About Debra

Debra Holtzman, J.D., M.A.
 
Debra  Holtzman is a world renowned child safety and health expert, baby planner and a specialist on the subjects of injury prevention, healthy living, toxic chemicals, child passenger safety, green products, lifestyle, nursery equipment, technology products, travel, food safety, healthy cooking,  pet safety and more.  She has been helping families for nearly two decades.

Debra holds a B.A. in communications from the State University of New York at Albany, an M.A. in occupational health and safety from New York University, and a J.D. from St. John's University School of Law, where she graduated in the top ten percent of her class.  As well as practicing law,  Debra has worked as a industrial safety and health consultant and inspected numerous plants and factories for hazardous working conditions and practices.

Her books, The Safe Baby (Sentient Publications, 2009, and 1st edition, 2004), and The Panic-Proof Parent (McGraw-Hill, 2000),  have received rave reviews and endorsements by leading parenting authorities and safety and health organizations. The Safe Baby won the National Parenting Publications’ Gold Award, one of the country’s most authoritative consumer-awards recognizing the best in children's and parenting resources. Debra was also the child safety consultant for the nationally distributed video program Safety Starts at Home: The Essential Childproofing Guide (InJoy Videos).

Debra has been a guest on hundreds of radio and television shows around the world, including NBC's Today Show, ABC World News with Diane Sawyer, Weekend Today, Dateline NBC, CNBC, Asia Market Watch, MSNBC, John Walsh Show, WGN Superstation, The Daily Buzz, Washington Post Radio, "You, The Owner's Manual" hosted by Dr. Michael Roizen (who was regularly featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show), Associated Press Radio, NPR, Bloomberg News, and Martha Stewart Living Radio. Debra also appeared weekly on the popular Discovery Health TV series, Make Room for Baby.  She has been quoted in Parents Magazine, People, Newsweek, Parenting, Child, Fit Pregnancy, USA Weekend Magazine, Star, Us Weekly, First For Women, Woman's World, This Old House, Family Circle, Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, America Online (AOL) homepage, UPI, Washington Times, Toronto Star, and Washington Post.
 
Debra was chosen an "Everyday Hero" by Reader's Digest, and was named a "Woman Making a Difference" by Family Circle Magazine.  She is also a former Mrs. Florida.
 
She is the Honorary Co-Chair of the Florida Safe Kids Coalition and teaches infant and toddler safety,  CPR, and sibling classes at Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, Florida.  Debra is a certified child passenger safety technician and an American Heart BLS CPR/AED instructor.

Debra is a parenting columnist for Today's Parent http://www.todaysparentusa.com/ and serves on the Advisory Board of  The Healthy House Institute (HHI) http://www.healthyhouseinstitute.com/

Debra lives in South Florida with her husband, Robert, son Adam, daughter Laura and dog, Rocky.