Selected e-Media and Health Websites
Child Development:
Normal Developmental Milestones. First things first. Parents are often confused about what is normal - what a child can and should be doing. This anxiety and confusion often renders them vulnerable for "educational" claims of video or electronic toy manufacturers. From the AAP website.
Ages and Stages - from HealthyChildren.org. The Ages & Stages series of articles are designed to provide parents with age-appropriate information to help them take care of their child. Topics include nutrition, growth and development, safety, common problems and what to expect from your scheduled visits to your Pediatrician.
Cincinnati Children's Hospital: Growth and Development Conditions and Diagnoses - Information on a range of developmental topics for parents, including television and children, along with helpful referral information.
Bright Futures: Bright Futures is a national health promotion and disease prevention initiative that addresses children's health needs in the context of family and community. It provides information on child development, community resources, and other materials.
Reading and Literacy:
Baby Unplugged: A blog created by blue manatee's own ManaMD, pediatrician Dr. John Hutton, with a mission to help children and families stay "screen-free until three." Combines recent pediatric research, statistics, and stories, along with helpful links. Inspired by Dr. John's award-winning Baby Unplugged board book series.
6 Ways to Unplug! A great, downloadable (pdf) list of practical ways to encourage kids and families to unplug, tune in, and have fun! Suggestions by Dr. Ann Saluke and Cincinnati Children's Hospital. Illustrations by Baby Unplugged™ illustrator Andrea Kang!
Books Are Good Medicine: A website designed by John S. Hutton, MD, a pediatrician, offering handouts divided into developmentally-appropriate age ranges, and summarizing American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines, along with media-reduction tips, and book suggestions. Book suggestions include classics and recent titles, updated several times per year. Feel free to share, feedback welcome! Keep spreading the word for reading!
Read, Rest, Recover: An inpatient literacy initiative at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, which encourages reading as a nurturing alternative to electronic media for children in the hospital. It also encourages reduced electronic media as a means to improve sleep, patient/family satisfaction, and clinical outcomes.
Reach Out and Read: Reach Out and Read is an evidence-based nonprofit organization that promotes early literacy and school readiness in pediatric exam rooms nationwide by giving new books to children and advice to parents about the importance of reading aloud.
FreePlayTherapy: Our owner had the privilege of working with an exceptionally literate mentor, Dr. Joel Singerman, a pediatrician who is also the publisher of an excellent blog on children's literature. These regular posts offer thoughtful insight into both classic and contemporary children's literature, with glimpses in the context of child psychology and development.
Electronic Media:
American Academy of Pediatrics Media Matters: A national public education campaign of the American Academy of Pediatrics. It was launched in 1997 to help pediatricians, parents, and children become more aware of the influence that electronic media (television, movies, computer and video games, Internet, advertising, popular music, etc.) have on child and adolescent health.
Kaiser Family Foundation Study of Media and Health: An evolving compilation of recent, comprehensive and authoritative studies on health literacy, the health impact of electronic media use on kids, and family viewing trends.
KidsHealth.org: Part of The Nemours Foundation's Center for Children's Health Media, KidsHealth provides families with perspective, advice, and comfort in everyday language about a range of physical, emotional, and behavioral issues - including kids and media - that affect children and teens.
Pew Internet and American Life Project: from the non-profit Pew Research Center, produces reports exploring the impact of the internet on families, communities, work and home, daily life, education, health care, and civic and political life. Includes excellent, up-to-date information on new media and it use by kids.
CommonSenseMedia.org: "We exist because our nation's children spend more time with media and digital activities than they do with their families or in school, which profoundly impacts their social, emotional, and physical development. As a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization, we provide trustworthy information and tools, as well as an independent forum, so that families can have a choice and a voice about the media they consume."
Georgetown Early Learning Project: From Georgetown University. Researches understanding how children under the age of 2 interact with television. A compilation of studies and findings for this age group, including discussion of the video deficit effect.
Video Game Addiction.org: An informational and referral website regarding the increasing problem of Internet and video game addiction among kids.
Play:
Alliance for Childhood: A non-profit, pro-play group. "Promotes policies and practices that support children’s healthy development, love of learning, and joy in living. Our public education campaigns bring to light both the promise and the vulnerability of childhood. We act for the sake of the children themselves and for a more just, democratic, and ecologically responsible future."
KaBoom.org: A national non-profit dedicated to saving play for America's children. "Our mission is to create great playspaces through the participation and leadership of communities. Ultimately, we envision a place to play within walking distance of every child in America."
