Dad's Corner

Please click here to read our website disclaimer before using the resources on this page.

Welcome to the Dad's Corner page, an online resource for dads who are playing an ever increasing roll in nurturing and raising children. Also check out our Community Resources page for local resources. If you have suggestions or comments about information you would like to see on this page, please contact us.

Do you want your family to receive Healthy Start services? Ask your wife's prenatal health care provider to complete a Healthy Start Prenatal Screen at her next visit or contact the Healthy Start Assessment Center at Phone: (386) 947-2446 or Toll Free 1 (866) 301-2066.

Click the links below for information on:

Addiction-Drug Abuse During Pregnancy
Addiction-Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Addiction- Get Information, Find Treatment
Addiction-And Postpartum Depression
Asbestos in schools built before 1970 related to Mesothelioma
Bed Sharing, SIDS Prevention and Safe Sleeping
New - Benzocaine - FDA Warns of Risk to Teething Infants
Birth Defects Information from CDC.gov
Car Seat Safety Guidelines
Child Abuse Prevention Tips for Parents
Child Development Online Encyclopedia
Child Health
Child Health and Education Resources
Child Health and Safety
Colds - Alternatives for Treating Baby's Cold
Community Resources - 211 Live
Community Resources for Parents
Consumer Product Safety Commission
Co-Parenting - WeCanParentTogether.org
Crib Safety - Checking for Crib Defects
Crib Safety - KeepingBabiesSafe.org
Crying - Coping With It
Depression in Dads
Doctors-Find a Doctor Near You
Drowning Prevention Tools and Resources from Nova Southeastern Univeristy
Drugwatch.com - an informative site about drugs, conditions and side effects
Eye Exams (Free) for Infants 6 mos to 12 mos old through InfantSEE Program
Father's Health Habits Can Effect Fetal Health
Family Support Groups - Free
Fathers Reading Every Day (FRED) Initiative
New - FDA Comsumer Drug Resources
New - Fetal and Infant Loss Grief Toolkit
Flu Prevention/Immunization Inforamtion - Florida Department of Health
Food Safety
Health Care Information (Healhcare.gov)
Health Services Inforamton - Florida Department of Health
Hearing Loss In Children: Higher Rates Than Elderly
Hearing Loss in Children: 2010 Top 10 Noisiest Toys
Holiday Safety Tips
New - Home Safety Hazards and How to Avoid them
Información de Salud en Español (Health Care Inforamtion in Spanish)
Immunization Scheduler from the CDC (Type in child's date of birth and get a list of immunizations and dates)
Lead Alert Network
Lead Alert Children's Jewelry - QuinCrafts
Lead Exposure and Toys
Lead Poisoning - Protect Your Child
Mercury in Some Seafood Harmful to Unborn Child
Mental Health Services for EOF/OIF Veterans and Family
Newborn Development - A Parent's Guide
Nurturing Fathers - American Dad
Nurturing Fathers - Brand New Dad
Nurturing Fathers - Daddy Movement
Nurturing Fathers - Fatherhood Matters Newsletter
Nurturing Fathers - Fathers Forum Online
Nurturing Fathers - Great Dad - Because Dads Don't Always Think Like Moms
Nurturing Fathers - From Father to Daddy
Phone Service Discounts for Low Income Residents
Parenting Education Booklets FREE!
Parenting - Goals and Tools for Discipline
Parenting Information
Parenting Information- American Academy of Pediatrics
Parenting Information - Florida Department of Health
Parenting Information - USAA Educational Foundation
Parenting Information - Zero to Three.org
Perinatal HIV AIDS Prevention Community Site on FaceBook
Pertussis - Protect Your Baby From It
Poison Information - Florida Poison Informaiton Center
New - Pool Safety
Postpartum Depression - A Husband's Perspective
Postpartum Depression - Support
Pregnancy - Drinking Alcohol During Pregnancy
Pregnancy - Drug, Herb, and Supplement Use During Pregnancy
Pregnancy-Kicks Count! To monitor fetal health, count your baby's kicks during the third trimester
New - Prematurity Awareness-Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait!
Prematurity - Developmental Issues
Product Recalls
RSV - Respiratory Syncytial Virus - a leading cause of long term pulmonary sequeale in infants
Reel Fathers
Safe Haven for Newborns
Safe Sleeping Environments for Babies
Seatbelts and Pregnant Women-The Pregnant Woman's Guide to Buckling Up
Shaken Baby Syndrome
Smoking and It's Impact on Infants
STD/STI Information
Substance Abuse Treatment Programs in Your Area
Terminally Ill Children, Infant Death
Vaccine Education Center - The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Vitamin Overdose//Warning Information

