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  • January: National Birth Defects Prevention Month

    January is National Birth Defects Prevention Month. One in every 33 babies is born with a birth defect. If you are thinking about becoming pregnant in the near future, there are a few things that you can do to improve your health and reduce the chance of your baby being born with a birth defect.

    Start taking a prenatal vitamin with folic acid.

    Folic acid is a B vitamin that our body uses to make new cells. This vitamin is important because when you have enough folic acid in your body, that helps reduce the risk of birth defects of the brain and spinal cord in your baby (also known as neural tube defects such as anencephaly and spina bifida). Folic acid works best in preventing neural tube defects if taken before pregnancy and during the first few weeks of pregnancy, before most women even know that they are pregnant.

  • Learning to let them fly

    Am I an overparent-er?

  • I Don’t Need to Worry About Pornography and My Child, Right?

    Therapists are required to get continuing education to maintain our professional licenses and I recently attended a workshop on youth and pornography.  The information presented was not good news, but I was glad I attended because I found out my education in this area was definitely out of date!

  • Listen up! How to effectively communicate with your teen

    A few weeks ago, I was at work (I’m a counselor with the Teen Xpress program).  I sat there, speaking with Mike*, an eighteen year old male.  He is someone that I’ve worked with in the past, providing counseling on various issues; relationships, coping skills, and stress management.  On this day, we were talking about family dynamics and stress… particularly stress that he was feeling in regards to his relationship with his parents.

  • Planning “the talk”: The importance of establishing open communication with your teen

    This post was written by the Clinical Social Work Team at Arnold Palmer Hospital and Winnie Palmer Hospital. 

  • Mom, what's for dinner?

    How often have you heard this phrase?

  • TV time before bed may keep your kids awake longer

    Walk me through your child’s nighttime rituals. What does it look like? Dinner, bath, then wind down with your child’s favorite movie or recorded TV show – sound about right? I would be willing to bet that many kids watch some form of TV before going to bed, as parents attempt to clean up from dinner, do laundry, or finally take a break from a busy day. What if I told you that TV time before bed actually makes your kids stay awake longer? That’s right. If you want your kids to fall asleep faster at bedtime, it may be a good idea to turn of the TV, and even the iPad and computer, at night. Here’s why.

    The Study

    A recent study published in the Journal Pediatrics took an inside look at the effects of TV time on a child’s sleep patterns. Researchers surveyed over 2,000 kids, ages 5 to 18, on their activities within 90 minutes of going to sleep. They found that watching TV was the most common reported activity, and took up at least 30 minutes of the child’s 90-minute pre-sleep activity log.

    What does this mean?

    Researchers found that there was a direct correlation between kids who watched TV and the amount of (prolonged) time in which they were able to fall asleep. When compared to kids who chose non-screen activities before bed, those who regularly watched TV leading up to bedtime had a harder time falling asleep. Based on this study, it is recommended that kids reduce the amount of TV time before bed to improve their overall sleep quality.

    Alternatives to TV time at night

    While the occasional movie night with the kids shouldn’t be banned (and is something that kids can look forward to), there are many other ways to help prepare them for bedtime. Here are some suggestions:  Give your child a warm bath and cozy up to a good book (or two) in bed Allow your kids to quietly play in their rooms, read alone, or listen to music Have one-on-one time. Spend time with your child playing a game or working on a puzzle before bed.  Share a story. Create a fairytale together or quietly sing songs to your little one before turning the lights out.Whatever your child’s nighttime ritual is, try to avoid the habit of staring at a glaring TV screen before bed. Not only will this encourage your child to fall asleep faster, but it even allows for better quality time with your kids at night.

    Share with us! Do you allow your kids to watch TV before bed? What do your kids’ bedtime rituals look like? 

  • Twitter Chat on Common Running Injuries and Injury Prevention

    Thank you to everyone who joined our discussion on "Common Running Injuries and Injury Prevention" with Dr. Davis, Pediatric Sports Medicine Physician, and special guest, Dr. Jean Moorjani, Pediatrician 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, #RunWithDrDavis.

  • Updated booster seat recommendations for kids

    Does your child use a booster seat in the car? This might be a question to ask yourself if you are a parent of a young child. It has been previously thought that a child could graduate from the booster seat around age 8, but guidelines are now being revised to take into account a child’s height, recognizing that children grow at different rates.

  • What’s all the fuss about the flu?

    Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock somewhere, you’ve probably seen a lot of coverage lately on television and online news about the flu. We hear so much about it each year that often it’s tempting to brush that information aside.