Daniel N Scaff, MD

This was the first doctor my son had when he was born. I came here because he had incredible reviews, but after a few visits, realized instead that his staff was incredibly rude, unwelcoming, and unprofessional. They spent most of the time on their phones, never really smiled at you as you walked in, and just seemed generally miserable. Often, appointments would not even be recorded correctly, and instead of apologizing
for their mistake and the time you wasted in driving there, they’d just give you attitude like it was your fault (or maybe cuz they just don’t want to be bothered with the task of setting another appointment for you). What was worse is that they would barely even acknowledge the children unless they had to check their weight, etc. Other than that it was rare to see them smile or interact with a little one. The doctor himself was mediocre. He seemed to be more unavailable than available, and seemed to take his cues from your reactions. I tried to like this place, but eventually became fed up with the staff’s attitude.

From my experiences, Dr. Scaff is the kind of ped who makes sure at the end of the day your kid is healthy and thriving. Full stop. There are all types of pediatricians out there and it really depends on what you’re looking for as a parent. He’s not a behavioral therapist, he’s not a parenting coach, he’s not a sleep trainer. His nurses aren’t extras from Disneyland. He will make sure your kid is thriving — growing, eating, sleeping, pooping, meeting motor and verbal milestones — all the essentials. If you want advice on parenting, he’ll definitely share his perspective, but at the end of the day that arena is up to you. As new parents, you worry about EVERYTHING. Dr. Scaff will take the time to answer all your questions. I remember my first few appointments, I would literally go in with a full page of questions and rattle them off one by one and he would patiently explain everything. Dr. Scaff came to check up on my daughter at hospital the morning after she was delivered. He came by at least a couple more times during our hospital stay to check on her since she had high bilirubin levels and needed to go in the phototherapy incubator, always giving us reassuring updates and explanations of what was going on. He’s personable, fun, attentive, knowledgeable, and despite the fact that my kid wails every time he starts his checkups, he’s upbeat. Sure, sometimes I’ve had to wait. I had to wait 30 minutes today. Why? Because some other parents had a baby just two days ago and came in for their first visit, probably with their own pages of questions to get to. Unplanned checkups for illnesses (which I’ve been able to schedule with ease), new newborns, etc. all shake up any schedule. It seems the normal price to pay for going to a good pediatrician.

We could not be happier with Dr. Scaff. He’s personable, funny, attentive, knowledgeable, and patient. Our (now) five y/​o thinks he’s very funny and actually enjoys going to see him. His staff has always been very friendly — no matter how busy it is there. And they give the quickest shots I have ever seen! It’s really incredible.
We cannot recommend Dr. Scaff enough.

I chose this doctor as a pediatrician for my newborn because of all the good reviews on Unilocal.Dr Scaff is very down-​to-​earth and easy to talk to. Keep in mind that it’s a single doctor practice so if he is held up by a patient you will have to wait. We usually wait around 30 min to see the him which I am ok with. The staff at the front desk is mediocre, I don’t think it’s professional to talk with a co-​worker about your personal life while dealing with a customer, they generally seem like they don’t care at all. The only thing that bugs me when it comes to Dr Scaff is that he always seems to rush through our appointment. He never asks me if I have nay questions, usually gets up while talking to me to signal that he needs to go (again, a single-​doctor practice consequence). Also the office is often out of some vaccine, It happened for the 2^nd time already. All in all, an OK doctor with a not so great staff.

He’s super great, upbeat and very good with both of my children. He is playful when he does his check ups, always making them feel comfortable. He is very accessible and always answers our concerns with respect and sincerity.

dr. is good. but the wait is really long. my appointment was 11:15am, but I got to see dr. at 1:00pm… we only get to see dr. for less than 10 mins… staffs there usually looks so bored with their job, and very aloof.
I was so curious why I have to wait for almost 2 hours with an appointment. so, I had a look on their sign in sheet. well, no wonder. dr. works from 10am that day, but he had 10 kids to see within 2 hours. kudos, dr. but we have a life, too. sigh…

Excellent pediatrician! He’s AMAZING, patient, explains everything with great detail. He takes his time to warm up to my daughter and is thorough! As a first time parent, there’s no better feeling than to have Dr. Scaff care for your child (daughter is 22 months). You can tell he has a loving passion for what he does. He explained how he will call back during after-​hours in less than half-​hour, and if he doesn’t, to please call him back. The couple of times we called, he called us back in less then 10 minutes. His bedside manners are on point! There needs to be more pediatricians like him! Worth the drive!
I’m actually shocked in regards to the last comment. He is very thorough, caring, and never has he showed a sign of being «burnt out.

This doctor put my child at risk. I was not going to review him until I found out today that he never vaccinated my child against measles.
I transferred doctors earlier in the year because I was unhappy with the doctor and his staff. They often displayed an unprofessional mood and you had to walk on eggshells when you signed in. I started out loving this doctor but then he displayed signs that he was professionally burnt out. His staff seems to be responding to that. Recordkeeping has become as bad as the attitude.
On reviewing my child’s records against the recent measles epidemic at Disneyland, I noticed that an area on the form was blacked out. The MMR vaccination had no date. I called the front desk for confirmation but they were confused and could not give me a clear answer as to why the child had not been vaccinated. This is inexcusable. There are several areas of my child’s vaccination form that are blacked out and I’m working with another doctor to make sure my child is safe and vaccinated.
He was also unaware that my child had a serious iron deficiency. Had he actually read the results of the blood test so I paid for he would have known.
I have gone to Disneyland several times over the year. Had I gone during the week that this problem surfaced my two year old child could have been seriously impacted.

