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  • Sending a child with epilepsy to school: what every parent should know

  • Distraction can be a useful tool in helping your child cope with a difficult situation

    As a Child Life Specialist, I often joke about the proverbial “toolkit” that I seem to have invisibly available when I work with children. In it are a variety of ideas, books, toys, and other items that I have used in the past that can benefit children as they go through painful procedures or times in the hospital that are particularly stressful. One of my best “tools” in this kit of mine is distraction.

  • How becoming a mother has helped me become a better Child Life Specialist

    No one can fully prepare you for how much becoming a mother changes you. The worries, fears, and joy all seem to multiply when a bouncing baby enters your life. As a Child Life Specialist, I thought I was prepared to combine motherhood and professional practice. As it turns out, I learned a lot, and I still have plenty more to go!  Motherhood has changed the way I view parents and families who have to experience the hospitalization of their babies- and I include kids of ALL ages! I know that no matter how old they are, they are always our babies- whether they like it or not!

  • Why you (and your kids) shouldn't use antibacterial soap anymore

    No more antibacterial soap. Not at home. Not at school. Not at all for healthy people.

  • Tips to make your kid's sport season a safer one

    Kids are back in school and back in sports. When I was younger, that always meant balancing the less-than-happy feelings of returning to a sleep schedule with my excitement over returning to organized sports. Sports were always a fun way for me to stay active, learn to work within a team and to build friendships. 

  • How do you teach a child to be kind, caring and compassionate?

    Working as a child life specialist has granted me a front row seat to some of life's most challenging, defining, and intimate moments for the kids I serve. In partnering with children and families, we work to empower and encourage positive coping skills and help them make meaning from the obstacles they have been presented. And through this, I am always left with a chance for meaning-making of my own. Lately, I have been reflecting on the concept of empathy and its importance not only within the lives of those affected by medical challenges, but as a basic skill needed between all people.

  • 5 Steps for Managing the Risks of Your Child’s Epilepsy

    If you have a child with epilepsy, worrying about the risk of seizures can add stress to any day. Whether they’re at school, the playground or accompanying you to the grocery store, you may be searching for signs of an oncoming issue. But there are steps you can take to prevent epilepsy’s most serious risks.

  • 6 Tips for Staying Safe (and Sane!) While Traveling with Kids

    Traveling with children can make any trip memorable. But packing up the little ones and whisking them off to new places also can feel extremely daunting. The right preparation and adjustments, though, can help parents stay calm and in control during travel. Whether you’re taking a short road trip, flying across the country or hopping on board a cruise ship, just remember to have fun and be safe.

  • More Than Her Illness: Faith Finds Hope in the Teen Leadership Council

    Faith was in dire need of help when she arrived at Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children at the age of 14. She had been to other hospitals and seen other specialists, but none were equipped to deal with her severe gastrointestinal conditions. That changed once she got to Orlando Health Arnold Palmer and its expert team of pediatric gastroenterologists and GI surgeons.

  • Should I Start Giving My Child Vitamins?

    If you have a toddler who has a meltdown at the thought of eating more than two bites of something green, you know that getting children to eat a well-balanced diet isn’t easy. Whether to start giving their child vitamins is a question many parents have, as well as at what age they should start. However, for most healthy children, vitamins are unnecessary.