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Ask Our Experts



MEET THE DR.SPOCK EXPERTS

FEATURING:


Dr. Robert Needlman
Specialist in pediatric behavior and development.


Dr. Marjorie Greenfield
Specializing in pregnancy and birth.


Ms. Mary Silva
Specializing in feeding and nutrition.



Adolescence
Migraines in Adolescence - 04/18/02

Adolescent with Unusually Smelly Sweat - 02/08/02

10-Year-Old with Only One Budding Breast - 02/08/02

Onset of Puberty in Girls - 02/08/02

11- Year-Old Doesn't Care about Hygiene - 11/13/01

Adoption
Telling Preschooler about Her Biological Father - 12/19/01

Aggression
Living with a Controlling Three-Year-Old - 08/23/01

Defiant and Angry Three-Year-Old - 07/30/01

Acting Up in Preschool - 05/10/01

Nine-Year-Old HavingTrouble Getting Along with Parent and Classmates - 04/10/01

Overbearing Three-Year-Old - 04/10/01

Allergies
Food Allergies and Behavioral Problems - 01/17/02

Four-Year-Old Biting His Fingers - 11/13/01

What To Do For A Bee Sting - 06/01/00

Attention Problems
Daughter with ADHD, Tourette's, and Impulsive Behavior - 02/26/02

Food Allergies and Behavioral Problems - 01/17/02

Tips for Talking about Attention Problems - 11/19/01

Four-Year-Old Suddenly Having Trouble Focusing - 11/07/01

Five-Year-Old on Adderall and Angry - 10/01/01

Stimulants Effect on Growth - 08/29/01

Time It Takes for ADHD Medication to Take Effect - 07/23/01

Attention Problems and Unusual Movements - 05/10/01

New Bad Behavior in a Good 10-Year-Old - 04/10/01

An Immature Three-Year-Old - 04/06/01

A Five-Year-Old Who Won't Stop Talking - 04/06/01

Ritalin and Delayed Growth - 04/06/01

ADHD-Inattentive Subtype - 03/15/01

A Talkative Seven-Year-Old - 02/20/01

Encouraging An Active 6 Year Old To Read - 05/28/00

Autism
Four-Year-Old Cannot Communicate in Sentences - 11/07/01

Babysitting
11-Year-Old Babysitting Younger Sibling - 07/23/01

Beauty and Self Care in Pregnancy
The Hazards of Artificial Nails - 11/08/00

Bed-Wetting and Daytime Wetting
Seven-Year-Old Secretly Wearing Baby Brother's Diapers - 11/29/01

Eight-Year-Old Upset with Custody Arrangement - 11/13/01

Six-Year-Old Uncomfortable Using the Potty - 11/13/01

Bed-Wetting and Zoloft - 08/24/01

11-Year-Old with a Wetting Problem - 06/12/01

New Big Brother Wetting His Pants - 04/06/01

Potty Trained Four-Year-Old Wetting the Bed - 04/06/01

Daytime Wetting in a 2½-Year-Old - 04/02/01

Potty-Trained Preschooler Having Daytime Accidents - 03/15/01

Potty Regression - 03/15/01

A 10-Year-Old Who Soils His Pants - 02/28/01

Behavior & Development
What is the relationship of your experts to Dr. Spock? - 10/08/00

