Healthy Living
Risk Factors for Suicide
As a clinician who has completed psychiatric assessments in the Emergency Department and now teaches suicide prevention, I believe knowing the warning signs of suicide can be helpful for parents in addressing the needs of their child. These warning signs › Continue Reading
Warning Signs of Suicide and Ways to Get Help
Studies suggest that the majority of people who die by suicide give warning signs beforehand, but the signs are not always obvious. We all – as parents, friends, family and community members – need to be looking for the warning › Continue Reading
As a dietitian in the Center for Better Health and Nutrition, parents often tell me that they spend a lot of time packing their kids’ lunches, only to find the majority of it coming back home. This situation can be › Continue Reading
It’s that time of year again – kids are heading back to school and carting their many supplies to and fro. When used correctly, backpacks are the safest and most efficient way to carry something heavy and distribute the weight › Continue Reading
5 Tips for Talking to Teachers About ADHD
Navigating the school years can be challenging for any parent, but can be particularly daunting when your child has ADHD. One of the most crucial first steps at the beginning of each year is to talk to your child’s teacher. › Continue Reading
It’s a common (and sometimes hilarious) scenario: a preschooler walks into the room with chocolate all over her face and claims that she didn’t eat a cookie. While it can be funny and at the same time disconcerting to hear › Continue Reading
Summer Practices: What To Know
Before kids take the field on crisp fall nights for sports like football and soccer, they get ready for the season in the heat of the summer. With heat indices regularly reaching triple digits in some parts of the country, › Continue Reading
Chest pain can be disconcerting for kids and parents alike. This is evident in a previous blog post we wrote about the topic – we have received more than 700 comments and questions from readers of all ages! Our goal › Continue Reading
Our lives forever changed on July 31, 2017, when we received a call from our babysitter. She thought something was wrong with our daughter, Claudia, as she was complaining of a severe headache, slurred speech, and inability to lift her › Continue Reading
Sensory Processing and Integration Challenges
Many children experience challenges with sensory processing and integration. Our senses help us interpret the world around us. The way we process and integrate sensory information determines how we react to sound, sight, smell, touch, taste, and movement. Children who › Continue Reading
When you see your child lying on the couch, holding his head and complaining of a headache, it can be concerning. Headaches, which can even occur in infants, are a common problem for young people of all ages. In fact, about › Continue Reading
For kids, summer means freedom, fun and a break from the daily grind. While it’s much easier to encourage your kids to be physically active in the summer months, it can still be challenging. Hectic camp and work schedules, the › Continue Reading
Myopia, or nearsightedness, is one of the most common vision problems in childhood. In fact, about 9% of kids ages 5-17 are nearsighted. Kids with this condition can usually see things close up, but struggle to see things far away. › Continue Reading
Please allow me to introduce you to my only child and precious daughter, Lila. She is a vivacious, 18-year-old whose life took an unexpected turn last fall when she suffered a stroke. Lila Lives Life To the Fullest Lila has › Continue Reading
Allergy Skin Prick Test: What’s It Like?
If your child has an upcoming allergy skin prick test, you may be wondering what is involved. After all, you were informed that you could be in the allergy clinic for a couple of hours. So what exactly happens during › Continue Reading
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an often misunderstood condition. Obsessions, as I like to explain to my younger patients, are thoughts that they can’t get out of their heads. Compulsions are the behaviors that they feel like they have to do. › Continue Reading
A new diagnosis of celiac disease and initiation of a gluten free diet can be overwhelming. Despite an increase in the availability of gluten free options, adapting to a new lifestyle is still challenging, especially for kids. Education from an › Continue Reading
When Your Child Gets A Nosebleed: DOs and DON’Ts
Nosebleeds can be alarming for kids and parents alike, especially if there wasn’t an injury. The good news is that most nosebleeds can be treated at home without medical intervention. Aside from some sort of trauma, nosebleeds most frequently happen › Continue Reading
You may have heard other parents mention that their newborn was had jaundice or needed to “go under the lights” for a bit before or soon after coming home from the hospital. Infant jaundice is a common newborn condition, and › Continue Reading
Starting your baby on solid foods can be both exciting and trying. It’s fun to experience new tastes and textures with your baby. But it can also be a little stressful, especially if it isn’t going well. Eating solid foods › Continue Reading
Febrile Seizures: A Parent’s Guide
A seizure is one of the scariest things a parent can ever experience. It’s unexpected, overwhelming and you don’t know why it’s happening or when it’s going to end. A seizure is chaotic and terrifying, but the good news is › Continue Reading
As a parent of three teenagers, I worry about a lot of things. At the top of that list are the challenges they face as they begin making their own decisions. Adolescents and young adults have a tremendous amount of › Continue Reading
Lower Back Pain in Kids: What Can Be Done?
Almost one-third of athletes will have back pain at some point while playing sports. It is one of the most common ailments we see in Orthopedic and Sports Medicine clinics and on the sideline. But not all children who have › Continue Reading
Kidney Stones: Not Just An Adult Problem
When you think about who typically gets kidney stones, you probably picture an older man. But the reality is that while they are more common in adults, there has been a significant increase of kidney stones occurring in children over › Continue Reading
