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What's Good

•Compared to other states, California has among the most generous family-leave and disability laws in our survey.

•California allows greater dependent-related tax breaks than most.

•The CDC reports very low infant mortality rates for California.

•Babies here are 11 percent less likely than average to be born prematurely.

•Just 2 percent of pregnant women here receive late or inadequate prenatal care, the 2nd best score in our survey. In the average city in our survey, 5 percent receive late or inadequate care.

•By six months of age, 52 percent of Los Angeles babies are still being breastfed. That's the 9th highest percentage of any city in our report. The average for cities in our survey is 43 percent.

•California has particularly progressive laws guaranteeing a nursing mother the right to breastfeed in public.

•The local climate is especially mild - perfect for getting out and working off pregnancy weight gain.

•19.8 percent of Los Angeles mothers breastfeed their babies exclusively (meaning no solids, formula or other liquids) for 6 months or longer as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, making it the 3rd highest scoring city in this category. The average for cities in our survey is 12 percent.

•There are 535 percent more fertility doctors per capita here than average-the 7th highest ratio in our survey.

•California stands out in a measure of legislation related to cord blood education, research and related issues.

•Los Angeles has 17 licensed home day cares for every 1,000 children under 4 years, the 10th highest in our survey. The average city in our survey has 13.

•Los Angeles has a 51 percent lower property crime rate than average, the 5th lowest in our survey.

Needs Improvement

•Hospital costs here are among the highest in our survey.

•According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Los Angeles is 46 percent less affordable than average for cities in our survey.

•At $111, the average doctor's office visit here is the 3rd highest in our survey, compared to a national average of $82.

•Air quality here is worse here than most cities in our survey. Air quality has been linked to childhood asthma and fertility rates, among other things.

•31 percent of babies in California are born via Cesarean section, among the highest in our survey. The average is 27 percent.

•According to our survey of park departments, for every 10,000 residents, Los Angeles has 92 miles of public trails and pathways for hiking and stroller use, the 7th lowest in our survey. The average city in our survey has 79 trail miles for every 10,000 residents.

•With one acre of parkland for every 245 residents, there's 107 percent less public park space than average here, relative to population.

•Los Angeles has 8 lactation consultants for every 10,000 live births, the 4th lowest ratio in our survey. The average city in our survey has 23 lactation consultants per 10,000 live births.

•Expecting and new moms have few parks: Los Angeles's ratio of parks to residents is 1 : 9,870. The average in our survey is 1 : 3,790.

•Los Angeles has a limited number of high-risk pediatricians, 83 percent less than average per capita and the 5th lowest in our survey.

•Los Angeles has fewer OB-GYNs than average, the 3rd lowest in our survey.

•There are no state laws requiring day care workers to undergo special SIDS prevention training. Many other states mandate such training.

•In a comparison of inspection schedules for day-care centers, California requires less frequent visits than average.

•California devotes less money relative to population than most states to child car-seat-check stations.

•Pedestrians have a 20 percent higher than average risk of being killed by a motor vehicle here-among the most dangerous in our survey.

•According to the Urban Mobility Report from Texas A&M University, Los Angeles has one of the worst commutes of any city in our survey. It takes 75 percent longer to drive the same route during rush hour than in free-flowing traffic. That puts a lot more pressure on parents rushing to day care at the end of the day.

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