Birth Order
Worried about Son Being an Only Child - 07/23/01

Every Child Has a Special Place - 05/10/01

Irresponsible Firstborn - 05/10/01

Brains and Thinking
Supporting Siblings Who Learn Differently - 04/11/02

Child Asking Questions She Knows the Answers To - 12/21/01

Sources for Earliest Memories - 09/11/01

Using Computer Games to Build Analytic Skills - 05/29/01

Breathing and Respiratory
Nighttime Cough in a Kindergartner - 07/22/02

Prolonged Cough in a 10-Year-Old - 07/22/02

Nine-Year-Old Blowing Air out Her Nose - 02/06/02

Wheezing Cough - 05/14/01

Constant Coughing after Gagging on an Apple - 05/08/01

Is croup contagious? - 10/09/00

Child Abuse and Neglect
A Suspicion of Neglect - 04/22/02

Grandchild Suffering from Abuse - 08/29/01

Witnessing a Parent on the Verge of Abuse - 05/22/00

Child Care
To work or not to work? - 10/10/00

Colds and Flu
Nighttime Cough in a Kindergartner - 07/22/02

Prolonged Cough in a 10-Year-Old - 07/22/02

Flu Shots: A Good Idea for Healthy Kids? - 10/26/01

Wheezing Cough - 05/14/01

Cold or Flu - 04/09/01

Cold(s) and Immunity - 10/09/00

Constipation
Blood in Stools - 10/23/00

Non--Binding Foods for Hirshsprung's Disease - 10/10/00

Crying
Toddler Crying at Night because Her Feet Hurt - 04/11/02

Death and Grieving
Five-Year-Old Worried about Death - 10/01/01

Loss Hits Eight-Year-Old Close to Home - 09/24/01

Eight-Year-Old Asking about the Death of a Family Member - 09/14/01

Depression
Daughter with ADHD, Tourette's, and Impulsive Behavior - 02/26/02

Nine-Year-Old Threatening to Kill Himself - 07/31/01

Development: How It Happens
Two-Year-Old Climber - 10/13/00

Concern About Delayed Developmental Milestones - 06/11/00

Discipline
Preteens Have No Respect for Authority - 08/24/01

Hard to Watch Boyfriend Cater to His Daughter's Every Whim - 04/02/01

Theories And Books About Discipline - 05/28/00

Discipline: Specific Techniques
Living with a Controlling Three-Year-Old - 08/23/01

Overbearing Three-Year-Old - 04/10/01

An Immature Three-Year-Old - 04/06/01

Child Who Bites Himself after Being Punished - 03/15/01

A Born Negotiator - 02/20/01

Dealing With A Bossy 4 Year Old - 05/23/00

Divorce
An 'Incomplete' Family - 02/08/02

Moving Away from Daughter's Father - 12/21/01

Telling Preschooler about Her Biological Father - 12/19/01

Helping Daughter Have Relationship with Half-Sibling - 11/20/01

Eight-Year-Old Upset with Custody Arrangement - 11/13/01

Starting Preschool While Parents Finalize Custody Issues - 11/07/01

Three-Year-Old Wants a Father - 11/07/01

Bedtime Wars in Divorced Family - 06/12/01

When Sleeping Alone is Traumatic - 04/10/01

Hard to Watch Boyfriend Cater to His Daughter's Every Whim - 04/02/01

Staying Together for the Sake of the Children - 10/26/00

Ear Infections
Swimming with an Ear Infection - 07/02/01

Chronic Ear Infections Make Four-Year-Old Cranky - 02/28/01

Ear Problems: Miscellaneous
Normal Hearing Test Results, Abnormal Hearing - 02/06/02

