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Posts by Dr. Laura Markham
Most parents think of Tylenol as a wonder drug -- harmless, readily available, and a miraculous cure for teething fussiness, ear infection pain, fevers and other childhood maladies. But when an old friend's son died recently from tylenol poisoning, I did some research. Call me naive, but I was shocked by what I learned.Apparently, Tylenol/Acetaminophen is toxic to the human body. It causes liver poisoning....
3/29/2018 7:00:00 AM
Did you know that many toys have phthalates in them? Hundreds of independent studies published in respectable, peer-reviewed scientific journals over the past forty years have linked phthalate exposure to serious health effects in children, including reduced testosterone levels, lowered sperm counts, early puberty in girls, and genital defects in baby boys. And yet many soft plastic or vinyl toys,...
7/22/2008 11:31:36 AM
The babies won't remember the experience, so it won't hurt them." So goes the justification for NBC's new reality series, "The Baby Borrowers," in which babies and toddlers are sold by their parents to be mishandled by teenagers for days at a time. What year is this? We now have almost a century of research showing that babies and toddlers are impacted for life by early separations, which, by definition,...
7/8/2008 9:48:15 AM
Did you know that residential treatment programs for teens are big business? It's a massive industry that includes hundreds of poorly-regulated programs around the country. A terrifying expose in MotherJones Magazine by Maia Szalavitz poses the question: "When Is Tough Love Torture?"Says Szalavitz, describing testimony at recent congressional hearings : "A young man who testified ... described one...
7/3/2008 7:43:44 AM
I recently wrote on my YourParentingSolutions.com blog about the new birth order study that's causing all the fuss. The short version is: Researchers think they've proven that first borns have higher IQs, and parents are worried about their later-born kids. I say, reading to them makes up the difference and then some. Not to mention that breastfeeding has more impact than birth order on IQ. Click here...
12/6/2007 12:48:35 PM
A report analyzing 35 different scientific studies of the effect of television on the viewer has identified 15 negative physical and psychological effects associated with watching television. While television has long been blamed for the rise in childhood obesity and diminished reading among children, this study, authored by Dr. Aric Sigman, suggests even more serious consequences for children who...
11/5/2007 8:00:00 AM
Why are some women better mothers than others? Studies with animals implicate oxytocin in the bonding process -- those with low oxytocin exhibit slower pup retrieval and less licking and grooming -- but little research has been done with humans. Now a new study in the November issue of Psychological Science suggests that women with higher levels of oxytocin during their first trimester are primed to...
11/1/2007 7:00:00 AM
Britain's Channel 4 is under attack for its latest reality show. This one subjects newborns to a variety of childrearing methods, including some I think are barbaric. A recent episode of Bringing Up Baby with Claire Verity, a celebrity nanny who calls herself a maternity nurse but whose only qualification seems to be sleeping with Mick Jagger when she was supposed to be caring for his child, provoked...
10/31/2007 7:00:00 AM
Many parents, in an effort to give their baby the best head start in life, purchase educational DVDs such as Brainy Baby and Baby Einstein. Although the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children should not watch television until two years of age, countless parents rationalize contradicting this standard pediatric advice, seduced by the promise of a smarter child, or maybe at least by...
10/29/2007 7:00:00 AM
My daughter's teacher was legendary for her understanding of both children and parents. At our first conference, she told me that my daughter was unusual in being so well-adjusted despite both her parents holding demanding jobs that entailed travel. How did we do it? We had a wonderful au pair, I explained; I always took her and my daughter when I traveled, and my children were my first priority. But...
6/19/2007 7:00:00 AM
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