Valley Pediatrics

02/18/2026

Call to schedule! Sports and camp will be here soon!

02/18/2026

02/16/2026

"Lifelong intellectual activity, such as reading or museum visits, was tied to lower Alzheimer's dementia risk in older adults."
Key word here is LIFELONG.

Intellectual enrichment throughout the lifespan tied to higher cognitive function

02/16/2026

Congratulations to Susan J. Kressly on being named to the Health List of the World’s Most Influential Leaders in Health! Dr. Kressly’s lifelong commitment to children’s health and advocacy continues to inspire pediatric teams everywhere. 💙 TIME Read more: https://hubs.la/Q043fSSK0

02/11/2026

There is a lot of "chatter" going around about ALUMINUM in vaccines. Did you know that aluminum is present in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and food we eat (including breastmilk and formula!) - and these exposures are much higher than the exposures from vaccines.
Aluminum in vaccines has no excess health risks in children or adults.

02/04/2026

02/03/2026

🚨 Weighted Sleep Sacks & Infants: Why I Do NOT Recommend Them — Even When Marketing Says They’re “Safe” &/Or If They Say “Pediatrician Approved” (I’m looking at you Dreamland & Dr. J)!

I understand how exhausted parents feel when their baby isn’t sleeping. I was there too! I also understand why products that promise “better sleep” are incredibly appealing. But as a pediatrician and child safety expert, my responsibility is to follow evidence-based medicine, not marketing — and when it comes to weighted sleep sacks for infants, the evidence and expert guidance are clear.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) does NOT recommend weighted sleep products for infants. This includes weighted blankets, weighted swaddles, and weighted sleep sacks. These items should not be placed on or near an infant during sleep.

Here’s why:

⚠️ No established safety standards
There are currently no federally regulated safety standards that determine how heavy is “safe,” how weight should be distributed, or how these products should be tested for infant sleep. Parents are being asked to trust marketing claims in the absence of real safety data.

⚠️ False or misleading claims
Many weighted sleep products are marketed as “pediatrician approved” or “tested,” yet there are no peer-reviewed studies demonstrating that these products are safe for unsupervised infant sleep, especially overnight. To be VERY clear, I have no respect for Pediatricians that take part in this kind of marketing. As professionals and experts we should be following evidence-based medicine & recommendations.

⚠️ Pressure on the chest
Infants have immature respiratory systems. Added weight on the chest can restrict chest wall movement, potentially impacting breathing and oxygenation — especially during deep sleep or illness.

⚠️ Difficulty maneuvering and repositioning
Infants must be able to move their head and body freely to protect their airway. Added weight may limit an infant’s ability to reposition, increasing the risk of suffocation or rebreathing.

⚠️ Impaired arousal
One of the greatest risks is that weight may reduce an infant’s ability to arouse from sleep. The ability to wake and respond is a known protective factor against sleep-related deaths.

⚠️ Reported deaths
There have been reported infant deaths associated with weighted sleep products, prompting warnings from child safety organizations and consumer protection agencies.

The AAP’s safe sleep guidance is evidence-based and has been shown to reduce sleep-related deaths:
✔️ Babies should sleep alone
✔️ On their backs
✔️ In a crib or bassinet
✔️ On a firm, flat surface
✔️ With NO weighted items, loose bedding, or sleep accessories

So when companies market weighted sleep sacks — and when pediatricians publicly endorse them — I struggle to understand how that aligns with evidence-based medicine, AAP guidance, and expert consensus on infant safety.

Parents deserve clear, honest information — not reassurance that contradicts well-established safety recommendations. And certainly not false or predatory marketing.

02/01/2026

01/31/2026

Grok, the AI built into X, is among the “worst” AI chatbots available and is unsafe. There are no safety guardrails. It provides false information, suggests risky behaviors such as running away from home & creates sexually explicit deepfakes, according to Common Sense Media’s report.

The chatbot on X suggests risky behavior, and is unsafe for teens, Common Sense Media says.

01/30/2026

Twelve medical professional organizations have endorsed the AAP’s schedule. This schedule based in science written by experts in the field.

The American Academy of Pediatrics’ childhood immunization schedule for 2026 preserves recommendations for vaccines that are no longer universally recommended under HHS’s overhaul of the CDC schedule. The AAP releases an updated vaccine schedule every year, but this is the first time in many yea...

01/28/2026

Testing high-risk kids for diabetes risk may lead to early treatments that delay or prevent diabetes. Any child with a parent or sibling with Type I diabetes should be tested. This is exciting news for the future of diabetes care.

Routine blood tests could spot children at risk for type 1 diabetes years early, cutting emergency diagnoses and opening the door to treatments that delay insulin.