By SHARON KENNEDY WYNNE, St. Petersburg Times

There are some tot-sized junkies out there, and it takes more than the tough talk of intervention to get them to give up the stuff. We're talking pacifiers. Binkies. Baby's bah-bah. The fuss plug. Like all habit-forming behaviors, it starts as an easy way to feel better. But breaking that habit can bring on a harrowing case of withdrawal.

One of my colleagues is delightfully expecting her first baby and asked me for advice on picking a pediatrician. When I was on this hunt myself, I turned to my sister, who is an OB/GYN in Oregon. I figured, being a doctor who works with a lot of pediatricians, she could give me the signs to look for to find the right one.

Hand-selected by Jerry Seinfeld to serve as his opening act, Seinfeld and Tom Papa toured the country together for more than eight years. Then Seinfeld picked him again to serve as a quick-witted host for his new TV show, "The Marriage Ref." (The comedy reality series returns June 26 on NBC.)

February is National Children's Dental Health Month. Not that we need a special month for kids to take care of their teeth, but it is a good time to revisit this often-fought battle.

What happens when nagging doesn't work and ignoring the tantrum doesn't work? I say, making it fun is about the best defense. Here are some of my tricks and tips to get kids to brush.

My friend Astrid, who does the marvelously creative blog Lunches Fit For a Kid (lunchfitforakid.blogspot.com), has once again come up with a genius idea: do-it-yourself instant oatmeal.

One of the coolest new things on the sand is an old Travelodge called the Postcard Inn in St. Pete Beach, Fla.

A 36-year-old Florida mother of three has put her lifelong love affair with Disney to practical use.

Suzannah DiMarzio landed a plum spot on the Walt Disney World Moms Panel, dispensing advice in exchange for a free vacation and beating out thousands of other rabid Mouse fans.

When I read the shocking story of a teen texting to his dad that burglars were ransacking his home as the kid hid behind a potted plant, I rethought one of our rules for being home alone. I had always said to simply not answer the door, but in this case, that led the burglars to think the house was empty.

"The doggie's swimming in the pool," my 5-year-old nephew Darin announced.

I knew that spelled trouble.

Iggy, my German shorthaired pointer, hated the pool, preferring lakes and oceans.

He also was prone to epileptic seizures, about a handful a year. We always worried that he would have one poolside and drown.

A friend of mine is struggling with her 3-year-old, trying to coax him to take his medicine for strep throat and some Tylenol to reduce the fever. I'll bet you can just guess how easy that is.