About Vaccines for your Children
Most parents choose to vaccinate their children according to the recommended schedule, but many parents may still have questions about the vaccines recommended for their children. Are vaccines safe? Yes. Vaccines are very safe. The United States’ long-standing vaccine...
Oral Health Tips for Children
Cavities (also known as caries or tooth decay) are the most common chronic disease of childhood in the United States.1 More than half of children aged 6 to 8 years have had a cavity in at least one of their baby (primary) teeth. More than half of adolescents aged 12...
What Are Child Abuse and Neglect?
Child abuse and neglect includes all types of abuse and neglect of a child under the age of 18 by a parent, caregiver, or another person in a custodial role (e.g., a religious leader, a coach, or a teacher) that results in harm, the potential for harm, or threat of...
Positive Parenting Tips
Parenting takes many different forms. However, some positive parenting practices work well across diverse families and in diverse settings when providing the care that children need to be happy and healthy, and to grow and develop well. A comprehensive report looked...
Birth Defects
What they are Birth defects are structural changes present at birth that can affect almost any part of the body, such as the heart, brain, or foot. They may affect how the body looks, works, or both. Language matters While “birth defect” is a medical...
Hearing Loss in Children
Preventing Noise-Induced Hearing Loss What to know Hearing plays an essential role in communication, speech and language development, and learning. Even a small amount of hearing loss can have profound, negative effects on speech, language comprehension,...
Foods and Drinks for 6 to 24 Month Olds
When your child is about 6 months old, you can start introducing him or her to foods and drinks other than breast milk and infant formula. The foods and drinks you feed your child are sometimes called complementary foods. You can think of these as “complementing,” or...
Child Development Basics
Healthy Development The early years of a child’s life are very important for their health and development. Healthy development means that children of all abilities, including those with special health care needs, are able to grow up where their social, emotional and...
Communicating with Your Children
Good communication between you and your child is important for developing a positive relationship and will make it easier for you to talk about difficult topics as they get older. One of the most challenging tasks to learn is how to respond to behavior. Learn more...