Back

All Search Results

  • The Secret to Baby Talk: Lip-reading

    There’s something to be envious of babies about: their ability to lip-read. A new study from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has recently been published to show how babies use lip-reading as a way to learn how to shape their mouths to be able to produce words. It’s the process that takes place when a baby goes from babbling to saying words like “mamma” or “dada”. THIS is the moment where a parent scrambles to find the video camera to capture one of their baby’s first milestones!

  • Touching other family’s hearts through Emma’s story

    Emma is a giggly 7-year-old with an infectious smile that can light up an entire room. She’s just a normal kid who loves to dance, run around with friends, and have fun with her younger brother. What you wouldn’t know is that Emma’s journey has been nothing short of extraordinary. She was born with multiple heart defects, leaving her parents to wonder if she would even make it to her first birthday.

  • 4 Tips for You and Your Kids During the COVID-19 Outbreak

    Even with COVID-19 — the disease caused by the new strain of coronavirus — regularly in the news, a lot of unknowns still remain. Even with a steady string of updates, facts and statistics to digest each day, it’s difficult to know what to do or what to say inside the walls of your own home.

  • Laundry detergent pods: can they poison your kids?

    Could convenience cause more harm to little ones? It could. When it comes to laundry and dishwashing detergent, the new capsules, or “PODS”, are the way to go. They are less messy, easy to store, and easy to use. And, they are pretty to look at too. That’s where the dangerous part comes in.

  • The Tin Man - Holden's Story

    During a 20-week pregnancy checkup, Nicole and Trey learned they were having a son. At the same time and still in his mother's womb, their son, Holden, was diagnosed with a heart defect. He was born with only one heart valve, and at 4 months old, he needed open heart surgery. Watch his journey unfold.

  • Look Before You Lock

    Last summer, after I took my kids to see the pediatrician for their regular check-up, I’ll never forget what my doctor told me at the end of the appointment. My pediatrician said, “Please remember to have your car keys in your hand every time you get out of the car.” I nodded and knew what she meant. We all hear about kids who’ve been locked in cars that become very sick, or even die from heat stroke.

  • What Valentine's Day means to us at the Heart Center

    This Tuesday was the annual celebration of our miracle heart kids. This party is not just your ordinary Valentine’s Day party, but is a way for us to be able to celebrate our successes at the Heart Center and honor all of our patients who have fought and conquered the battle against heart defects. To be able to see these kids running around, laughing and playing, who were once struggling with life-threatening conditions, is a blessing that words alone cannot express. The families look forward to celebrating together with the doctors and nurses who have been their support system since the moment they heard the devastating news that their child has a heart defect. The continual appreciation and gratitude of our heart families is an encouragement to our doctors to know that they did a job well done. What a special day to celebrate the little miracles right here in our very own backyard.

  • Does My Child Need Speech Therapy?

    Many young children can overcome speech and language delays, but early intervention is key. Parents and their child’s pediatrician need to be vigilant to spot the signs and start age-appropriate therapies.

  • Cool apps for kids

    “There’s an app for that.” It seems like there is an app for our every need, even the need to keep kids entertained while parents browse the grocery store aisles, families wait to be seated at a restaurant, or driving in the car from point A to B. A recent article asked the question, “Are tablets the new Nanny?”. While this may sound ridiculous, there may be some truth behind this question. Studies show that in 2011, tablet usage among kids under the age of 12 increased by 10% within 6 months. Tablets, such as the iPad and Kindle, are kids’ new accessories, an accessory many parents are thankful for.

    Are apps really beneficial for my child?

    Great question! We do not know yet if the use of tablets and smartphones encourage healthy development among young kids. There is not enough scientific research to support this claim, as researchers are still studying the benefits of apps for kids. However, the technological trends of the world in which we live in are inevitable and growing at a rapid pace. Today, over 50% of kids now have access to a smartphone or tablet, creating a large market for apps designed specifically for kids.

  • Follow Aiden's Heart Surgery As It Happens

    We followed 16-month-old Aiden through heart surgery to repair a heart defect called Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) that enables blood flow between the left and right Atria through an abnormal opening. We captured his surgery through Instagram as it happened, posting updates and pictures every few minutes so that his story could be followed in real time. Below are the photos and a timeline of events throughout the surgery. Aiden's surgery was successful and we wish him the best as he gets back to being a normal little boy again.