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  • Ways to keep your baby safe from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

    As a physician, it is always hard to explain to new parents that their perfectly healthy newborn could potentially go to sleep and not wake up, and no one can explain why. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, also known as SIDS, is the sudden and unexplained death of a baby younger than 1 year old.  It is sometimes referred to as “crib death” because it often occurs during sleep. SIDS is particularly scary because it has no symptoms or warning signs and typically, babies who die of SIDS are perfectly healthy before being put to bed. It is still unclear exactly what causes SIDS and although there is no way to 100% prevent it from happening, there are some things you can do as a parent to help keep your baby safe.

  • How we help children with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) and allergic gastrointestinal problems

    Eosinophilic esophageal disorder (EoE) is a long, tongue-twisting name that is perhaps fitting for this very complicated disorder. Sometimes referred to as a food allergy of the esophagus, it is a chronic problem that has to be carefully managed by a team of experts over a long period of time.

  • Does My Child Need a Support Group?

    At The Hewell Kids’ Kidney Center at Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, patients who have been diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease often have difficulty coping and adjusting to a lifelong chronic illness.  

  • Performing Surgery in the Womb

    A recent article in The New York Times brought awareness to the burgeoning field of surgery being performed on patients still inside the womb. The article chronicles the path of Joshuwa and Lexi Royer, a young couple from Texas who found out at their 13-week ultrasound that their son had spina bifida. As it turned out, the defect was severe, so the Royer’s traveled to Houston to hear more about the option of surgery.

  • What do you do when your child just won't cooperate with getting clean?

    What do you do if your child does not cooperate with hygiene tasks? Should you battle it out? Just let it go? Of all the tasks a parent must help their child with during a day, these can be the most challenging for parents and kids. They are often the “you have to” tasks for parents and the “I won’t” kind of tasks for the child.

  • Room Sharing vs. Bed Sharing

    The differences between these two sleeping arrangements can mean life or death for your baby. Dr. Rachel Prete, Pediatrician at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children answers questions about the differences of each, their pros and cons and tips for new parents considering each approach.

  • What are the best developmental toys for kids?

    It’s December, and that means one thing to many parents – the holidays are quickly approaching. With countless store ads, commercials and online articles about the ‘top toys of 2017,’ it’s hard to really understand what toys are both fun to play with and good for child development.

  • Through the Eyes of a Childhood Cancer Survivor: 5 Ways Life Changes after Cancer

    “Pray for me, it’s cancer.” This was my first Facebook status update following my official diagnosis with liver cancer at 16 years old. Looking through my Facebook now, there’s photos of my beautiful bride and I celebrating with our closest friends and family - including my former oncologist, Dr. Eslin. While the journey was anything but easy, I am so thankful to have gone through it with my medical team/family at Arnold Palmer Hospital. As a childhood cancer survivor who just celebrated the five-year cancer-free mark, here are the biggest changes I’ve come across as an adult:

  • Why (and how) you should get your child involved in music

    As a music therapist, I am a fierce advocate for using music to enact positive change in peoples’ lives. Music can do amazing things, and being exposed to music at an early age can have significant advantages. I believe my parents’ decision to enroll me in piano lessons as a kid was something that helped enrich my life and guide me to my current career. Music is something many of us are exposed to daily, but we don’t always engage in music with the purpose of fully understanding it. Of course, it is important to be well informed about how you are exposing your child to music throughout their development in order to ensure the most benefit.

  • What can kids do to help when disasters like Hurricane Harvey hit?

    Teddy Bear in DirtMany relief organizations are asking for monetary donations and usable donated items for those that have been displaced from their homes.  Kids can take up cash collections, whether they do this at school or with their family members.  That cash can be turned into a check designated to a reputable charitable organization.  Kids can also go through their own clothes, books, and toys and set items aside that can be used by children that have been impacted directly by the storm.  Many agencies are asking for monetary donations in lieu of “stuff” at the moment, but there will come a time soon where families will need things.  Parents can help kids by sorting and organizing items that can be donated, finding appropriate organizations for the donations, and sending them off when the time is right.