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  • Preventing Child Abuse in Organizations and Youth Programs

    There are some advantages to having an adult child (The primary disadvantage is that I really feel old now that he’s an adult!). One of the advantages is that I no longer have to worry about him suffering child abuse while in the care of others. We were fortunate that the adults in his life at school, after-care, summer camps, art classes, sports and religious school were talented and caring.

  • What is the Cinnamon Challenge?

    Perhaps more commonly known as an ingredient in your favorite banana bread recipe, cinnamon has now gained traction as the favorite ingredient in a popular dare among kids and teens: the “Cinnamon Challenge.” And thanks to social media, the dare has gone viral. As of August 2012, there were over 51,000 YouTube videos of individuals partaking in the challenge, and one of these videos has been viewed over 19 million times! The Cinnamon Challenge even has its own website, and in January 2012 the phrase was mentioned an average of 70,000 times on Twitter daily. If you aren’t heavily involved in social media, trust me, the Cinnamon Challenge is a big deal and kids just want to be a part of the craze.

    What is the Cinnamon Challenge?

    The challenge is actually quite simple, or so it seems. It requires a person to swallow one tablespoon of cinnamon in 60 seconds without drinking any liquid. Sounds easy, but as you can see in the videos that are publicly displayed for viewers’ entertainment, the victims of this challenge usually end up coughing and choking, as the spice triggers a severe gag reflex in response to a burning sensation in the mouth and throat. This challenge is known to be nearly impossible and potentially harmful, as stated on the cinnamon challenge website, but this doesn’t keep kids from wanting to try it themselves.

    The dangers behind the challenge

    A recent study published in the journal Pediatrics took a closer look at the potential dangers of the popular dare. As noted in the study, eating cinnamon in small amounts and mixed with other foods does not cause a problem for most people. However, problems can arise when large amounts are consumed in isolation from other foods. The coughing, choking and gag reflex that occurs in response to consuming cinnamon in this way can cause the spice to make its way into the lungs. While most side effects are temporary, there can be long-lasting lesions, scarring, and damage to the fragile airways. Those who are allergic to cinnamon or have other diseases, such as asthma, may be at a greater risk for developing these long-term side effects.

  • When Should My Baby Start Eating Solid Foods?

    In the past, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has recommended that babies should be introduced to solid foods between the ages of 4 to 6 months. This recommendation was recently changed, and now the AAP recommends that babies start eating solid foods at about 6 months of age. A study published by the AAP in the journal Pediatrics in March 2013 showed that many mothers (approximately 40%) were introducing solids to their babies before the age of 4 months.

  • Healthy skin habits: Dr. Davis explains why it's important to teach kids at an early age

    With our recent cold snap finally over, summer and warmer temperatures are just around the corner. As we spend more time outdoors in short sleeves and shorts, we need to remember how important it is to protect our skin! Although everyone loves “a tan” for the summer, this is actually a sign of skin damage. Protecting our skin by using sunscreen and other forms of sun block is the first (and most important step) in keeping our skin healthy and preventing the most deadly form of skin cancer, melanoma. Did you know that most of our sun exposure and skin damage from the sun happens before the age of 18? Developing healthy skin habits as children and maintaining these habits through adulthood is essential to keeping our skin healthy over our lifetime!

    How does the sun damage our skin?

    The sun produces invisible ultraviolet (UV) rays as part of the light it radiates to earth. These are the rays that are damaging to our skin and eyes. There are three different kinds of UV rays:  UVA, UVB, and UVC rays. UVA rays are responsible for skin aging, wrinkling and causing melanoma. These rays make up the majority of our daily sun exposure. UVB rays are responsible for causing sunburns and cataracts of the eyes. They also contribute to melanoma as this form of skin cancer is most common in adults who had several severe sunburns as children. What is concerning about melanoma is that we are seeing it in an increasing number of young adults and even teenagers. Both UVA and UVB rays pass easily through the earth’s protective ozone layer. UVC rays on the other hand are thought to be the most dangerous types of UV rays but are blocked by the ozone layer and never reach the earth’s surface.

