When the exam room door closes, most parents have some questions about how their child is developing or behaving. Competitive parenting abounds; everyone wants to prove or believe his or her child is above average. The he-did-what?-she’s-so-smart stories can strike fear in your heart when your child is nowhere near the same accomplishment and of […]
Infant
If It Were My Child: Infant Swimming Lessons
It turns out, I don’t think you do have to be careful what you wait for when it comes to swimming. A study published a few weeks ago suggested that children under the age of 2 were at higher risk for bronchiolitis, a common pediatric lung infection, if they swam in chlorinated pools when they were babies. I’ve […]
See Spot Run? Anterior Fontanelle, Part 2
The soft spot feels like an epicenter in O’s landscape. As every new parent gets to know their baby, the soft spot is just one of those places and spaces we come to know that makes our baby unique. I know O’s little spot is about to go away. Just another thing for me to […]
Science Of The Soft Spot: The Anterior Fontanelle, Part 1
The soft spot on the top of my baby’s head is one of my favorite places to run my hand. I don’t know why exactly but it seems one of those places on him that truly represents his baby-hood. One way I know that his infancy isn’t quite gone and my baby days aren’t over […]
2 Is The New 1: Rear-Facing Car Seats Until At Least Age 2
**The American Academy of Pediatrics has updated their recommendations since this blog published in 2010. Children should ride in rear-facing car seats until they reach the height or weight limit provided by the car seat manufacturer. This is likely well past age 2. To view the new guidelines and data, click here.** 2 is the […]
The Juggle: Working And Breastfeeding
A study in Pediatrics highlighting the importance of breastfeeding and the challenges for working moms was published earlier in 2009. Today, it circulated through a business journal and got some more attention. I read the study today for the first time. Then I re-read it a number of times. I talk about breastfeeding with moms and parents […]
Another Day, Another H1N1 Recall
Ouch. Another recall. But this time for the ouchless shot, the nasal mist H1N1 vaccine. The CDC announced last night that there is recall of about 4.7 million doses of nasal spray H1N1 immunizations. These are nasal spray vaccines used in children (and adults) over the age of 2 years. This is just a set-back […]
If It Were My Child: H1N1 Shots, Yes!
I heard about the recall of about 800,000 doses of H1N1 shots intended for children 6-35 months today. The news doesn’t scare me at all. Zilch-o. Zippo. Zero. And I scare easily. I jump in the seat in the movie theater when it’s loud or dark or someone does something scary. Really. This recall does […]
If It Were My Child: No Benadryl For The Plane
The holidays are here. Someone just plopped thanksgiving in my to-do list. I like it. Celebrating with family and friends is one yummy thing in life even in the face of family dynamics-drama. I know it doesn’t feel yummy for everyone. I’m not trying to sound Pollyanna-ey. I’ve had the dark years of holidays, too. When the […]