When a Four-Year-Old Needs Surgery - 05/09/01

Eating Disorders
Tiny Five-Year-Old - 11/08/01

School-Related Stomachaches - 06/12/01

Three-Year-Old Vomits to Lose Weight - 04/10/01

Worried Friends Are Underweight - 04/06/01

Emotions: What They Mean
Gifted 12-Year-Old Prone to Meltdowns - 11/16/01

Assuring Children They Are Safe in the Face of Uncertainty - 10/01/01

Trouble Getting Child to Eat or Talk about How He Feels - 10/01/01

Helping Children Feel More Secure in Times of National Crisis - 10/01/01

Child Wants to Stay Close to Mom - 10/01/01

Five-Year-Old Worried about Death - 10/01/01

Hiding My Son's 'Blankie' - 08/24/01

Traveling without Baby - 07/23/01

Three-Year-Old Girl Giving Mom the Cold Shoulder - 06/13/01

Avoiding Meltdowns - 03/15/01

Homesick 10-Year-Old - 10/31/00

Giving an Aunt the Silent Treatment - 10/20/00

Encopresis
Five-Year-Old Soiling His Pants 10 Times a Day - 04/11/02

Bowel Movement Accidents at Four - 05/23/01

A 10-Year-Old Who Soils His Pants - 02/28/01

Eyes
Contagiousness of Pinkeye - 04/16/01

Fathering
Three-Year-Old Wants a Father - 11/07/01

Concerned about Introducing Seven-Year-Old Son to Boyfriend - 04/02/01

Hard to Watch Boyfriend Cater to His Daughter's Every Whim - 04/02/01

Parents Have Different Views about Daughter Wearing Makeup - 04/02/01

Fears
Three-Year-Old Afraid of Clowns - 07/24/02

Assuring Children They Are Safe in the Face of Uncertainty - 10/01/01

Helping Children Feel More Secure in Times of National Crisis - 10/01/01

Five-Year-Old Worried about Death - 10/01/01

Coping with Siblings in the Military - 10/01/01

Making Sense of Terrorism - 09/12/01

Preschooler Overwhelmed by Fears - 06/13/01

Scared of Insects - 05/29/01

Four-Year-Old Refuses to Get a Haircut - 05/10/01

Four-Year-Old Cries over Little Things - 04/10/01

Fear of Exams in an Eight-Year-Old - 04/06/01

Chronic Stomachaches in a Six-Year-Old - 04/06/01

Homesick 10-Year-Old - 10/31/00

Bad Dreams - 10/20/00

Dealing with Fear of Differences - 10/17/00

Fever: Overview
A High Fever with no Other Symptoms - 10/21/00

Fever: Treatment
A High Fever with no Other Symptoms - 10/21/00

Fever Medication: Knowing The Dose - 05/27/00

Food Allergies
Wired on Red Dye - 02/26/02

Food Allergies and Behavioral Problems - 01/17/02

Tiny Five-Year-Old - 11/08/01

Egg Allergy in a One-Year-Old - 07/20/01

Non--Binding Foods for Hirshsprung's Disease - 10/10/00

Food Safety
Accidentally Took a Bite of Raw Chicken - 06/13/01

Constant Coughing after Gagging on an Apple - 05/08/01

Raw chicken and Salmonella - 10/08/00

Friends and Peers
Appropriate Age for a Sleepover - 04/11/02

Nine-Year-Old Hates Team Sports - 02/06/02

In Love at Age Four - 01/17/02

Older Sibling Wants to Play Alone with His Friends - 11/29/01

School-Related Stomachaches - 06/12/01

Baby Sister has No One to Play with at Family Gatherings - 05/23/01

New Kid Being Picked On - 05/23/01

Standing Up to Bullies - 05/23/01

Six-Year-Old Son Coerced into Playing 'Secret Game' - 04/02/01

2½-Year-Old Bullied at Playgroup - 03/15/01

Bossy Granddaughter Has No Friends - 10/14/00

GI Problems: Miscellaneous
Bowel Movement Accidents at Four - 05/23/01

Green Stools - 05/14/01

Chronic Stomachaches in a Six-Year-Old - 04/06/01

Non--Binding Foods for Hirshsprung's Disease - 10/10/00

Genital Issues
Explaining Circumcision to a Four-Year-Old - 11/29/01

Talking about Penis Size - 11/07/01

Visible Groin Lymph Nodes in Young Children - 09/11/01

Pus-Filled Bumps on Genital Area and Hands - 04/09/01

Grandparents
Eight-Year-Old Upset with Custody Arrangement - 11/13/01

Worried Grandma Spoils Him - 05/23/01

