William Sears (born c. 1940) is an American pediatrician and the author or co-author of more than 30 parenting books, most notably several in the "Sears Parenting Library." He is a frequent guest on television talkshows, where he goes by the name Dr. Bill. He and his wife Martha Sears, R.N., are among the leading proponents of the attachment parenting philosophy.

Biography

Sears was born in Alton, Illinois. His own father deserted the family, so one of his primary male adult influences was his grandfather.

Sears' residencies were taken at Harvard Medical School's Children's Hospital in Boston and the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. He is an Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine.

He is a medical and parenting consultant for BabyTalk and Parenting magazines and the pediatrician on the website Parenting.com According to his biography, he has been a guest on more than 100 television shows including: 20/20, Donahue, Good Morning America, Oprah Winfrey, CBS This Morning, CNN, Today Show and Dateline.

Sears and his wife Martha have eight children, one of whom has Down Syndrome. Three of the children have also become doctors, "Dr. Jim" (the oldest), "Dr. Bob" (second oldest), and "Dr. Pete." A fourth son, Matt, is currently studying medicine at UC Irvine.

According to his website, in 1997, Sears underwent major surgery for colon cancer, followed by radiation therapy and chemotherapy.

Dr. Sears has used his website to promote a nutritional supplement known as Juice Plus. In 2005, the company behind the product, National Safety Associates, used his testimonials to promote its product and included ad copy which implied that the "Juice Plus+Gummies" product was low in sugar, and a nutritional alternative to fruits and vegetables. This claim resulted in consumer complaints to the Better Business Bureau's national advertising division, and the BBB issued a complaint that NSA's claims were misleading. As a result, NSA promised to modify its ads.

As of 2007, Sears lives with his family in San Clemente, California, where he has a private medical practice with his sons.

Selected works

• The Baby Book (1993)
• The Discipline Book (1995)
• The Attachment Parenting Book (2001)
• The Successful Child: What Parents Can Do to Help Kids Turn Out Well (2002)
• The Healthiest Kid In The Neighborhood (2006)
• The Pregnancy Book
• The Birth Book
• Parenting the Fussy Baby
• The A.D.D. Book
• The Breastfeeding Book
• The Family Nutrition Book

References

External links

• Weekly Q&A from Dr. Sears on Parenting.com
• Ask Dr. Sears
• "How product testimonials bend the rules". Consumer Reports, Retrieved on 2007-05-27.
• http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/parenting/04/18/par.checkups/index.html
• http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0205/03/ltm.01.html
• http://www.cnn.com/US/9810/15/best.toys/
• http://www.parenting.com/parenting/article/0,19840,671841,00.html
• http://www.drphil.com/shows/show/824
• http://www.smartspot.com/commitment/bio_sears/
• http://www.coastmagazine.com/archive/pre_dec05/feature/7.04_fx.html