Pediatrician Dr. T. Berry Brazelton offers practical guidance for raising a healthy child.

Few issues cause parents to fret more than food and nutrition concerns. Today Dr. T. Berry Brazelton and his colleague Dr. Joshua Sparrow answer reader questions about kids, food and nutrition.

My 3.5-year-old son will NOT eat vegetables at all, except (very occasionally) a couple of baby carrots. He has thus far defeated every one of the strategies I’ve used to sneak in veggies. He will eat certain kinds of fresh fruit, so I give him those whenever possible. We also avoid sweets and use whole grains rather than refined flour. But I worry that he’s getting poor nutrition — his diet is so heavy on meat, cheese, pasta and bread (in addition to whatever fruit he will eat, the current favorites being cantaloupe and red grapes). For his age, he’s only in the 25th percentile for height, while 50th for weight. Our pediatrician said he didn’t need a multivitamin and she didn’t see any cause for worry about weight. What do you think? . — Michelle

Dr. Brazelton responds: Vegetables! I hated them as a child — and I still hate them. My younger brother hated them more. As I watched my mother hover over him for hours trying to shovel vegetables into him, while completely ignoring me, I began to hate my brother even more than vegetables. Now you know why I became a pediatrician — to stamp out vegetables, and to overcome my guilt at wanting to kill my brother! Read more…

A broad analysis of childhood bullying and the link with suicide has found that it’s not just the victims of bullying who are at risk. Bullies themselves also are more likely to have suicidal thoughts.

The finding comes from a review of bullying research from 13 countries. Researchers from the Yale School of Medicine have found that both bullies and their victims appear to be at high risk for suicidal thoughts, according to the report published in the International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health.

“While there is no definitive evidence that bullying makes kids more likely to kill themselves, now that we see there’s a likely association, we can act on it and try to prevent it,” wrote lead author Dr. Young-Shin Kim, assistant professor at Yale School of Medicine’s Child Study Center, in a press release. Read more…

Television may interfere with playtime. (Michael Temchine for The New York Times)

Many parents watch the news or other shows as children play nearby. But new research shows that even when the television is just background noise, it may be disruptive to a child’s normal development. Read more…

Children playing in New York City. (Credit: Christian Hansen for The New York Times)

Anyone who has been around young children knows they often are bundles of energy. But new research shows that all the energy starts to disappear as kids age. Even the most active children experience dramatic declines in physical activity as they hit the teen years.

The data are from a fascinating new study published today in The Journal of the American Medical Association. Kids in the study wore accelerometers, devices that monitor movement. Nine-year-olds moved a lot — the devices recorded about three hours a day of moderate to vigorous activity. But things changed dramatically when kids hit the teen years. By age 15, teens were only moving an average of 49 minutes daily and 35 minutes on weekends.

To learn more, click here to read my story on the recent findings.

And what about your kids? Have you noticed big changes in your child’s activity levels? Post your comments below.

Summer fun. (David Gonzalez/The New York Times)

Why is childhood nutrition tougher in the summertime than during the rest of the year?

That’s the question I explored in my Well column this week. Although schools often are blamed for contributing to childhood nutrition problems, some data suggest kids actually gain more excess weight during the summer. Researchers speculate that unstructured play, hot weather and camp junk food all may play a role.

What happens to your child’s eating and activity habits during the summer? Read the full Well column here and post your comments below.

Mowing the lawn is a summertime ritual and a rite of passage for many children. But a surprising number of adults and children are injured every year in mowing accidents.

Danger in the grass? (M. Spencer Green/Associated Press)

Last year, nearly 210,000 people were treated in clinics and emergency rooms for lawn mower-related injuries, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. About 16,200 of those accidents involved children.

The medical literature is filled with reports of lawn mower accidents and injuries. A 2006 report in the medical journal Pediatrics found that the average age of children injured in lawn mower accidents is 11, and the majority are boys. About 41 percent of lawn mower injuries to children are lacerations, while about 21 percent suffer muscle or ligament injuries. About 15 percent suffer burns, and 10 percent experience fractures. Amputations of the hands, fingers, feet and toes account for about 5 percent of injuries. Read more…

A 5-year-old leaving an exercise program for overweight children. A new study suggests that the epidemic of childhood obesity finally may be leveling off. (Matt Slocum/Associated Press)

The above photo appeared with a recent post I wrote about childhood obesity. Readers were critical of me not only for showing the picture, but for my later comment that I found the picture to be “sad.” I see a child who likely is teased by peers and is at risk for a lifetime of health problems. But readers disagreed.

“It’s also very unfortunate, TPP, that you felt the need to say a photo of a little girl having her hands held lovingly by two adults is ’sad,’” wrote reader Cathy W. “Yes, her weight is unfortunate and unhealthy, but you don’t know anything else about this little girl, so please refrain from judgments. I know it’s shocking to believe, but an overweight child can still be happy and loved!”

“I was an overweight child 40 years ago,” wrote reader Janet V. “But I was never sad, so I really am offended by your characterization of the child’s picture as such.”

I asked Dr. David Ludwig, director of the childhood obesity program at Children’s Hospital Boston, to talk about overweight kids and the controversial picture. To hear our conversation, click the link below. To read the original post and comments, click here.

Listen to the Podcast (mp3)

Child care has been the hottest topic on the Well blog this week after readers responded to a post about new research into outdoor play among young children.