A Six-Year-Old Who Wants to Stay at Grandma's House - 05/10/01

A Mother-In-Law Who Thinks She Knows Best - 04/02/01

Growth and Growth Charts
Foods to Grow On - 12/19/01

Tiny Five-Year-Old - 11/08/01

Concerned about a Short, Heavy Girl - 11/08/01

Concerned about Preteen's Weight - 10/05/01

Growing Pains - 08/23/01

Habit Problems
Constantly Reminding Children to Wear their Seatbelts - 01/17/02

Child Asking Questions She Knows the Answers To - 12/21/01

11- Year-Old Doesn't Care about Hygiene - 11/13/01

Four-Year-Old Biting His Fingers - 11/13/01

Nine-Year-Old Still Fond of His Blanket - 11/07/01

Hiding My Son's 'Blankie' - 08/24/01

A Ten-Year-Old Who Still Sucks His Thumb - 05/29/01

Tips for Phasing Out Use of a Pacifier - 05/10/01

A Toddler Who Blinks Often - 02/20/01

A 3 Year Old Who Bites Her Nails - 05/21/00

Handedness
Left-Handed Child Forced to Use Right Hand in School - 11/16/01

Handedness: Sources of Information - 08/24/01

Health & Medical
What is the relationship of your experts to Dr. Spock? - 10/08/00

Health Promotion
Migraines in Adolescence - 04/18/02

Severe Sunburn on the Face - 04/18/02

Bathing Young Children: When and How Often - 12/19/01

11- Year-Old Doesn't Care about Hygiene - 11/13/01

Flu Shots: A Good Idea for Healthy Kids? - 10/26/01

The Hazards of Artificial Nails - 11/08/00

Kids & Vitamin C - 10/25/00

Sun Exposure - 06/23/00

Healthy Eating
Wired on Red Dye - 02/26/02

Chocolate Milk & Weakened Bones - 02/07/02

Foods to Grow On - 12/19/01

Four-Year-Old Wants to Eat Frequently - 08/17/01

Healthy Weight for a Nine-Year-Old - 08/17/01

'Balancing' Proteins for Vegetarians - 03/22/01

Bedtime Snacks - 03/22/01

A Suitable Diet for a Child with Special Needs - 11/28/00

Ensuring That Milk-Haters Get Their Calcium - 11/07/00

A 17-Month-Old Semi-Vegetarian - 10/11/00

Ways to Get Around a Non-Milk Drinker - 10/11/00

Holidays
Snooping, then Lying about It - 12/17/01

Dad Unsure How to Handle Santa Issue - 06/12/01

Baby Sister has No One to Play with at Family Gatherings - 05/23/01

Holidays: Fall
Not Happy with Halloween Costume Options - 10/01/01

Baby Sister has No One to Play with at Family Gatherings - 05/23/01

Holidays: Winter
Snooping, then Lying about It - 12/17/01

Dad Unsure How to Handle Santa Issue - 06/12/01

Baby Sister has No One to Play with at Family Gatherings - 05/23/01

Immunizations: General
Helping a Four-Year-Old Cope with a Shot Visit - 07/22/02

Chickenpox Vaccine-Related Rash - 04/18/02

Vaccine Shortages - 04/11/02

Bacterial Meningitis: The Importance of Immunizations - 05/14/01

Vaccinations after a Splenectomy - 05/14/01

Getting Chickenpox from a Sister with Shingles - 11/12/00

Chickenpox Vaccine Pros and Cons - 10/09/00

Immunizations: The Shot Visit
Helping a Four-Year-Old Cope with a Shot Visit - 07/22/02

Infections of Childhood
Chickenpox Vaccine-Related Rash - 04/18/02

Kawaski Disease - 04/11/02

Infections Passed through Bite Wounds - 02/26/02

Swollen Neck Nodes - 02/07/02

Contagiousness of Chickenpox - 07/02/01

Four-Year-Old with an 'Itchy Bottom' - 07/02/01

Chickenpox Risk to Pregnant Women - 06/22/01

Coxsackievirus in the Summertime - 06/22/01

Slapped Cheek - 05/10/01

Slapped Cheek (Fifth Disease) Risk to People with Cancer - 05/10/01

Cold or Flu - 04/09/01

Mononucleosis' Contagion Period - 10/09/00

Cold(s) and Immunity - 10/09/00

Raw chicken and Salmonella - 10/08/00

Hand, Foot, And Mouth Disease - 06/23/00

Mononucleosis - 06/23/00

Insects: Bites and Stings
A Bite Wound the Size of a Baseball - 04/16/01

What To Do For A Bee Sting - 06/01/00

Language: Talking and Understanding
Preschooler Having Trouble Speaking Smoothly - 07/24/02

