July 7, 2003

Child Development

"Information about child development enhances parents' capacity to respond appropriately to their children. Informed parents are better equipped to problem-solve, more confident of their decisions, and more likely to respond sensitively to their children's developmental needs."
L.P. Wandersman.

Check out MedlinePlus for its wonderful list of resources on child development (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/childdevelopment.html). Here are some additional resources that are worth a look.

Ask Dr. Sears.com (http://askdrsears.com/)

This Web site was developed by a family of medical practitioners - William Sears, MD and Martha Sears, RN. After raising eight children and practicing pediatric medicine for more than 30 years, they have answered questions from thousands of parents. (Two of their sons are also doctors.) This site is filled with practical parenting and health advice. Sections include: pregnancy and childbirth, breastfeeding, bottle feeding, feeding infants and toddlers, family nutrition, etc. For some fun reading, check out Dr. Bob's Diary and Diary of a Third-Time Dad. (Note: this is a commercial site, but is very useful and written for the consumer.)

Child and Family WebGuide (http://www.cfw.tufts.edu/)

The WebGuide is a directory that evaluates, describes and provides links to hundreds of sites containing child development research and practical advice. The WebGuide is based on parent and professional feedback, as well as support from such noted child development experts as David Elkind, Edward Zigler, and the late Fred Rogers. Sections include: family/parenting, education/learning, child development, health/mental health, and resources/recreation. There is a second arrangement of topics by age group.

KinderStart (http://www.kinderstart.com/)

"Because kids don't come with instructions" is the tag line for this Web site. KinderStart is an indexed directory and search engine focused on children zero to seven. This site does not provide its own content, but instead links to many other sites on the Internet. Look for the "rated" Web sites in your search results.

Maternal and Child Health Library (http://www.mchlibrary.org/)

The MCH Library is part of the National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health (NCEMCH), at Georgetown University. The A-Z topic index includes bibliographies, knowledge paths, organization lists, MCH publications, and MCH links. (A knowledge path includes links to Web sites, electronic publications, databases, and discussion groups, and citations for journal articles and other print resources.)

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (http://www.nichd.nih.gov/default.htm)

"The NICHD Administers a multidisciplinary program of research, research training, and public information, nationally and within its own facilities, on reproductive biology and population issues; on prenatal development as well as maternal, child and family health; and on medical rehabilitation."
Look in the Health Information and Media section for NICHD publications.

National Network for Child Care (http://www.nncc.org/)

Check out the Articles and Resources section. NNCC also publishes a quarterly newsletter, and maintains a discussion list. National Network for Child Care is supported by the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and CYFERNet - the Cooperative Extension System's Children, Youth, and Family Network.

Zero to Three (http://www.zerotothree.org/)

Zero to Three's mission is to promote the healthy development of infants and toddlers by supporting and strengthening families and communities. Sections include: Parenting A-Z, Tip of the Week, frequently-asked questions and a special section for health care providers. Zero to Three is a national non-profit organization. Zero to Three also publishes a bi-monthly journal.

This page © 2003 NAHEC

This page last modified: 02/14/03