on Children's products and Toys, including car seats. The site is extremely easy to use and the information is presented in a simple coding system with graphics even a child could understand. It shows which products contain lead, arsenic, cadmium, chlorine, mercury and bromine and to what degree it is present in that product.

Although Tooth development starts in the womb, Baby's first tooth is a real milestone. Most babies first tooth peeks through normally between 6 and 8 months but there is a lot of variance. When a baby's first tooth appears has nothing else to do with a baby's development.

Expect the bottom front teeth first, followed by the top front teeth. Then come the molars and the canine teeth. Last to arrive are the back molars. Your baby should have a full set of primary teeth by age 3. Permanent teeth will start to replace the baby teeth between age 4 and 6.

A crying baby can get to us all. But it is of dire importance to all parents and caregivers to know how to properly handle and react to that crying, particularly if it is incessant. Some parents have a much greater tolerance for a crying baby, trying anything and everything to soothe the baby. But sometimes a parent who is extremely tired, trying to deal with other children and maybe even juggling a job, finds themselves unable to deal with this constant crying.

As your baby grows, your baby will go to the doctor for well visits. During the visit, the nurse will take your child's measurements which include: weight, height and head circumference. It is a good idea to have the nurse write the measurements down for you so you have a record and keepsake. If you want to see what percentile your child falls into for his/her weight or length by age, print off the Birth to 36 Months-Length-for-age and Weight-for-age percentile chart provided by the CDC.

As your baby grows, your baby will go to the doctor for well visits. During the visit, the nurse will take your child's measurements which include: weight, height and head circumference. It is a good idea to have the nurse write the measurements down for you so you have a record and keepsake. If you want to see what percentile your child falls into for his/her weight or length by age, print off the Birth to 36 Months-Length-for-age and Weight-for-age percentile chart provided by the CDC.

It has long been a known fact that if a child has a blood relative with type 1 diabetes, that they are more likely to develop type 1 diabetes themselves.

Now, through Diabetes TrialNet, a simple blood test can determine whether your child is at risk for type 1 Diabetes up to a decade before symptoms appear.also known as Juvenile Diabetes. Also known as Juvenile diabetes, type 1 diabetes can't be prevented or cured, but early detection and advance treatment can lessen the severity and even save lives.