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  • You can help make miracles happen, too

    A few months ago, I had the privilege of attending a Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals’ ceremony honoring children who have suffered illness or injury. During this exuberant celebration, children of all shapes, sizes, and abilities danced down the aisle with their favorite Disney characters to celebrate. Their smiles simply radiated joy. As I grinned and clapped along with them, though, I couldn’t help but think about the life and death struggles that many of these children have faced. With their bald heads from chemotherapy, their scars a reminder of past surgeries, or their IV medications disguised in a Mickey Mouse backpack, the battle was evident. And yet, they kept smiling.

  • Are you cleaning your child's ears properly?

    “I only use it on the outside…”

    When I ask parents on their initial visit with me if they use cotton swabs, this is frequently the response I get. They insist that they only use cotton swabs on the outside of the ear and that they NEVER go into the ear canal. I have even heard this from a parent, and then ended up pulling several cotton swab heads out of their child’s ear.

  • Celebrating Independence Day

    Happy 4th of July to all of our readers! As we take a break from our traditional blogs this week, we want to leave you with some great 4th of July tips to make your holiday a memorable one for your family.  Independence day is filled with activities such as outdoor BBQ’s, family picnics and get togethers, parades, and of course, fireworks! Get your kids involved in the decorating, cooking, and games to get them excited about this special day.

    Teaching your kids the meaning of Independence Day

    Independence Day is more than good food and fireworks- it’s a celebration of our nation’s birthday. Explaining the meaning behind the words “independence”, “freedom”, “patriotism” will help your kids understand why we celebrate Independence Day. “Independence”- One of the most recognizable symbols of Independence Day is the American Flag. The flag is a great visual representation of the history and meaning of this day. Give your kids a short history lesson by making a homemade flag! All you need is a sheet of blue construction paper, strips of red and white paper, and star stickers. As your kids create their own American Flag, explain what the 50 white stars and 13 red and white stripes symbolize and how they fit into the history of Independence Day. “Freedom”- Independence Day is the celebration of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence and essentially, our freedom. Read a kid-friendly copy of the Declaration of Independence together as a family and talk about the importance of the men who signed this document. Help your kids understand that with independence, comes a lot of freedom AND responsibility, something our nation faced on this very day. “Patriotism”- One of the ways we take pride in our nation is by singing The National Anthem. Print out the lyrics and sing along to a recording of The National Anthem to help them learn and remember the words to “The Star-Spangled Banner”.

    4th of July Fun

    After a quick history lesson on the importance of Independence Day, get your kids in the festive spirit with 4th of July crafts and activities! Check out the Arnold Palmer Hospital Pinterest board that is dedicated to great decorating, food and craft ideas for the 4th of July that your kids will love.

  • Choosing a pediatrician for your family

    After you process the initial joy of learning that you are pregnant, you will soon realize that you have many decisions to make for you and your baby. These choices may include picking baby names, finding an OB-GYN physician to take care of you during your pregnancy, deciding which hospital to deliver your baby, and choosing a pediatrician for your family. While many decisions can seem overwhelming, picking a pediatrician does not have to be if you know what you are looking for in a doctor.

    Talk to other parents about recommendations for a pediatrician.

    If you are beginning your search for a pediatrician, talk to your friends and family members that are parents. See if any particular names pop up repeatedly, either positively or negatively. Remember to keep an open mind, though. One person’s not-so-great experience with a pediatrician in the midst of many other positive recommendations may be a result from that particular family and pediatrician not being a good fit. The reverse is also true; one family’s amazing pediatrician may not be exactly what you are looking for. But at the very least, talking to other people is a starting point for your search.

    Plan to meet the pediatrician…before your baby is born.

    After you have made your list of potential pediatricians, the next step is to meet them in person. Many pediatric practices will host open houses for new parents, or will schedule prenatal consultations. By meeting with a pediatrician, you will be able to see if his/her beliefs, values, and attitudes regarding pediatric health care are in line with your own. You can decide if you like him/her or not…plain and simple! You and your baby will have at least 10 well-baby visits to the pediatrician in the first two years of life (not even counting sick visits!), so it helps if you like your pediatrician. Ask the pediatrician if he/she is pediatric board-certified (taken and passed the pediatric board exam) or board-eligible (preparing to take the pediatric board exam).

  • How was your day?

    Every day since he’s been old enough to answer, I’ve been asking my son that question when I pick him up at the end of the day. Usually, I get a relatively enthusiastic “good” and not much else. Sometimes, he’ll offer a little more: a few details about kindergarten drama in the cafeteria, maybe a tidbit about how he and his buddies dug a hole on the playground big enough for them to fit inside (that explains the grubby, little fingernails!).

  • How the ketogenic diet can help patients with Epilepsy

    In honor of Epilepsy Awareness Month, please welcome our guest contributor, Kelly Urbanik. Kelly is a Registered Dietitian at Arnold Palmer Hospital. She has been working with the Ketogenic Diet Therapy Program for the past 6 years and has worked with over 125 patients for this specialized therapy.

  • Putting the "thanks" into Thanksgiving

    What are you thankful for this holiday season? This should be a question that all parents ask their kids, not only around the holidays, but year-round too. Studies show that adults who have an attitude of gratitude have more energy, more optimism, more social connections, and are all-around happier than those who do not. And researchers are finding that this same theory holds true for children and adolescents too. Kids who show signs of gratefulness typically have higher GPAs and are less materialistic.

  • The morning after pill: what every parent of a teenager should know

    In the United States, recent news about teenage sexuality is promising. Fewer teens are having sex, and less than half of girls have sex before they graduate high school according to data from the Florida Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Teen pregnancy rates are also falling, probably due to a combination of fewer teens having sex, better long-acting birth control options such as Depo-Provera, and condom use by teens. In spite of this great news, the U.S still has one of the highest rates of teen pregnancy among developed countries. Nearly 80% of teen pregnancies are unplanned, a result of birth control failure or nonuse, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

  • Twitter Chat on the Ketogenic Diet for Epilepsy

    Thank you to everyone who joined our discussion on the Ketogenic Diet for Epilepsy with Kelly Urbanik, a Registered Dietitian who works with the Ketogenic Diet Therapy Program at Arnold Palmer Hospital. The chat was featured live on Twitter, where we tweeted from @APHospital, and others could join in by following the hashtag, #EpilepsyNutrition.

  • What November means to me

    In honor of Epilepsy Awareness Month, we would like to share this story written by a mother, whose son was diagnosed with Epilepsy in 2007.