A long-term primary focus of pediatricians is to eliminate disease and promote health. In order to best fulfill these objectives, it is necessary for a child's health care provider to build a trusting relationship with the child and the family. This can be best accomplished through scheduled visits at set intervals when the child is not ill. Well child exams also provide a framework where the health care provider, in partnership with the family and community, can promote the optimal health and well being of children - infants through young adulthood - and prevent illness and disability.

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     Breast milk or iron-fortified formula are the only foods recommended for the first four months of life. A breast-fed baby should be fed on demand.

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Babies often hit one of their growth spurts at 6 months. Around this time, it may seem that your little one just can't get enough, and you may be wondering if now's the time to add some solid food. The South Dakota Department of Health provides some guidelines for knowing when your baby is ready for solids and how to introduce them.

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     When children get close to one year old, they're getting ready to expand their tastes. The South Dakota Department of Health offers these guidelines to help you know what is appropriate to be feeding your growing little one.

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     Your beautiful baby is a few months old now, and you're beginning to think about giving her solid foods. But you're not quite sure when and what you should feed your little darling. Worse, you have visions of mashed peas being hurled through the air, covering your hair and hitting the floor and the walls. Feeding your baby solid foods for the first time can certainly be an adventure, but with some simple tips, you'll be an old pro before you can say "splatter."

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     Car seats, strollers, bouncy seats, and high chairs are great for keeping your little one safe and secure while you are getting around town or getting things done in the house. But, if kids spend too much time being sedentary, it can interfere with their motor development. Also, they can get too comfortable being sedentary and less likely to go out and play and be active. This inactivity will contribute to the ballooning rate of childhood obesity-this rate has doubled in the last twenty years!

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     According to the American Dental Association (ADA), it is never too early to establish good oral hygiene habits. This will ensure healthy teeth and gums for your child.

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     By the time your baby is three, she should have a full set of primary teeth. The process of getting those twenty little pearly whites, though, can be quite an ordeal. Some kids cut all their teeth without batting an eye, while others (and their families) agonize over every tooth.

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     Cases of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in the United States have fallen more than 50% since the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended in 1992 that infants be placed on their backs to sleep. In the hopes of eradicating SIDS, experts are now focusing on who isn't getting the message and why, as well as on other relevant sleep issues, such as bedding.

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     Infant massage can relieve pain, offer comfort, and provide a lasting bond between parents and babies.

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     Immunization protects against the following 10 serious diseases (infections) that can cause disability and death. These diseases used to strike thousands of children each year. Today there are relatively few cases, but outbreaks still occur each year because some babies are not immunized.