Excellent excellent doctor!!! Came in with my 4w old, very caring and precessional, answers all of my stupid question.

Dr Scaff was a recommendation of one of my old coworkers. Didn’t expect much. I was pleasantly surprised. He is caring and has good bedside manners. You can tell he loves kids and what he does. I’ve only had 2 interactions with him so I can’t say that makes me an expert on evaluating him as a doctor. What I liked about him is that he seems to know his stuff and cares about the tiny little humans and communicates well with parents. As for other comments from others. The staff isn’t particularly good or bad, but it’s a small office so patients can hear what you say to each other. It’s a mom and pop shop — so you can’t expect a large separate waiting room. C’mon it’s pasadena and real estate isn’t cheap. I would highly recommend Dr Scaff.

Dr. Scaff should be your only choice for a pediatrician. He is great with children and thoroughly explains answers to all our questions.
He has an open mind and is always willing to listen and respect you as a parent. I will continue to highly recommend Dr. Scaff!

I LOVE this pediatrician. He’s really good with kids and answers calls at all hours. He’s always on top of his game and knows what he’s talking about. What I love is he’s the only one in the office, so he’s the only one that sees my kids. I highly recommend him!
To the mom who said Dr Scaff is always in a rush, that’s absolutely untrue. I’ve never felt rush. It’s actually the opposite. He sits there and plays with my kids for a few minutes so they get used to him before he starts anything.

Dr. Scaff is the BEST. He is the doctor for all new moms. He explains everything thoroughly and clearly, he will also answer any questions you have. He is very friendly with the kids and the parents. I will recommend Dr Scaff to anyone.

I would definitely not recommend this doctor’s office to any parent. Being a single doctor pediatrics practice he always seems to be in a rush, so he doesn’t spend much time with the kids. The space is limited, there isn’t a separate room for sick kids or infants. If you need to make an appointment for the same day forget it, you’ll have to end up at the ER. He shares the office space with his wife who is also a doctor (not pediatrician) so one day a week he is not there at all, and some other day both of them see patients, which is weird because your kid will be in the same waiting area with some other random adults.
But the WORST of all is his office staff, I can not express with words how rude they are. He has two nurses who are also the front office staff, they shouldn’t be working with kids in the first place. They seem to be annoyed all the time, they made me feel very uncomfortable and they never ever talked to my baby, not even a kind word when they were given my baby a shot.
It was unbearable for me to deal with the front office staff. Awful people! They will never return your call or call you with test results or anything, also if you dared to call they were again annoyed. I changed doctor and I can not tell you what a difference!

Dr Scaff is exceptional. He has been my son’s pediatrician since birth and has been there every step of the way. He is patient and accommodating and is amazingly good with both children and adults. I could not recommend him any more highly, honestly.
***If you want to know what kind of guy Dr Scaff really is, he’s about as good as it gets. My son was in the hospital with pneumonia and I was laying in the crib with him. Dr Scaff came in on a Sunday to check on my little man and we had a laugh over me fitting in the crib (I’m over 6′ tall). He then told me a story about one of his babies basically dying in the hospital and about how he slept in one of the cribs for a few days so he would not have to leave. At over 6’3, this is no small feat. This man SLEPT in a crib to be there for a patient that needed him, for days. This doctor cares that much. I will NEVER take my children to anyone else. I love him and his dedication. It doesn’t get any better. I’m in awe of him and how much he cares. He gets better and better. Incredible. ***

Dr. Scaff is great! Unfortunately, one of the nurses is not friendly and aloof. She always seems annoyed.

We were saddened by the news of our son’s Autism but Dr. Scaff is so knowledgeable and supportive that we felt we weren’t going through this alone. He took a good amount of time answering all of our questions and was very encouraging.
It takes more than just brains to be a doc. You gotta have heart too!

This review is 10 months in the making. This is the most amazing doctor EVER. Hes amazing with my son and im happy that ill be seeing him again. Sadly we had trouble with my insurance through my job so we had to be away from scaff for a while and it broke my heart… i trust this guy with my son 100% and being a first time mom (and picky about everything) he is by far the best yet. Hes so friendly and very professional. Being a young mother my husband and i love his sense for humor. Love him love him love him

Best pediatrician we have found in almost 11 years. We have been with Dr Scaff for 7 years and found him to be extremely helpful, knowledgeable, kind to my son, and reliable. Dr Scaff talks directly to my son, they have an awesome relationship. My son who is really quiet will open up and chat with Dr. Scaff easily. When I have had specific issues with my sons health and well being, Dr. Scaff was there in person or on the phone to guide us through difficult issues. I am so grateful we found Dr. Scaff.

Dr. Scaff is the best!
He’s been my daughter’s doctor since she was born, and she’s almost 5 and anytime I page him with any questions, he calls me right back. I’ve never waited more than 10 – 15 minutes for a call back, if even that!
I would definitely recommend Dr. Scaff to anyone I know.
Clara K.