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Brain Development

With all the gadgets we have at home, how can I monitor my kids’ internet use?
 With all the gadgets we have at home, how can I monitor my kids’ internet use? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: I have a 5 and 10 year old and am wondering how I can monitor their internet use. We have a wireless Lynksys system, a Macbook, Wii, Xbox, and a Windows computer. Any thoughts?–Surfing, in South Jersey A: Dear Surfing, There are a number of software and firmware products that claim to monitor and/or…

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How do I keep my toddler from throwing a tantrum when I turn off the DVD player?
 How do I keep my toddler from throwing a tantrum when I turn off the DVD player? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: Each morning while I shower and get dressed, I let my two-year-old son watch 10-15 minutes of an innocuous video. This has worked well to keep him safe and still while I shower, but he pitches a fit every time I turn the movie off, despite the fact that we do this same routine every day and…

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How do you explain advertising to a 5-year-old?
 How do you explain advertising to a 5-year-old? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: My 5-year-old son’s summer camp is studying the Olympics, a topic he is very interested in.  We’ve been seeing many billboards and TV commercials with athletes promoting Coca Cola. The first time he saw one, he literally said, “Oh, if I drink Coca Cola, then I can be a great boxer too.”  Of course…

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What should I do if my six-year-old is afraid of children’s TV–but his younger sisters aren’t?
 What should I do if my six-year-old is afraid of children’s TV–but his younger sisters aren’t? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: I have a 6-year-old son, and he is very fearful of children’s television. For instance, when his younger sisters watch Winnie The Pooh and the bees start chasing Pooh Bear, my son screams in terror and runs out of the room. This does not scare his two younger sisters at all. Do you have…

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How can parents make the internet a safe place to play?
 How can parents make the internet a safe place to play? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: With kids of all ages using the internet for everything from socializing to finding information to playing games, how can we keep them as safe as they can be in that world? -Net Nervous A: Dear Net Nervous, You’re right–just like the school playground, the internet is a place where children play, learn, and…

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How can my kids experience nature when we live in a media-saturated city?
 How can my kids experience nature when we live in a media-saturated city? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: I live in a big city with my 3 year old son and 1 year old daughter, and I’ve noticed that children who live in such cities spend a lot of time playing on cement playgrounds and on the Web. I know that spending time in nature is good for children’s development, but how…

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Where can I find books for young advanced readers?
 Where can I find books for young advanced readers? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: My 8-year-old son is a precocious reader, and I am having a hard time finding books that are both age-appropriate and challenging enough to keep him engaged. I worry that the books at his reading level are too violent or contain other content that he’s not ready for. Where can I find books (lots…

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How can I tell if an e-book is appropriate for my 10-year-old?
 How can I tell if an e-book is appropriate for my 10-year-old? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: With the purchase of a couple of e-book tablets for our home, how can we know if the books our 10-year-old triplets will be reading on them are age appropriate? My daughter read a book she heard about in her 4th grade class during a book report, and it ended up having significant sexual…

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Am I overreacting if I don’t want my husband to play games like Grand Theft Auto with our 5-year-old?
 Am I overreacting if I don’t want my husband to play games like Grand Theft Auto with our 5-year-old? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: My husband plays X-box games rated for those over 16 or over 18, like Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, and Modern Warfare. He allows our 5-year-old son to play these games with him. I do not know anything about X-box, but I feel they are not suitable for a child that is so young.…

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Does the sound from TV affect infants?
 Does the sound from TV affect infants? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: Sometimes, we watch TV while our 7 week old is in the room. She’ll typically be in our arms or sleeping in her swing at the time. She never sees the images on TV. The shows we watch tend to be PBS shows, cooking shows, and other non-violent, non-suspenseful things. I wonder if hearing the…

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