Researchers from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center held focus groups with child-care workers about outdoor play and the reasons they sometimes keep kids indoors. I asked pediatrician Kristen Copeland, the study’s lead author, to tell us more. To hear our conversation, click on the link below.

Listen to the Podcast (mp3)

If there already weren’t enough reasons to get your child involved in sports, the story of Sara Tucholsky will give you another one.

Ms. Tucholsky plays softball for Western Oregon University, but in her high school and college careers, the 5-foot-2 player had never hit a home run. On the last Saturday in April, in a game against Central Washington University, she hit her first home run over the fence. But as she began to run the bases, a misstep resulted in a torn knee ligament and she couldn’t continue.

The umpire mistakenly ruled that a team member couldn’t run in her place or assist her around the bases. A member of the opposing team, first baseman Mallory Holtman, the career home run leader in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, asked the umpire if she and her teammates could help Ms. Tucholsky run the bases. He said they could, and Ms. Holtman and shortstop Liz Wallace carried her around the field as she gently tapped her uninjured leg on each base.

At least 150,000 people have now watched videos of the moment on YouTube. To see ESPN’s take on it, grab a tissue and watch below.

What’s keeping your child inside? (Sara Cedar Miller/Central Park Conservancy)

Outdoor play at day care centers is often stifled because a child arrives wearing flip-flops or without a coat or because teachers don’t feel like going outside.

Those were some of the surprising findings from a new study of children’s physical activity in day care settings. More than half of American children between the ages of 3 and 6 are in child care centers or preschools. Read more…

Sexual harassment at school is surprisingly common. (Richard Perry/The New York Times)

More than a third of middle- and high-school students may be victims of sexual harassment by their classmates, a new report shows.

The problem of sexual harassment from peers — which can include name-calling and unwanted touching in hallways and classrooms — is often largely dismissed as normal student behavior by school officials. However, the emotional toll of sexual harassment by school kids appears to be even worse than physical bullying, according to new research published this month in the journal Sex Roles.

“It happens in gym, on the school bus and when kids change classes,” said Susan Fineran, study coauthor and associate professor in the school of social work and women’s and gender studies at the University of Southern Maine. “And it’s who you’re sitting next to, who’s sitting behind you and in front of you.” Read more…

The Well blog was packed with parental wisdom last week as readers submitted their entries for our “What Kids Need to Know” contest.

The contest was based on the story of Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon University professor with terminal cancer who became a media sensation after giving a last lecture about achieving childhood dreams. Dr. Pausch says the lecture and a best-selling book based on the talk are his effort to distill a lifetime of fatherly advice for his kids since he won’t be around to raise them.

I asked readers to share their own examples of great parental advice, either dispensed or received. If you were diagnosed with a terminal illness, what advice would you leave with your kids?

Nearly 500 readers responded with their own amazing pearls of wisdom. Read more…

More weight, fewer cavities? (Chang W. Lee/The New York Times)

Overweight children have healthier teeth than normal weight kids, a new study shows.

The surprising finding, published this month in the journal Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology, comes from researchers at the Eastman Dental Center at the University of Rochester Medical Center. They analyzed data from nearly 18,000 children who participated in two separate major surveys that were part of the large and ongoing National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Among youngsters ages 2 to 5, there were no differences in rates of tooth decay. However, among children ages 6 to 18, those who were overweight or at risk for becoming overweight had fewer cavities than kids of normal weight. Read more…

I recently had the chance to shadow New York pediatrician Dr. Barney Softness as he cared for young patients and talked with parents. I asked Dr. Softness (yes, that’s his real name) to share his thoughts about the mistakes parents make when they visit. — Tara Parker-Pope

By Barney Softness, M.D.

Dr. Barney Softness.

Recently, a mother and her nervous toddler were waiting for me in my office. To reassure the child, the mother promised her there wouldn’t be any needles used during the visit. “Right, Dr. Barney? No needles?”

At that point, I hadn’t even examined the child. I didn’t know what was wrong with her and had no way of knowing if she might need a blood test. “That all depends on what is wrong with her,” I told the mother, who quickly scowled her disapproval, and the child erupted in protests.

Parents are an essential part of their children’s health care. Even though pediatricians are trained to treat children, we rely on parents’ instincts about their child’s health and their ability to comfort a child during an exam. Knowing what to say and what not to say can make the experience better for everyone, especially the child.

Yet well-meaning parents, who are really trying to make things as comfortable as possible for their child, can sometimes end up doing the exact opposite. Here are some examples. Read more…

When a child has an earache, parents often ask the pediatrician for an antibiotic prescription. I asked Dr. Alan Greene of the popular Web site www.drgreene.com to explain more about why antibiotics often are not the right treatment for kids with ear pain. — Tara Parker-Pope

By Alan Greene, M.D.

Dr. Alan Greene. (Tami DeSellier)

The old medical approach has been to routinely give antibiotics for acute ear infections. Ear infections are the top reason that antibiotics are given to children and the top reason that children get general anesthesia for surgery. It’s quick, easy and convenient for doctors to write an antibiotic prescription for ear infections, and parents want quick relief for their kids.

Simply giving antibiotics for ear infections doesn’t take into account where ear infections and ear pain come from. Nor does it take into account the consequences of these antibiotics — for us or the environment.

When antibiotics are given, kids are a bit more likely to get another ear infection sooner. And each time a child takes a course of antibiotics, future infections become harder to treat. Read more…