The American Academy of Pediatrics is announcing today that parents should keep toddlers' car seats facing the rear until at least age 2.

By Lawn Griffiths

TRENTON, N.J. - For the first time, it appears that more than half of all insured Americans are taking prescription medicines regularly for chronic health problems, a study shows.

Arizona earns a ‘B' grade in a new 50-state report card on dental health by the Pew Children's dental campaign.

A CDC report out this week shows whooping cough rates at their highest in 50 years. With that, the Arizona Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics is calling for mass vaccination of adults.

Expanding Arizona’s Medicaid program is vital to the wellbeing of children and their parents — our state’s working poor. As Arizona’s leading professional pediatric organization, we strongly urge support for Gov. Jan Brewer’s proposal.

With the recent death of an infant in Maricopa County from pertussis (whooping cough), the Arizona Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AzAAP) is renewing its plea for parents to not only immunize their children, but also make sure entire families are up to date on their vaccinations to protect newborns too young to receive immunizations.

DALLAS - As toddlers begin eating "grown-up" food, they may also develop grown-up eating habits - like too much junk food and too few vegetables, warn doctors who want parents to change their ways.

CHICAGO - The nation's leading pediatricians group says children from newborns to teens should get double the usually recommended amount of vitamin D because of evidence that it may help prevent serious diseases.

If you thought it was harmful for kids to lift weights, think again.

Ear infection is the most commonly diagnosed childhood illness in the United States. But for decades, debate has raged on how best to treat it.

CHICAGO - For the first time, an influential doctors group is recommending that some children as young as 8 be given cholesterol-fighting drugs to ward off future heart problems.

CHICAGO - For the first time, an influential doctors group is recommending that some children as young as 8 be given cholesterol-fighting drugs to ward off future heart problems.

CHICAGO - Researchers have found that every hour preschoolers watch television each day boosts their chances - by about 10 percent - of developing attention deficit problems later in life.

CHICAGO - Babies should be offered pacifiers at bedtime, and they should sleep in their parents' room - but not in their beds - in order to lessen the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, the nation's largest group of pediatricians says.

Nearly all U.S. children under 2 years old watch television, and about 40 percent of 3-month-olds do, too.

Babysitting can be a minefield of "what ifs" for both sitters and parents.

Retail-based health clinics are sprouting like mushrooms throughout the East Valley, offering diagnoses, immunizations and school physicals for patients who might otherwise be clogging an emergency room or doctor’s office.

WASHINGTON - Very young children simply should not take some commonly used cold and cough medicines, federal health officials say in recommending that the “consult your physician” advice to parents on the labels be dropped.

CHICAGO - More than 1 million U.S. youngsters have undiagnosed high blood pressure, leaving them at risk for developing organ damage down the road, a study suggests.

Once upon a time, there was a 1-year-old who boldly took her first steps toward the toilet, shedding her diaper along the way and liberating her fatigued parents from the financial and physical burden of carrying a diaper bag.

Educational DVDs aimed at teaching language to very young children cannot replace human interaction -- the most effective way that babies learn, according to a University of California, Riverside study.

Saying a loving home trumps the chance of disease, state lawmakers gave final approval Tuesday to allowing foster children to be placed in homes where other youngsters are not immunized.

February is National Children's Dental Health Month (NCDHM). The American Dental Association (ADA) sponsors this national awareness annually to raise the importance of oral health. The goal of the NCDHM is to educate children on developing good dental habits, encouraging scheduled dental visits, and to promote healthy eating habits across the country.