Millions of us use the Internet every day for shopping, entertainment and, increasingly, health advice. But how do we know which ones to trust?
Here Kate Watson-Smyth points you to 10 of the best.

1. www.childrenfirst.nhs.uk
A collaboration between the NHS and Great Ormond Street can't go far wrong in terms of reliability and this doesn't disappoint. As you would expect, there's lots of information about going into hospital but there are also replies to a wide range of health problems such as nosebleeds and meningitis. There are some great graphics for the little ones about the body and lots of interactive stuff. A good site for parents and younger children to visit together.

2. www.patient.co.uk
A directory of health, disease, illness and related medical websites, this is arranged under clear headings in simple language that is easy for everyone to understand. You can access information on a range of conditions as well as getting help finding a doctor or therapist in your area; download leaflets; read other patients' stories; and even find stories for children to help them understand their condition. References to recent studies prove that the information is regularly updated and there are links to other sites providing more specialised information. You can also buy remedies from the online pharmacy.

3. www.bbc.co.uk/health
A great place to come if you are interested in the health news stories of the
day as well as a number of quick links to popular topics such as asthma,
nutrition and fitness. An A-Z list of condition is also very user-friendly. Each article is reviewed by a doctor and includes the date it was last checked. There are good links to other pages both within the BBC and on the web. Special features include links to your mobile and online courses including First Aid.

4. www.bupa.co.uk
Good for general healthy living advice as well as information relating to specific conditions. There are lots of factsheets and self-testing quizzes as well as an A-Z list of conditions detailing symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, prevention and further sources of information. Get advice on over-the-counter treatments and a helpful slot telling you just when you should contact the doctor. Of course the insurance side is heavily plugged but you can ignore it and the information is no less reliable.

5. www.netdoctor.co.uk
Put together by 250 doctors and health professionals, this site aims to break down the language barrier between medic and patient. The buttons provide instant links to diseases, medication and examinations and the site also includes lots of news, special reports and factsheets. If you've got time to plough through, there is an archive of 6,000 doctors' answers to questions as well as an online quit smoking and lose weight club - although that's perhaps more for the parents than the children.

6. www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk
This is probably the first port of call for many of us and while reliable and trust worthy, it's not necessarily the most user-friendly. There is the usual A-Z of topics or you can click on the part of the body that hurts, but it's not as easy to follow as some of the others listed here. On the plus side, there are lots of links to other sites and that might be the best way to use it. Of course you can also ring NHS Direct 24 hours a day. The site has also recently launched an interactive digital TV for topics including diabetes and asthma for those who have Sky or Freeview.

7. www.kidshealth.org
This is an American site but don't let that put you off. Created by the Nemours Foundation, founded in 1936 dedicated to improving the health of children, the site is split into parents and kids and teens. While brightly coloured, its cartoon pages are inviting and don't detract from the wealth of information, which is regularly reviewed. The information equates to an 80-volume encyclopaedia, while the site also deals with emotional health and wellbeing as well as explaining adult problems to children - alcohol and breast cancer for example.

8. www.wiredforhealth.gov.uk
Recently changed to become part of the Healthy Schools programme, this site is divided into the four key stages, from four to 16. This is not so much for parents but more about teaching young people the importance of healthy food and preventing germs up to the dangers of smoking and sexually transmitted diseases. It's so well presented and might prevent you having those tricky conversations since they can find out a lot of reliable stuff from here first. There are also plenty of helpful links and phone numbers.

9. www.dentalhealth.org.uk
Set up to improve awareness of dental hygiene, this has a comprehensive
Q & A section on all aspects of children's teeth. It can be fairly simplistic, but is
a good starting point, tackling issues such as alternatives to orthodontic braces and the safety of tongue jewellery as well as the old favourite - manual versus electric toothbrushes. While you might find some useful information here, there's probably nothing better than a trip to the actual dentist.

10. www.besttreatments.co.uk
We're not yet used to paying for our websites in this country, so this might be
off-putting but it's not expensive and has such a wealth of information that it's worth it. The content comes from the British Medical Journal, publishing arm of the British Medical Association, but is written in layman's language. Type in your condition or medication and you will be provided with lots of diagrams with key words to click for more information. It covers 1,500 treatments used for 200 problems. Particularly good for common problems which tend to have a wealth of over-the-counter treatments; for example, the perennial nit problem. It costs £14.99 for 12 months' use.