All Search Results
-
How to help your kids get the most out of playing sports
Why are your kids playing sports?
-
How we help teens get healthy in a healthy and enjoyable way
The Teen Xpress program is part of the Howard Phillips Center for Children and Families. We offer health care, mental health counseling, case management, and nutrition and dietary services to teens at select schools in Orange County. As the Teen Xpress mental health therapist, I meet with adolescents every day that are interested in changing their lives. Usually, the teens I work with want to make changes behaviorally or emotionally, but they often also express interest in making physical changes as well. It is not unusual to hear teens say that they want to lose weight.
-
How to Choose and Pack a Backpack to Be Sure It's Safe for Your Child
As a pediatric occupational therapist, I work with kids to help them become as independent and successful as they can be in their daily tasks and activities. This includes teaching kids to lift and carry items in the most efficient and safe ways for their bodies. Backpacks are a part of your child’s daily school routine, and choosing the right one can affect your child in ways you might not expect.
-
How you can protect your teen from substance abuse?
Over the last few years there has been an increase in the number of teens who are not only experimenting with drugs, but who have developed an addiction problem. According to statistics, about 2 million children between the ages of 12 and 17 are in need of treatment every year. Most teens do not experiment with drugs with the intention to become addicted to them. In fact, most teens experiment with drugs because of curiosity, peer pressure, or to feel good and have a good time. Unfortunately, many continue and many die because of it. As caregivers, it can be challenging to know what to do because addiction is brooded in secrecy and we might not find out until the substance use has become a substance abuse problem.
-
5 Ways to Fight Your Child's Fear of Getting Vaccines
A fear of needles is one of the biggest and most common stressors for children in the hospital. Though this fear is very real, support from caregivers and medical staff can help give kids the tools they need to conquer their fears with ease!
-
One easy thing you can do to help prevent ear infections
Ear infections are one of the most common medical problems children experience within the first three years of life. They are upsetting and painful for the child, and they often result in frustration and sleepless nights for the whole family. In other words, parents would prefer to avoid ear infections if at all possible.
-
5 Important Reasons to Vaccinate Your Child
August is National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM). As pediatricians, we would like parents and caregivers to understand all of the health benefits vaccines offer for their children. As parents and caregivers, we want the best possible healthy start in life for our babies. We buckle our babies into car seats, make sure they are eating healthy diets appropriate for their age, and baby-proof their surroundings from any potential dangers. We all want to keep our children safe and healthy. An important way to give your children the healthiest start in life is to make sure they receive all of their vaccinations as recommended by your pediatrician or family physician.
-
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?
Many 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. -
Are you cleaning your child’s ear with cotton swabs?
Earwax. It’s sticky, gooey and a terrible shade of yellow, certainly not something you want to see on your baby or young child. And when we do see that yellow goo, many of us manage it by what seems to be a very logical course of action- we take a cotton swab (often referred to by the brand name Q-tip) and clean out our kids’ ears. It seems as much a common sense act of caring for our child as brushing their teeth or washing their hair.
