All Search Results
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My baby is spitting up: is this normal?
As a pediatric resident I get to see many newborn babies, and I often continue to care for them in our outpatient clinic as they grow. In my experience, spitting up is among the top concerns for mothers within the first few months of their babies’ lives. And why shouldn’t it be? More than half of all infants spit up daily. Well, before I give you some tips to help you manage this at home, I’d love to review some information that we as pediatricians keep in mind when we hear the words “spit up.”
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Important information every parent of a child with asthma needs to know
As I pass the halfway mark in my first year as a pediatric resident, I have seen many patients come through the emergency department with asthma, whether it’s for difficulty breathing or cough or chest tightness. All too often though, I find that many parents are unsure of which medicines to give when their child’s asthma is causing problems. This is usually because there are multiple inhalers at home and there can be confusion about which inhaler to give and when. With this post, we will review asthma and go over the differences between inhalers as well as when to use them.
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Do You Know What to do if Your Child is Choking?
It is the nightmare scenario that can send any parent into a cold sweat: what if my child is choking and I don’t know how to help him?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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How to Make the Most of Your Family Dinners
I talk to a lot parents who share that their child comes home from school and when they ask how their day was, they hear “fine” as their child walks toward their room and shuts the door. I praise these parents for trying to connect with their child, and then tell them they are doing it all wrong!
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Should reading be a part of your family's bedtime routine?
You’ve eaten dinner as a family around the table, you’ve given the little ones a bath, gotten them into their pajamas, brushed their teeth, and sent them to bed- now relax! Chances are though, it didn’t go that easily. I know it doesn't in my house. Bedtime routines can be hectic, and adding one more thing to the list to do before bed may seem like a hassle, but the five minutes it takes to read your child a bedtime story can be so valuable to their development.
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How to help your children become smarter and more successful
Before talking about the how-tos, let me ask you these two questions:
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In Parenting a Preteen, Maybe Laughter and Friendship Aren’t out of the Question
My almost 13-year-old son and I laughed so hard at a commercial on TV last night that we both cried. I cried big, crazy tears that exploded out of my eyes and laughed so hard I could not catch my breath. In his nearly 13 years on this earth, we have laughed together a million times, but I don’t think we’ve ever laughed together that hard, or in that way. For a moment, we were both hysterical over the same silly joke, not as mother and son but just two people hanging out and having a good time.
