What would be a November blog without discussing giving thanks?  Many of us have heard about the benefits of keeping a Gratitude Journal where we can list all the things for which we are thankful.  This allows us to reflect on the positives in our lives. These journals have been shown to assist adults with mindfulness, a positive attitude, and general well-being.

Fall is here!  Time for pumpkins, pumpkin spice everything, cooler weather, apple picking, and Halloween!  Let’s review some health and safety guidelines for all ages to make this a wonderful, safe Halloween for everyone!

Fall is here and the temperatures are cooling off, making it the perfect time to head outside!   Would you believe that on average, Americans spend a whopping 90% of their time indoors (1)? However, research has shown that there are many benefits to spending time outdoors, particularly for children.

Inspiring and developing resiliency in your child is one the key pillars of parenting today. So how do you do this?  To teach a child resilience, parents and caregivers should focus on developing skills and attitudes that enable them to adapt to challenges and thrive. Here are some strategies to foster resilience.

Fall is here and that means crisp air, beautiful leaves, warm sweaters, pumpkin patches… and germs! That’s right! It’s that time of year when more and more people are coming down with colds and other viral illnesses. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is just one of those nasty bugs lurking within all of the fall splendor. RSV season typically lasts from fall through early spring. For most healthy children, RSV can present as a common cold. However, children with weakened immune systems or underlying medical conditions as well as young children and babies can become much sicker. In fact, RSV infections are the most common cause of hospitalization in children under one year old!

As it does every year, summer has flown by and school will soon be back in session. This can be a very difficult time for kids as they transition from the freedom that summer offers back to the structure of the school year. Here are a few tips to remember to help with a smoother beginning of the school year adjustment.

Children are children, bugs are bugs and the two will frequently meet. During the late summer and early fall the stinging insects (hymenopterans) like bees, wasps, yellow jackets, fire ants, and hornets often become more aggressive, and stings become more common. Here are some helpful tips to minimize the impact of these stings for your family!

We all have heard it:  We are what we eat. A healthy diet in childhood is a key to optimal growth and development, life-long healthy eating habits, and greatly reducing a person’s risk of chronic diseases such as obesity, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.

In recent years we have done a great job decreasing childhood consumptions of some unhealthy foods (sugary drinks consumption is way down), but we are still challenged with the extremely unhealthy ultra-processed foods which now make up as much as two-thirds of the calories children eat. Let’s explore what are ultra-processed foods, why they are bad for children, and some healthy ways to avoid them

I recently read Jonathan Haidt's book, “The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness,” in which he sheds light on the alarming mental health crises affecting today’s youth.

Haidt’s findings underscore a dramatic increase in mental health issues among teenagers and young adults, particularly since 2010. He attributes these eye-opening changes to smartphones, social media, and the resultant change in how children play. Yet not all experts agree with him. For balance, nuance, and to help you, I have read and listened to some of those opinions who disagree with Haidt.

So, what are parents to do? Let’s briefly walk through Haidt’s book, other opinions, and review sensible recommendations.

In Part 1 of this series, we discussed the impact of screen time on your child and how to create a family screen time plan. This month we focus on how to choose appropriate content and offer some suggestions. 

One of the most common concerns of parents today relates to managing the ever-present screens in our lives. This is an incredibly important topic for parents with children of all ages.

Part 1 of this series will focus on why screen time is a problem and offer general suggestions on its management. Part 2 of the series will focus on recommended apps and resources to help you choose the best age-appropriate apps for your child.

Elimination patterns in children are often of concern to parents. Normal elimination patterns can be rather variable. Yet we all know that children should have regular bowel movements and urine production. This article will discuss normal and abnormal urinary habits and when you may want to call your pediatrician. 

Summer is coming! Here are some sun and water safety tips for your family so you can have fun in the sun - Safely!!

The truth is being a parent is stressful. Doctor appointments can easily add to that stress by being major time commitments, rushed, and impersonal. It takes time to get the kids ready and in the car. Time is wasted in the waiting room (not to mention the exposure to countless germs). And then the doctor always seems rushed to get to the next patient - and not able to answer all of your questions.

Wouldn’t it be much more convenient if the doctor came to the patient?

Growing up, I didn’t understand why other kids seemed to go to the doctor so much more than I did. I would go for my yearly physical, the flu shot, and if I broke a bone — but that was it. I always found it odd my friends’ parents would rush them to the doctor just to have a rash looked at or because they spiked a fever. It took me awhile to understand how fortunate I truly was to grow up with a pediatrician in the family.

While direct care subscription medical services are rapidly increasing in popularity, there is a frequent misconception that this care model is not affordable. However, using insurance for healthcare expenses does not always result in lower costs!

Direct Pediatric Care (DPC) is a pediatric medical model in which doctors partner with parents to provide comprehensive medical care for their children directly, eliminating the barriers to access, time, and quality that exist in conventional, corporate healthcare. While it sounds radical, it’s simply the way medicine used to be, and the way we believe it should be.