Talk to the Doc
Feb 01 Developmental Milestones: Tweens and Teens
Talk to the Doc — February 2012 Mother Goose told us that little girls are made of sugar and spice, little boys of snails and puppy dog tails—but we pediatricians know that tweens and teens are also made of estrogen and testosterone. When these hormones surge, parents might feel as overwhelmed as the Old Lady who lived in a shoe. It can be a rocky road, but this transition to | read more…
Jan 01 Kids and Nutrition
Talk to the Doc — January 2012 Nutrition and exercise, toddlers and teens. Has there ever been a more challenging combination? Believe it or not, it’s possible to achieve unity, but it starts with Mom and Dad. Parents are most successful at getting their children to eat well when they model good behavior and healthy habits. First, the basics. There are certain nutrients all kids need, no matter what their | read more…
Dec 01 Holiday Safety
Everybody looks forward to the holidays. It’s a time for family and friends, parties and gatherings, treats and delights. But let’s not forget about safety. Here are a few things you and your family should watch out for this holiday season. Overindulgence Too many sweets plus not enough sleep makes kids cranky and parents far from jolly. Children, especially toddlers, love to graze. At holiday gatherings, they’ll wander from table | read more…
Nov 01 Car Seat Safety
Most parents wouldn’t send their children to school in shoes that don’t quite fit, so why should a car seat that doesn’t fit be any different? A blister from an ill-fitting shoe is one thing—when it comes to car seats, the fit needs to be perfect, or the consequences can be deadly. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, child safety seats can reduce fatal injuries by more than | read more…
Sep 30 Type 1 Diabetes
Breaking for the bathroom every 10 minutes or hitting the water fountain every 20 minutes might seem like common classroom-eluding, homework-escaping, or bedtime-evading techniques, but if it’s consistently interfering with your child’s regular routine, stop and consider that these might be symptoms of a serious medical condition. Type 1 diabetes, sometimes referred to as juvenile diabetes, is most commonly diagnosed at puberty but has been seen in infants as young | read more…
Sep 01 Milestones
From birth through the next 5 years, children reach milestones in how they play, act, speak, listen, and learn. Parents keep a close eye out for these events, but despite the name, these “milestones” are not necessarily set in stone. There’s a wide range of potential development within various age ranges. Yet developmental delays can lead to educational difficulties or learning disabilities. Learning disabilities can in turn affect the way | read more…
Jul 29 Meningitis
A disease that begins with a headache, fever, and fatigue can sometimes progress to a stiff neck or unsettling rash, and can sometimes end with permanent scarring, disfiguring amputations, or even death. This disease can run its course with devastating speed, taking just a few hours, or it can last a few days. It can be viral or bacterial, harmless or fatal, transmitted by a kiss or launched by an | read more…
Jul 01 Potty Training
Talk to the Doc — July 2011 Mother Nature intends for it to be a fact of life, but sometimes Father Time steps in and holds things up. We’re talking about potty training. Actually, almost everybody talks about potty training. An Internet search pulls up more than one million results on the topic. Even Dr. Phil has a page on it, not to mention Lance Armstrong. But no matter how | read more…
Jun 01 Migraines in Children
Talk to the Doc — June 2011 Grinning cats, smoking caterpillars, and butterflies made out of bread. Talking doorknobs, marching cards, and a chronically-late rabbit. Famous author Lewis Carroll must have had one heck of a headache when he dreamed up these characters. It’s said that Carroll was inspired to write Alice in Wonderland after experiencing migraine auras—the distorted sense of perception that sometimes precedes a migraine. Migraine auras have | read more…
Apr 29 Postpartum Blues
The big moment has arrived. You get to take your bundle of joy home…but you yourself are a bundle of nerves. And that whole “joy” thing? Not all moms feel that way. Some moms get the blues, some moms get depressed. According to the National Women’s Health Information Center, a service of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at www.womenshealth.gov, approximately 13 percent of pregnant women and new | read more…