Not Sure School Program Is Enough for Child with Speech Delay - 02/08/02

Four-Year-Old Cannot Communicate in Sentences - 11/07/01

Spanish-Speaking Child in English-Speaking Day Care - 10/01/01

Bilingual baby - 04/10/01

Problems With Pronunciation - 06/08/00

Learning Words: Limited Vocabulary In A 2-year-old - 06/03/00

Mealtime Behavior
Three-Year-Old Vomits to Lose Weight - 04/10/01

Preschooler Who Only Wants to Eat Fruits and Veggies - 03/08/01

Worried that Toddler Won't Eat Vegetables - 03/08/01

Toddler's Picky Eating Habits - 11/10/00

The Pickiest Eater I've Ever Seen - 06/26/00

Media Watch
Making Sense of Terrorism - 09/12/01

Child-related Recall Information - 06/01/00

Medicines
Four-Year-Old Biting His Fingers - 11/13/01

Flu Shots: A Good Idea for Healthy Kids? - 10/26/01

Five-Year-Old on Adderall and Angry - 10/01/01

Stimulants Effect on Growth - 08/29/01

Full vs. Half Dose of Medicine - 05/23/01

Ritalin and Delayed Growth - 04/06/01

Avoiding The Use Of Aspirin - 05/28/00

Fever Medication: Knowing The Dose - 05/27/00

Menstruation
Daughter Had Her First Period and Then Nothing - 02/28/02

10-Year-Old with Only One Budding Breast - 02/08/02

Onset of Puberty in Girls - 02/08/02

Mental Health Care
Daughter with ADHD, Tourette's, and Impulsive Behavior - 02/26/02

