Sickle cell disease in newborns and children: What families should know and do
If you’ve learned that your newborn or young child has sickle cell disease, you — and other family members and friends — may have many questions. These days, most cases of sickle cell disease in the US are diagnosed through newborn screening. It’s important to make the diagnosis early, so that babies can be started […]
Edibles and children: Poison center calls rise
If a 3-year-old finds a cookie on the table, chances are they are going to eat it. Even if it is made with marijuana or THC, CBD, or other components of cannabis. As more states have legalized the use of marijuana and an ever-widening range of derivative products, it’s not surprising that more children are […]
Summer camp: What parents need to know this year
It’s time to make summer plans, and for many families, those plans include summer camp. After the year we’ve had, the idea of getting out of the house, being active, and seeing other children sounds very appealing. While there is reason to hope that this summer will be better than 2020, the reality is that […]
School reopening? What parents need to know and can do
It’s amazing how something as ordinary as going to school can become frightening and overwhelming during a pandemic. While some children have been attending school throughout the pandemic, most have been learning remotely, or in a hybrid model of some remote and some in person. As we pass the one-year mark, it has become increasingly […]
Returning to sports and physical activity after COVID-19: What parents need to know
While most children and teens who have COVID-19 recover completely, sometimes the virus can have lasting effects. One of those effects can be damage to the muscle of the heart — and if a damaged heart is stressed by exercise, it can lead to arrhythmias, heart failure, or even sudden death. This appears to be […]
Heavy metals in baby food? What parents should know and do
If there is anything you can trust to be safe, it should be baby food, right? Well… maybe not. A report from the US House Committee on Oversight and Reform says that commercial baby foods are tainted with dangerous levels of arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury. Which baby food companies are involved? The report was […]
New school guidelines around COVID-19: What parents need to know
We all want our children to be able to go back to school. What we don’t want is for them — or their teachers — to get sick from COVID-19. There is no easy, let alone perfect, solution, which is why, a year into the pandemic, there is no clear way forward. Recently the Centers […]
Need to revisit screen time?
Just about every single one of us is spending too much time in front of a screen these days. Many, if not most, of us are spending most of our days on one — including, unfortunately, our children. Hindsight is 20/20, of course. When the pandemic began a year ago, we had no way of […]
Newborn jaundice: What parents need to know
Most newborn babies turn at least a little bit yellow. Known as jaundice, this condition is a very common and usually normal part of the newborn period. But in some very rare cases it can lead to (or be a sign of) a more serious problem. That’s why parents need to know about it. What […]
New dietary guidelines: Any changes for infants, children, and teens?
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has published new dietary guidelines to help Americans get and stay healthier across all parts of the lifespan. Babies and toddlers are included for the first time, because the recommendations cover our full lifespan. The guidelines are called “Make Every Bite Count.” If we want to get and […]