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  • Teaching Healthy Romantic Relationships

    My 6-year-old son recently informed my husband and I that he has a girlfriend. I’ve met her when dropping him off at school in the morning, and (I have to admit) she is truly adorable. Little Taylor wears pink, sparkly sneakers, dresses and tiny little glasses. She appears to be sweet and friendly. They seem to be nothing more than friends that are of different genders. However, my husband and I still took this as an opportunity to discuss healthy relationships with him. My husband said to my son, “You know, six is pretty young to have a girlfriend.” My son’s response was, “Yeah, I know… but I don’t care. I like her.”  Whoa!  I was surprised at his level of assuredness and, to be honest, a little scared. Who was this little girl, anyway?  On that note, who was this little boy? Whether we realized it or not, he was growing up, and this was a conversation that needed to happen!

  • The Heart Center delivers world-class cardiac care

    Dr. Susan DesJardins is a cardiologist at the Heart Center at Arnold Palmer Hospital. In honor of February's focus on heart health, she shares what makes The Heart Center the leader in children's cardiac care in Central Florida. 

  • To know Jenna is to know love

    Jenna is 11 years old, but wise beyond her years. She loves fiercely and unconditionally, because she has been loved fiercely and unconditionally. Jenna has fought for her life many times, but she lives each day in peace, full of kindness and laughter. She is surrounded by the love of her devoted family: her mom Kristi, dad Bruce and older brother Jared. Together, they have faced challenges they never expected.

  • Are you cleaning your child's ears properly?

    “I only use it on the outside…”

    When I ask parents on their initial visit with me if they use cotton swabs, this is frequently the response I get. They insist that they only use cotton swabs on the outside of the ear and that they NEVER go into the ear canal. I have even heard this from a parent, and then ended up pulling several cotton swab heads out of their child’s ear.

  • Choosing a pediatrician for your family

    After you process the initial joy of learning that you are pregnant, you will soon realize that you have many decisions to make for you and your baby. These choices may include picking baby names, finding an OB-GYN physician to take care of you during your pregnancy, deciding which hospital to deliver your baby, and choosing a pediatrician for your family. While many decisions can seem overwhelming, picking a pediatrician does not have to be if you know what you are looking for in a doctor.

    Talk to other parents about recommendations for a pediatrician.

    If you are beginning your search for a pediatrician, talk to your friends and family members that are parents. See if any particular names pop up repeatedly, either positively or negatively. Remember to keep an open mind, though. One person’s not-so-great experience with a pediatrician in the midst of many other positive recommendations may be a result from that particular family and pediatrician not being a good fit. The reverse is also true; one family’s amazing pediatrician may not be exactly what you are looking for. But at the very least, talking to other people is a starting point for your search.

    Plan to meet the pediatrician…before your baby is born.

    After you have made your list of potential pediatricians, the next step is to meet them in person. Many pediatric practices will host open houses for new parents, or will schedule prenatal consultations. By meeting with a pediatrician, you will be able to see if his/her beliefs, values, and attitudes regarding pediatric health care are in line with your own. You can decide if you like him/her or not…plain and simple! You and your baby will have at least 10 well-baby visits to the pediatrician in the first two years of life (not even counting sick visits!), so it helps if you like your pediatrician. Ask the pediatrician if he/she is pediatric board-certified (taken and passed the pediatric board exam) or board-eligible (preparing to take the pediatric board exam).

  • Exploring the link between autism and illness in pregnant mothers

    Could autism in a child be related to fever or infection in the pregnant mother?

  • Grandparents may not be aware of current safety recommendations

    Sending the kids over to Grandma and Grandpa’s house for the weekend isn’t just great for the kids, it’s a luxury for Mom and Dad, too. But, recent research indicates that grandparents may not be aware of current safety recommendations for children.

  • How the ketogenic diet can help patients with Epilepsy

    In honor of Epilepsy Awareness Month, please welcome our guest contributor, Kelly Urbanik. Kelly is a Registered Dietitian at Arnold Palmer Hospital. She has been working with the Ketogenic Diet Therapy Program for the past 6 years and has worked with over 125 patients for this specialized therapy.

  • Putting the "thanks" into Thanksgiving

    What are you thankful for this holiday season? This should be a question that all parents ask their kids, not only around the holidays, but year-round too. Studies show that adults who have an attitude of gratitude have more energy, more optimism, more social connections, and are all-around happier than those who do not. And researchers are finding that this same theory holds true for children and adolescents too. Kids who show signs of gratefulness typically have higher GPAs and are less materialistic.

  • The morning after pill: what every parent of a teenager should know

    In the United States, recent news about teenage sexuality is promising. Fewer teens are having sex, and less than half of girls have sex before they graduate high school according to data from the Florida Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Teen pregnancy rates are also falling, probably due to a combination of fewer teens having sex, better long-acting birth control options such as Depo-Provera, and condom use by teens. In spite of this great news, the U.S still has one of the highest rates of teen pregnancy among developed countries. Nearly 80% of teen pregnancies are unplanned, a result of birth control failure or nonuse, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).