The Internet contains a tremendous quantity of information about childhood health. The following are some web sites that we have reviewed, and while we may disagree with particular statements in places, we have found them, on the whole, trustworthy and reliable. We hope that this list gives you a good starting point. We have included here a few web sites that we like whose primary focus is not health.
A caveat: if your child has a medical problem, contact us - the information contained in these web sites is best used for general informational purposes and does not substitute for a direct discussion of your child's condition with a pediatrician.
From the American Academy of Pediatrics - a list of Medical Resources for Pediatrics - emphasizes governmental agency sites (which are generally reliable and thorough). http://www.aap.org/advocacy/washing/medresc.htm
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/ Superb information about wide variety of conditions - including rare illnesses. Excellent search engine. Fine traveler's health information: http://www.cdc.gov/travel/ . A good place to start for most illnesses. See also the CDC's Vaccine Information Statements: http://www.cdc.gov/nip/publications/VIS/default.htm These are in .pdf format - they require the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view.
American Academy of Pediatrics: http://www.aap.org/ Reliable, scientifically accurate. Many childhood illnesses covered.
The Merck Manual: http://www.merck.com/pubs/mmanual/ The full text manual is here, minus illustrations, available for free. Basic information about illnesses and treatment. Easy to navigate; search engine works well.
ParentsPlace: http://www.parentsplace.com/ Chatty, friendly format; part of ivillage.com. Some information is controversial.
WebMD: http://www.webmd.com/ A popular site but commercial.
National Adoption Information Clearinghouse: http://naic.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm A helpful site for families pursuing adoption as well as for pregnant young women considering placing a baby for adoption.
U. S. Consumer Products Safety Commission: http://www.cpsc.gov/ Up-to-date information about product recalls.
City of Philadelphia: http://www.phila.gov/ Several useful phone numbers and links including the Department of Public Health.
Philadelphia weather forecast.
Philadelphia Inquirer/Daily News: http://www.philly.com/
Philadelphia School District: http://www.philsch.k12.pa.us/ Links to a number of individual schools.
National Geographic: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ Good interactive site. Fun daily quiz. Nice kids' section.
National Gallery of Art: http://www.nga.gov/ Worth exploring. Huge number of images. Kids' section.
The Library of Congress: http://www.loc.gov/ Tremendous wealth of documents.
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary/Thesaurus: http://www.m-w.com/dictionary.htm Handy tool; nice word of the day feature.
The Nine Planets: http://www.seds.org/billa/tnp/ Excellent astronomy site, beautiful photos, easy to navigate. Detailed information about the solar system, asteroids, comets, etc.
Encyclopedia Brittanica.com: http://www.britannica.com/ Wealth of information about many topics. Site is cluttered and a little hard to navigate.
Home About Our Practice FAQ's Worthwhile Web Sites In The News Our Newsletter Search