All Search Results
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How do you cope with a debilitating and invisible chronic illness?
How do you cope with having a debilitating invisible chronic illness, like Gastroparesis? When I was first diagnosed with Gastroparesis, I honestly didn’t know how to feel. It was like I was on a rollercoaster of emotions - accepting one day, and completely confused the next. I later came to the realization that those feelings are completely normal.
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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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Why antibiotics aren't always the answer
When our kids get sick, we often feel desperate for relief and many parents look to antibiotics to help their children get better faster.
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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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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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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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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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When It’s Hot Outside, Protect Your Kids From Heat-Related Illness
Now that summer break has arrived, families are starting to plan their outdoor activities and summer vacations. With warm weather ahead, it is a good idea to take note of the ways extreme heat can affect children and how to safely enjoy the outdoors.
