A new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) on Children and Adolescents and Digital Media explores new recommendations for children’s media use. The report covers what we currently know about media use and how it affects young children and adolescents and makes recommendations for pediatricians and parents. These recommendations are designed to help adults make good choices that protect the health and safety of children, while understanding that media use is an important part of daily life.

Child care has become a major issue this election season, highlighted throughout the debates and presidential candidate platforms alike. The focus has mainly been on families and the challenges they face when seeking high-quality, affordable child care. For military families this can be especially difficult. According to the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), active-duty military personnel move an average of once every two to three years. This results in children changing schools and child care providers frequently. In addition, the DoD reports that roughly 70 percent of military families do not live on base, making access to military-funded installation child care even more limited.

Sadly, every year lives are lost because smoke alarms are neglected. From 2009-2013, three out of five home fire deaths occurred in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms. According to the National Fire Protection Association, smoke alarms in nearly 1 out of every 5 homes are not working.

This week, we are celebrating Fire Prevention Week. This year's theme is Don't Wait - Check the Date!

Parents and child care providers agree that feeding and sleep schedules are important to help keep their children healthy. The same goes for childhood immunizations. Vaccinating children on time is the best way to protect them from 14 serious and potentially deadly diseases before their second birthday, and it’s a shared responsibility.

Spotlight

The I am Moving, I am Learning (IMIL) tool.