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It’s a common milestone we all assume happens when your child turns 1: Happy first birthday, have some milk with your cake. Non-human milk replaces human milk, and the weaning journey continues apace.

After all, the prevailing wisdom is to let cow’s milk replace breast milk (or formula) after your child reaches his first birthday. While it is true cow’s milk should not be introduced into a baby’s diet before the age of 1, the question is, does it really need to be introduced at all—ever?

Cow’s milk is safely used as a substitute for human milk (and a replacement to formula) because it is…

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As parents of a 14-month-old, my wife and I know that eating at a restaurant with a baby can be quite an adventure. Usually, our fine dining experience ends with us apologizing profusely to the waitstaff, leaving a generous tip, and walking away with a “blast zone” of food surrounding our baby’s highchair.

Of course eating out with a baby is a challenge when it comes to etiquette; but it’s also a challenge when it comes to choosing foods. Let’s face it: It can be hard to find healthy choices at many restaurants, even for adults, much less babies.

Still, many experts…

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It is such a simple solution—the fact that it works may surprise many—a five-minute conversation between a health care provider and a parent during their baby’s 9-month checkup increases the likelihood of bottle-weaning. Why is this important? Because prolonged bottle-feeding (beyond 15 to 18 months) has been shown to increase a child’s risk for iron deficiency—a condition that is common in children whose diet is primarily milk rather than a wide variety of healthy foods. And bedtime bottle use also increases the risk of tooth decay—another reason for why the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends complete bottle weaning around 12…

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When Stephanie Adams, the toddler lead teacher at the Baylor University child care center, takes visitors into her classroom, they swear her students act, react, and behave more like 10-year-olds than 2-year-olds. And though she can’t prove it, Adams believes that the sign language she has taught them since the age of six months might have something to do with it.

“I think it helps them not only communicate, but also develop faster emotionally,” says Adams. “We taught them signs for feelings, like ‘happy,’ ’sad,’ and ‘frustrated.’ Before they could talk, instead of throwing a tantrum, the kids could just let…

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The concept of no free formula has taken on new meaning at The Rosie Maternity Hospital in England. In addition to nightgown, robe, and slippers, women giving birth at The Rosie and planning to bottle-feed their babies are required to bring their own supply of formula. In lieu of free formula, all moms will be offered greater support for breastfeeding.

This policy change reflects efforts by the hospital to better comply with the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative, a program launched in 1991 by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF and designed to increase breastfeeding rates worldwide. The policy change applies to…

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Disguised as a means for insuring that finicky toddlers would get essential vitamins and nutrients, Enfagrow was pulled from the market on June 9, 2010 in a surprise announcement by its maker, Mead Johnson. Originally launched in July 2009 sporting a vanilla flavor, it was the release of a chocolate flavored version in February 2010 that proved to be not only unhealthy but unwise. With 19 grams of sugar in each 6-ounce serving, critics of Enfagrow chocolate weren’t hard to find. And with childhood obesity having reached epidemic proportions, many argued that the last thing most children needed was a…

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New parents have countless concerns: Is my baby too hot or too cold? Is she sick or just fussy? Do I need to wake her at night to breastfeed? While concerns may vary from parent to parent, one concern is universal—how will I know my baby is getting enough (or too much) to eat? Learning to recognize your baby’s feeding cues and to respond in an appropriate way is an important part of parenting. All babies (at some point) will transition to eating solid foods and drinking from a cup, and when that occurs, the same feeding cues will…

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The economy may be lagging, but organic food sales are booming. In 2009, sales of organic food and beverages were up an estimated 5.1 percent over 2008—a grand total of $24.8 billion in sales; organic fruits and vegetables alone increased 11.4 percent compared to 2008. Sales of organic baby food have trended upward as well, with a whopping 21.6 percent increase between 2006 and 2007. It is estimated that by 2012, organic baby food will be a $2.26 billion business.

Parents who give their babies organic foods typically do so because they believe they have higher levels of vitamins and minerals,…

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Pass the peanuts may soon be passé if opponents of peanuts on airplanes have their way. The Department of Transportation (DOT) is considering banning peanuts on airplanes, and has given the public until August 6, 2010 to comment on the ban. But the DOT cautions that without scientific proof of severe allergic reactions to the tiny peanut particles that might be present on a plane, it cannot implement a ban.

Although peanut allergy is thought to be among the most serious food allergies, the overall prevalence of food allergies is unclear—so too are strategies for their diagnosis and management. The National Institute of…

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Some are obscure, others more common, but all can have devastating consequences if not diagnosed right away—which is why Newborn Screening (NBS) is so important. And why Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting on a recommendation from the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children has announced the first-ever national standards for newborn screening—standards that proponents of newborn screening hope each state will adopt.

Currently, newborn screening standards differ from state to state with the number of conditions screened for and the type of testing procedures used varying widely. With the availability of national standards,…

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We know that breastfeeding reduces the risk of childhood obesity, but how? A new study published in the journal Pediatrics found that it may have to do with babies inability to self-regulate their milk intake—whether that’s expressed breast milk or formula—when they drink from bottles.

Around 17 percent of children and adolescents ages 2-19 are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). For children 2-5 years old, obesity increased from 5 to 10.4 percent between 1976-1980 and 2007-2008; for children 6-11 years old, the obesity rate increased from 6.5-19.6 percent; and for 12-19-year-olds, it increased from 5…

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Listening to a concerned mother describe her newborn baby’s condition, I was amazed at how quickly she had picked up what took me a semester in nursing school to learn. She described her baby as jaundiced. (I remember my babies looking a bit yellow.) He had a bilirubin of 17. (I recall some mention of 20 being a trigger point.)  She was concerned that phototherapy (light treatment) might be necessary. (I distinctly remember parking my diaper-clad baby in the shade of a tree where he could benefit from the indirect sunlight while I mowed the grass!) But what was most…

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