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  • When family expectations differ from your doctor’s advice, what’s a new parent to do?

    Written by Lisandra Perez, MD

  • Shopping cart injuries are on the rise

    How often do you go to the grocery store anticipating leaving in an ambulance with your child, due to a shopping cart-related injury? My guess is, never. Most parents want to get in and get out when doing the grocery shopping, especially with kids in tow. The problem is, many parents sacrifice safety while trying to hurriedly check things off their list. And despite a voluntary shopping cart safety standard implemented in 2004, the overall rate of shopping cart-related injuries among kids have not declined.

    The Study

    A recent study published in Clinical Pediatrics brought to light the prevalence of injuries among children related to shopping carts that were treated in US Emergency Departments, and the numbers were unexpected. Rather than seeing a decline in the number of injuries following the 2004 shopping cart safety standard, researchers actually found an increase in the number of concussions and closed head injuries treated. This can only mean one thing – the current safety standard is not adequate, and further action must be taken to help keep kids safe while cruising around the grocery store.

  • If you have a child with a congenital heart defect, here’s what you should expect from your pediatrician (Part 2 of 2)

    In Part 1 of this series, we discussed what your pediatrician can offer in the care of your child prenatally through the newborn period. In Part 2, we’ll share what role your pediatrician will play throughout infancy, childhood and adolescence.

  • Second Annual Sarah's Sporting Clays Against Cancer Tournament

    The event will be held at Tenoroc Shooting Sports and Training in Lakeland.

  • Jon Podany Named President of Arnold Palmer’s Charitable Foundation and CEO of Arnold Palmer Enterprises

    23-Year Golf Veteran to Lead the Palmer Family of Businesses

  • Orlando Health Treats First Pediatric Patient using Proton Therapy

    ORLANDO, FL. (May 26, 2016) – When Zayne Burton’s parents, Lori and Chaz, heard the diagnosis that their 12-year-old son had a medullablastoma, a tumor of the brain and spine, they were in shock. Quickly, however, their focus turned to treating the curable cancer so their son could go on to live a healthy life. Their journey brought them to The Marjorie and Leonard Williams Center for Proton Therapy at UF Health Cancer Center - Orlando Health, which had just opened, becoming the first proton center in Central Florida to treat patients us-ing proton beams, a type of radiation therapy, to shrink tumors. Just weeks after his diagnosis and surgery to remove the tumor, Zayne, a 7th grader from Orlando, began proton therapy treatment at UF Health Cancer Center - Orlando Health, becoming the first pediatric patient treated in Central Florida with this revolutionary treatment option.

  • Cardiac Experts from Arnold Palmer Hospital to Present at Nation's Largest Pediatric Cardiology Conference

    This year, an international group of more than 80 medical experts will gather in Orlando, Fla., for the nation’s largest pediatric cardiology

  • Webinar on "Sudden Cardiac Arrest: what every parent should know" with Dr. Schwartz

    Sudden cardiac arrest. Those are three frightening words. And they are even scarier when they apply to children.

  • Redefining "spina bifida" through the lens of a camera, one photo at a time

    Written by Amanda Kern

  • Emotional Eating: Parenting and its effect on our children’s eating behaviors

    I was asked to speak on TV recently about an article entitled “Eating Your Feelings? Your Mom Might Be to Blame.” Of course, for TV, the story had to sound catchy, so the TV host really played up the blaming mother and grandmother aspect. That made me sad; parenting is really a hard job and it is rough to be blamed for errors we make while doing our best. The data, though, really does suggest that how we were parented may affect eating behaviors and those of our children. The issue is important, since at least a quarter of preschool children in the United States are overweight. Obesity at the age of five is a very strong predictor of whether or not someone will be obese as an adult. So how we feed our young children and how we teach them to eat really matters for their whole lives. My take is that this information is not an opportunity to point fingers, but an opportunity to learn and to do better as parents.

    What the study has to say

    The article was based on a study done by researchers at the University of Illinois and published in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. It showed that primary caregivers (usually moms) who had an insecure attachment to their own mothers are more likely to have young children with unhealthy eating habits who are overweight or obese. “Insecure attachment” is a term from psychology that has to do with how we feel about parents who don’t respond consistently to our needs. Parents who grew up insecure tend to have more trouble dealing with their own children’s needs, especially when it has to do with negative things like distress, anger, or sadness. That in turn is connected with some unhealthy behaviors surrounding food and eating.

    Real life examples

    The study clearly showed that homes where children’s sadness or anger are dismissed are also homes where there are fewer family mealtimes, more television viewing time, and more “comfort feeding.” These behaviors are known to lead to obesity in even the youngest of children. For example, an overwhelmed mother might respond to a temper tantrum by feeding her toddler snacks to make him stop crying instead of using appropriate parenting techniques to deal with the tantrum. Another example might be the parent who puts her four-year-old in front of the TV to eat dinner instead of having a family mealtime, since the TV keeps the child quiet and makes her sit still longer than sitting at the table for dinner. Sadly, this also leads to overeating in the whole family.

    So, what do we do with this?

    Well, if you have a two-year-old who is already overweight, maybe there is room to work with your parenting behaviors around food. Look at how you respond to your child’s negative behaviors. Do you tell your child, “that’s nothing to be angry about?” Or do you find yourself saying, “don’t be sad?” Instead you could say, “I hear that you are angry” or “you seem to be sad.” It’s hard to do. If you need to, ask your pediatrician for suggestions to deal with (and to help your child to deal with) those negative feelings. Could you tolerate a little tantrum or some tears instead of abandoning the family table for a meal in front of the TV (we call it the brain sucker in my house)? Could you give up feeding your child snack foods or treats to console them when they are angry or sad? Could you let go of the expectation that your small child will sit still to eat and will clean her plate? Could you serve a healthy, well-balanced meal and deal with it if your “picky” toddler gives you a hard time about it or refuses to eat?