Toddler 411: Clear Answers & Smart Advice for Your Toddler

Ari Brown, M.D., FAAP completed her bachelor’s degree in child development from the University of Texas at Austin, her medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine, and her general pediatric residency and fellowship in developmental/behavioral pediatrics at Harvard Medical School/Children’s Hospital Boston. Dr. Brown is Board Certified and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She has been in private practice since 1995. Her passion to educate families (and sheer lunacy) led her to co-author Baby 411: Clear Answers and Smart Advice for your Baby’s First Year with Denise Fields in 2003. Baby 411 is a new parents’ survival guide and is a best seller with over 200,000 copies in print.

Dr. Brown is a trusted source for children’s healthcare information, serving as a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics and a medical advisor to Parents Magazine. She is a regularly featured parenting  expert on the Rachael Ray Show. She has also appeared on NBC’s Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, in the New York Times and Time Magazine.

Dr. Brown promotes child advocacy on the legislative committee for the Texas Pediatric Society, the communications council for the American Academy of Pediatrics, and advisor to the Texas Medical Association’s Be-Wise Immunize program. She was awarded Outstanding Young Professional by her university’s alumni association and the prestigious Profiles in Power Award by the Austin Business Journal for her service to the community. Dr. Brown was also voted Austin’s Favorite Pediatrician in 2004.

When she isn’t writing books on her day off or picking her kids up from baseball or dance practice, she sees patients full-time at Capital Pediatric Group in Austin, TX.

Denise Fieldsis a consumer advocate who, along with her husband Alan, has made a career out of chronicling life’s milestones.

The Fields first national book Bridal Bargains was released in 1990, inspired by their experiences planning an affordable wedding. After Oprah recommended the book to her viewers, the book became a best-seller with over 500,000 copies in print. Bridal Bargains’ exposé of rip-offs and consumer abuse of engaged couples was hailed by the Wall Street Journal, which said the book was “stirring up a commotion in the bridal industry.”

The Fields’ next book, Your New House, grew out of the couple’s own experience building a new home in Monument, Colorado. “This book is, by far, the best book available on how to buy or build a new home,” raved Chicago Tribune syndicated columnist Robert Bruss. The San Francisco Examiner picked the book as one of the Top 10 Best Real Estate Books. Your New House guides home buyers through the new home construction process, with detailed tips on hiring a builder, what to get in writing and which scams to watch out for.

Baby Bargains continued this tradition. The Fields’ best-selling consumer guide to baby gear was inspired by the birth of their sons, Ben and Jack. Baby Bargains has been featured on the Today Show, Oprah, and Dateline NBC.

Denise Fields holds a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Colorado. A native of Colorado, Denise grew up in Loveland.