    What about melanin in our skin?

    Melanin is a chemical in the skin that absorbs UV rays and causes our skin to tan. Everyone has a different level of melanin in their skin. Fair-skinned people have less melanin while darker complexions have higher concentrations of melanin. A common misconception is that darker skinned people do not “burn” or get skin cancer. Regardless of the concentration of melanin in the skin, anyone can get a sunburn or develop melanoma. Any amount of tan is damage to the skin whether you are fair skinned or not.

    So how do we protect our skin from the sun?

    Kids can get a sunburn just from playing in the backyard on a sunny day- not just during a day at the beach!  First and most importantly, all children (and adults) 6 months and older should always wear an SPF 30 before going outside for any length of time. SPF stands for sun protection factor and the number indicates the amount of time you can spend in the sun before getting a sunburn. For example, if you start to burn in 10 minutes without sunscreen, applying SPF 30 will allow you to stay in the sun 30x longer before starting to burn (ie-300 minutes). Other ingredients such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide offer the greatest protection against the entire spectrum of UV rays. Sunscreen should be applied 15 minutes before going outside to allow for adequate absorption into the skin. For most kids, two ounces (a shot glass full) of lotion should be enough to cover the entire body. Spray-type sunscreen should still be rubbed in after applied to the skin to ensure there are no missed spots.  Don’t forget to apply to commonly neglected areas such as the scalp, lips, ears, back of neck, and tops of feet! Sunscreen should be reapplied every two hours while outside, especially if swimming or sweating.  Remember, there is no such thing as waterproof sunscreen! This means you may go through nearly an entire bottle of sunscreen during a full day at the beach. Children under 6 months of age have more delicate skin and underdeveloped levels of melanin. They should not have sunscreen applied to their skin at all. Keeping young babies out of the sun altogether is best. However, if this is not possible keep them completely covered up with clothing and under a covered stroller or tent while out in the sun.

  • Battling Kawasaki disease: Ava's story

    Ava is a bubbly, outgoing 5-year-old. She loves princesses and playing dress-up, and she makes a new friend everywhere she goes. The highlight of her day in her Pre-kindergarten class? Getting chosen to be the line leader.

  • Hearing the “A” word: autism

  • A handwritten note: a small gesture that speaks volumes

    Last night, as it became clear that bedtime was just around the corner, my daughter started to cry. At three and a half, it is her life’s mission to negotiate or manipulate her way out of naptime and bedtime. Every day. Every night. It is exhausting.

  • How to ensure safe screen time during the summer.

    Summer is here, which means rising temperatures outside, endless hours swimming in a pool and family barbeques. It also means that kids will have more time than ever to surf the web, play games on the family tablet, or watch their favorite show. However, just because kids have more time available to sit in front of a screen, doesn’t mean they should. The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages screen time for kids under the age of 2, and recommends limiting screen time to no more than two hours a day of “” for older kids.

  • How you can use toys to develop your child’s language skills

    Written by Faye Stillman, MS, CCC-SLP/ATP and Carla Hall, MA, CCC-SLP, Speech/Language Pathologists from the Outpatient Rehabilitation Department at Arnold Palmer Hospital.

  • Children and CT Scans

    In June 2013, an article was published in JAMA Pediatrics that discussed the use of CT scans in children, and the risk of developing cancer in the future. A CT scan can be a very useful tool for a physician to use to either make, or confirm, a diagnosis if your child is having a medical problem. It is important for families to understand that a CT scan uses radiation, and we know that exposure to radiation is linked to cancer.

    The Study: The link between CT scans and cancer

    The information from the JAMA Pediatrics study describes the overall increase of use in CT scans in children over the past 20 years. The number of pediatric CT scans increased until about 2006, and then began to decline. The amount of radiation in a CT scan can be 100 to 500 times greater than a plain x-ray. Children are very sensitive to exposure to radiation that can cause future cancer because of their young age, and because they have many more years of growth and development ahead of them.