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  • What you should know when starting your baby on solid foods

    One of my favorite milestones in a baby’s first year is introducing them to their first foods. I love the anticipation of trying new things and watching to see how they’ll react. Their excitement as they experience new flavors and textures for the first time (not to mention the hysterical facial expressions!) is entertainment at its best. And watching my oldest laugh uncontrollably at the baby’s messiness as he eats is better than watching TV.

  • ADHD medications: Things you should know as a parent

    Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common conditions among school-aged children, affecting roughly one in 25 kids. Children with this disorder often have trouble controlling their behavior, which can have wide-ranging effects on their home and academic lives.

  • If news headlines have made you feel like a bad parent, you aren’t alone

    You are a bad parent.

  • Itches and sneezes: Understanding allergies in children

    As I prepare to write about allergies, my poor daughter is sitting next to me sniffling away, red-eyed, stuffy-nosed, and miserable. If you don’t live with allergies yourself, it can be hard to understand how bad this common medical problem can make people feel. But allergy sufferers know that as their season draws near, they can count on disrupted sleep, trouble smelling and tasting food, itching out of their skin, and blowing through boxes of tissues.

    Types of allergies

    Allergies can be perennial, meaning all year long, or they can be seasonal. Perennial allergies are to things like: pet dander, dust mites, molds, and, believe it or not, cockroaches. Here in Florida, where humidity reigns, most of these allergens are everywhere. Seasonal allergies are pollen allergies, and involve trees, shrubs, grasses and weeds. In Florida, where things bloom and pollenate year-round, some unfortunate allergy sufferers can react to multiple pollens during multiple seasons, with little relief between seasons.

    Symptoms to look for

    Symptoms of allergies are many, and are sometimes hard to tell from viral or other illnesses. A common cold follows a rather predictable course: sore throat with or without fever at first, followed by runny nose, followed in another few days by cough. Things get worse over the first week, and then improve over the second week. The flu is marked by high fever and body aches. The hallmark of allergy is the lack of fever, itching of eyes, nose, throat, and/or skin, and the ups and downs of symptoms. Some people have classic allergic rhinitis, with itchy, sneezy, runny nose. Some have allergic conjunctivitis, with red, runny, itchy eyes. Some patients have maddening itching in the back of the throat.  Cough is common in allergy sufferers, and can be from post-nasal drip or from bronchospasm (allergy-induced-asthma is wheezing caused by allergic inflammation). Some allergy sufferers also have itchy dry skin, or eczema.  Complications of allergies can include infections of the ears, sinuses, lungs, and skin.

    How are allergies treated?

    Treatment of allergies may involve determining triggers and eliminating or preventing whatever you can. Sometimes, identifying triggers is easy; for example, if every time your child visits grandma and curls up with the cat she starts to tear and sneeze, your child is allergic to cat dander. You don’t need a test to prove that. On the other hand, allergy tests, which can be blood tests and/or skin tests, can be very helpful in patients with severe symptoms. For example, if your child is often congested and has recurrent sinus or ear infections and turns out to be allergic to dust mites, you can remove carpeting and curtains from his bedroom, encase his mattress and pillow in allergy-control casings, limit plush animals in his bed to one or two, and even run a dehumidifier to kill dust mites. Prevention is considered to be preferable to treatment with multiple medications.

  • Car Seat Safety Guidelines: what you need to know.

    There are few things in parenting as complicated as the rules and regulations of car seats. And yet, there are few things as important for the safety and well being of our kids.

  • A second chance at life: Michael's story

    Michael is a bright, spirited 2-year-old: full of life and overflowing with a vivacious curiosity about everything and everyone. But, his joy and unbridled enthusiasm for life also serve as a bittersweet reminder to his loved ones that just a few short weeks ago, Michael nearly lost his life in a tragic accident.

  • Indoor tanning: Is it worth the “glow”?

    Most teen girls love a good tan. And even though some may know the dangers of indoor tanning, they continue to indulge in this risky behavior. But can you blame them? Society and the media have associated this sought-after golden hue with good health and beauty for years. Popular beauty and fashion magazines are usually graced with images of flawless women with that desirable “sun-kissed glow”. As these young girls navigate the road to try and fit in with their peers and build their self-esteem, we have a responsibility to teach them about the risks associated with their decision to visit the local tanning salon.

    Why might my daughter “tan”?

    For many teens, a tan makes them look good and feel good. Many girls agree with the statements, “I look better when I have a tan” and “I feel healthy when I have a nice tan”. Yet tanning of any kind, especially indoor tanning, is not healthy at all.

  • Is your teen depressed?

    In the years that I’ve been working with Teen Xpress as a counselor, I’ve seen many different issues with the students: child abuse, trauma, family struggles, stress management, anger problems, to name a few. However, this year, there is one issue that has trumped all the others by far: depression.

  • Dr. Simms-Cendan answers: “When should I take my teenage daughter to the gynecologist?”

    Many parents wonder when they should take their daughter to a gynecologist. Is it with their first period? Is it when they become sexually active? When do they need a pap smear? Some women dread their own appointments and worry their daughters will have a traumatic experience. Well, the good news is that gynecologic care for adolescents has come a long way, and teens can be provided with important information in a sensitive and caring way, and many girls do not even need a pelvic exam!

    What’s Normal?

    First, let me cover a bit of what’s normal. Most girls begin breast development around 10-11 years of age, and the average age girls start their periods in the U.S. is about 12.5 years. Most girls will bleed 5-7 days and cycles occur every 25-40 days. If a girl hasn’t started her period by age 14, she should be evaluated, and although some girls just need more time, others may have a real problem. Many girls have irregular menses for the first 2-4 years after they start their periods, but if a girl has been bleeding more than 10 days per month, they should be evaluated to prevent problems with anemia. I’ve seen girls who have bled for 6 months before seeing a gynecologist and some have been so anemic by then that they required blood transfusion. Most girls will notice an increase in menstrual cramps about two years after they start their periods, as this is when they start to actually ovulate. Severe cramps so that a girl is missing school are not normal and she should also be seen. Finally, if a girl has had regular menses and then the menses become irregular, skipping months or becoming more frequent, she should also be evaluated. Sometimes there is a hormonal disorder that needs to be evaluated.

  • The Thank You Project: A mother finds the people who saved her son's life

    Ten years after a tragic car accident, Kellie wanted to find and say "thank you" to the team of heroes who helped save her son's life. Her hope in sharing her story is that others will be inspired to thank those who have impacted their lives in some way.