Child Having Extremely Violent Nightmares - 02/06/02

Food Allergies and Behavioral Problems - 01/17/02

Seven-Year-Old Secretly Wearing Baby Brother's Diapers - 11/29/01

Nine-Year-Old Threatening to Kill Himself - 07/31/01

Five-Year-Old Obsessing about Things - 07/23/01

Fear of Exams in an Eight-Year-Old - 04/06/01

Child Who Bites Himself after Being Punished - 03/15/01

Seven-Year-Old Wearing Mother's Stockings - 03/08/01

Bossy Granddaughter Has No Friends - 10/14/00

Misbehavior: Miscellaneous
Nine-Year-Old Won't Listen to Parents - 06/13/01

Ten-Year-Old Taking a Long Time to Do Everything - 05/29/01

Peeing in the Wrong Places - 05/23/01

Four-Year-Old Refuses to Get a Haircut - 05/10/01

Two Preschoolers Making Mom Act As Referee - 05/10/01

New Bad Behavior in a Good 10-Year-Old - 04/10/01

Chronic Ear Infections Make Four-Year-Old Cranky - 02/28/01

Bossy Granddaughter Has No Friends - 10/14/00

Tattoo Troubles - 10/12/00

Motor Development
Outlook for Child with Dyspraxia - 11/13/01

Mouth and Throat Problems
Swollen Throat and Side - 09/11/01

Mouth Blisters and Bruises - 05/14/01

Constant Coughing after Gagging on an Apple - 05/08/01

Other Pregnancy Complications
Chickenpox Risk to Pregnant Women - 06/22/01

Overweight and Underweight
Tiny Five-Year-Old - 11/08/01

Concerned about a Short, Heavy Girl - 11/08/01

Concerned about Preteen's Weight - 10/05/01

Healthy Weight for a Nine-Year-Old - 08/17/01

Helping a 16-Month-Old Gain Weight - 07/11/01

Whole Milk for Poor Eaters - 07/11/01

Three-Year-Old Vomits to Lose Weight - 04/10/01

Worried Friends Are Underweight - 04/06/01

Concerned Toddler is Underweight - 03/22/01

"Good" Weight for an Eight-Year-Old - 10/07/00

Overweight Concerns - 06/26/00

Parenting
Supporting Siblings Who Learn Differently - 04/11/02

Constantly Reminding Children to Wear their Seatbelts - 01/17/02

Nine-Year-Old Won't Listen to Parents - 06/13/01

Irresponsible Firstborn - 05/10/01

Getting Started in Pediatrics - 05/10/01

Parents Have Different Views about Daughter Wearing Makeup - 04/02/01

Researching Working vs. Stay-At-Home Moms - 03/12/01

Explaining 'Naughty' Language to a Six-Year-Old - 03/08/01

A Four-Year-Old's New Interest in the Stork - 02/28/01

Kiddies & Kitties - 11/01/00

Fight, Flight, or Handling Things Right: Conflict-Resolution Techniques - 10/23/00

The Merits of Physical Contact - 10/17/00

To work or not to work? - 10/10/00

When Parenthood is Frazzling - 05/20/00

Parties
Appropriate Age for a Sleepover - 04/11/02

Pets
Kiddies & Kitties - 11/01/00

Preschool
Not Sure School Program Is Enough for Child with Speech Delay - 02/08/02

In Love at Age Four - 01/17/02

Starting Preschool While Parents Finalize Custody Issues - 11/07/01

Writing Letters Upside Down - 10/01/01

Spanish-Speaking Child in English-Speaking Day Care - 10/01/01

When to Start Preschool - 07/23/01

Rashes and Skin Care
Severe Sunburn on the Face - 04/18/02

A Young Child with Unpleasant Body Odor - 04/11/02

Adolescent with Unusually Smelly Sweat - 02/08/02

Five-Year-Old with an Itchy Bottom - 02/07/02

Ringworm - 08/24/01

Four-Year-Old with Smelly Sweat - 05/29/01

Painful IV Site - 05/14/01

Slapped Cheek - 05/10/01

Slapped Cheek (Fifth Disease) Risk to People with Cancer - 05/10/01

Pus-Filled Bumps on Genital Area and Hands - 04/09/01

Getting Chickenpox from a Sister with Shingles - 11/12/00

Scarred Tomboys - 10/19/00

Clearing Up Athlete's Foot - 05/27/00

Reading Aloud: Nurturing Literacy
Writing Letters Upside Down - 10/01/01

Active Toddler Is Tough to Read To - 06/12/01

Safety: Automobile
Constantly Reminding Children to Wear their Seatbelts - 01/17/02

Car Seat Guidelines for Older Children - 09/11/01

Safety: Household
Child-related Recall Information - 06/01/00

Safety: Outdoors
Severe Sunburn on the Face - 04/18/02

Scarred Tomboys - 10/19/00

Sun Exposure - 06/23/00

Safety: Water
Sun Exposure - 06/23/00

School Issues
Nine-Year-Old Hates Team Sports - 02/06/02

Child Recently Started Acting Out in School - 11/20/01

Writing Letters Upside Down - 10/01/01

When to Start Preschool - 07/23/01

A Mixed-Age Classroom in Kindergarten - 07/23/01

School-Related Stomachaches - 06/12/01

The Right Time to Start School - 10/17/00

"Sick" Kindergartener May Be Worried About School - 10/16/00

School Problems
Bright Child Only Does the Minimum Schoolwork - 07/24/02

Supporting Siblings Who Learn Differently - 04/11/02

Not Sure School Program Is Enough for Child with Speech Delay - 02/08/02

Nine-Year-Old Hates Team Sports - 02/06/02

Food Allergies and Behavioral Problems - 01/17/02

Should 'Delayed' Child Start Kindergarten? - 01/17/02

Third Grader Taking a Long Time to Complete Schoolwork - 11/29/01

Child Recently Started Acting Out in School - 11/20/01

Eight-Year-Old Upset with Custody Arrangement - 11/13/01

Writing Letters Upside Down