The Latest Breaking News from American Academy of Pediatrics

Ask the Pediatrician: How important is it to take care of baby teeth?

Seeing your baby's first tooth is an exciting milestone. Most little ones will get their first (primary) teeth around 6 months of age, though tiny teeth can emerge as early as 3 months.

Tribune News Service · Feb 20, 2023

‘I’m tired and scared’: The ‘historically bad’ wave of anti-LGBT+ legislation impacting youth mental health

A record number of state-level bills targeting transgender young people and the inflammatory right-wing rhetoric surrounding them are having a damaging effect on LGBT+ youth, Alex Woodward reports

The Independent UK · Feb 18, 2023

Doctors raise concerns over Florida possibly requiring student athletes’ menstrual information

MIAMI — While a change in diet, medication, exercise and stress can all affect a girl’s menstrual flow, doctors say cycle irregularities don’t affect their ability to play sports and are raising privacy concerns over a state board proposing to mandate that information for Florida students to play high school…

Miami Herald · Feb 9, 2023

Pediatricians say obese children in the US should be given weight loss drugs in controversial new ruling

‘There is research that shows that getting bariatric surgery sooner can reverse health issues like Type 2 diabetes’

The Independent UK · Jan 9, 2023

Is it COVID, the flu, RSV or just a cold? Here’s what your symptoms could mean

There’s a trio of viruses spreading in the U.S. — COVID-19, the flu and RSV — and some in the medical world are calling it a “tripledemic.”

McClatchy Washington Bureau · Dec 22, 2022

Ask the Pediatrician: How can I decorate for the holidays safely with young children?

Twinkly lights, candles, holiday trees and plants, ornaments and other decorations are a popular part of holiday celebrations. Besides being festive and fun, the decorations your family brings out every year can help children feel connected to family traditions.

Tribune News Service · Dec 19, 2022

RSV treatments for young children are lacking, but the record 2022 cold and flu season highlights the urgency for vaccines and other preventive strategies

For many parents, respiratory syncytial virus – or RSV – which has been causing record numbers of hospitalizations of children during the fall of 2022, may sound like a relatively new and unheard-of threat. But in fact, RSV is a common respiratory virus that circulates every fall and winter and…

The Conversation · Dec 16, 2022

A hospital bed shortage fueled by greed

"There’s no incentive for hospitals to provide money-losing services," one doctor explained

Salon · Dec 14, 2022

LGBTQ, health groups see divide on digital protection bill

WASHINGTON — Lobbyists are at odds over the possible inclusion of a bipartisan children’s digital protection bill in a year-end spending bill, sparking confusion between groups who often align on policy aims.

Tribune News Service · Dec 13, 2022

LGBTQ, health groups see divide on digital protection bill - Roll Call

The bill aims to regulate social media in a way designed to protect kids and reduce the risk of exacerbating mental health concerns.

Roll Call · Dec 12, 2022