What makes a safe sleeping environment for your baby?

Place your baby on his or her back to sleep for naps and at night.
Use sleep clothing, such as a one-piece sleeper, instead of a blanket.
Do not let anyone smoke near your baby.
Use a firm mattress in a safety-approved crib covered by a fitted sheet.
Make sure nothing covers the baby’s head.
Do not use billows, blankets, sleepskins, or pillow-like bumpers in your baby’s sleep area.
Keep soft objects, stuffed toys, and loose bedding out of your baby ’s sleep area.

For more information on Safe Sleeping:

Safe Sleep for Your Baby: Ten Ways to Reduce the Risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

Car Seat Safety Guides

American Association of Pediatricians Car Seat Safety Guide
PartsGeek.com Car Seat Safety Guide

Doctors

Looking for a doctor?

Click here to type in a doctor's name and get information about whether or not they accept Medicaid, their office locations, hospitals where they have privileges, their education and training, academic appointments, specialty certifications and more.

Want to file a complaint against a doctor or unlicensed person acting as a doctor?

Click here to file a complaint. The Department of Health, Division of Medical Quality Assurance is responsible for analysis of complaints and reports involving potential misconduct of a licensee and initiates investigations when appropriate. If the Department determines that your complaint is a possible violation of Florida Law, it will be investigated. A Department investigator may contact you for additional information. Following legal review, the Department will refer the complaint to the appropriate panel of the regulatory board to determine if a violation of the Florida Law has occurred.

Fathers Reading Every Day (FRED) Initiative

New Developed by Texas Cooperative Extension, an educational agency affiliated with the Texas A&M University System, Fathers Reading Every Day (FRED) is a program designed to encourage fathers, grandfathers, and other positive male role models to read to their children on a daily basis. The program aims to increase father involvement in children's literacy development and to improve the quality of father-child relationships.
http://fcs.tamu.edu/families/parenting/fathering/index.php

Shaken Baby Syndrome

Shaken Baby Syndrome is 100% preventable.

Previous studies have suggested that about a half of parents and adolescents are not aware of the dangers of violent infant shaking.
Men are most often the perpetrators of SBS.
It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere.
Shaking a child is child abuse.
When a baby is shaken, the head whips back and forth and causes the brain to slam against the skull repeatedly. The sudden impact can prompt bleeding in the brain, spinal cord injuries or damage to the retina. Shaken children suffer a variety of horrible outcomes, including severe brain damage, blindness, paralysis, seizures, fractures or death.
Caregivers should be educated on SBS, and parents should discuss ways to prevent it, i.e. offering a phone number so the caregiver can call if he or she becomes frustrated; assuring caregivers that placing a child who persistently cries in a safe place such as a crib, leaving the room, and then checking on the child periodically is acceptable (after the caregiver has exhausted all ways to relieve the child's distress).
Everyday handling of a baby, playful acts or minor household accidents do not cause the forces necessary to create SBS injuries. Shaking injuries are not caused by: bouncing a baby on your knee; tossing a baby in the air; jogging or bicycling with a baby; falling off furniture; sudden stops in a car or driving over bumps.
Parents in Florida who need help coping with their baby can call 911 or 1-800-FLA LOVE. A brochure about Shaken Baby Syndrome and ways to prevent it is available at the Florida Department of Health.

Vitamin Overdose/Warning Information

This section is dedicated to FDA notices about vitamins for pregnant women and infants

Vitamin D (Liquid) - Infant Overdose Risk