Putting drops in children’s eyes
The most common reason children need eye drops is to treat conjunctivitis due to infection (pink eye) or allergy. The proper way to instill eyes drops involves the following steps: Have your child lean back on a couch or comfortable chair. It helps if there are no...Hidden penis in toddlers
It’s very common for the penis of an older infant or toddler to look smaller than it is. Parents (especially dads) worry that the child will have a small penis when he is older. Unless a child had an abnormally small penis at birth, this finding is usually due to...Stuffy babies usually do not have colds
In the first few months of life, babies are obligate nose breathers. This means that they have to breathe through their noses. By the time babies are three to six months of age, they are able to breath through their mouths, but most still prefer nasal breathing....Should you give your child fever medicine before a doctor’s visit?
Parents frequently avoid giving their children fever medicine before a sick visit because they are afraid it will compromise the doctor’s medical evaluation. In reality, giving a child something to lower her fever before a visit usually makes it easier for doctors to...The blue rubber item you get after birth is not a nasal aspirator
After a baby is born, the nurses usually put a blue rubber aspirator in his bassinet. Parents commonly take this item home and use it to clean mucus from their baby’s nose. You should be aware that this device is not a nasal aspirator. Instead, the hospital nurses use...What To Do If Your Child Has Hiccups
Hiccups are caused by a sudden contraction of the diaphragm, which draws air rapidly into the esophagus. The characteristic squeak occurs because the epiglottis closes rapidly shutting off the influx of air. Young babies frequently get hiccups after a feeding. In most...Does Your Toddler Have A Problem With Stuttering?
As children learn to speak, pauses and repetitions of syllables or words are normal. Parents typically notice episodes of stuttering interspersed with periods of normal speech. The stuttering that is seen in this age group is developmental in nature due to the...A Primer on Tantrums
Tantrums are a normal part of child development. Although they typically begin at age two, it is not uncommon for children to start having tantrums as early at 18 months. The standard advice for dealing with tantrums is to ignore the child until the behavior stops....Some tips about food allergies
• Most serious reactions to foods happen away from home two reasons: (1) you don’t ask if a food item contains the substance your child is allergic to and/or (2) you don’t have epinephrine with you. If you have a child with food allergies, never leave home without...Why do toddlers eat less than babies?
One of the most common concerns I hear during the second and third years of life is that children become picky eaters. There are a number of reasons why this occurs: • Children gain less weight in the second and third year and therefore need fewer calories to sustain...Bronchitis is usually a viral infection
Most episodes of bronchitis do not require antibiotics because they are caused by viral infections. Parents become understandably concerned if their children are coughing and often notice a chesty “rattle” when their kids cough. Although this may be due to mucus that...Band-Aids Can Be Choking Hazards
In most doctors’ offices, children get blood counts and lead tests at nine months and two years of age. After the finger poke is done, a lab technician will put a bandage on the child’s finger to stop the bleeding. Young children do not like finger pokes....Discolored nasal mucus does not necessarily need antibiotics
In the first few days of a cold, the mucus coming out of your child’s nose will usually be clear. By the third or fourth day, it’s common for nasal mucus to turn yellow or green. Parents may misinterpret this to mean the child has a bacterial infection. The reason...Strep throats always need to be treated
Most parents are aware of the problem created when doctors overprescribe antibiotics. This practice not only encourages bacterial resistance to antibiotics, but it also increases the odds that your child will become allergic to antibiotics. Because of this trend, the...Prescription Creams Have Instructions On the Box, Not the Tube
If you take your child to the doctor because of a rash or skin condition, the doctor will often prescribe a cream or ointment. The instructions will state how often and how long you should apply the medication. Because we are a “throw-away” society, most parents toss...
- Staying in touch with family if your child is hospitalized
One way to ease the pressure of communicating with loved ones is to choose a person from each side of the family to be your spokesperson. - How to Wean Babies from Bottles
Most pediatricians (me included) recommend weaning babies from formula at 12 months. I learned many years ago that this is also the ideal time to wean them from bottles. - What is Hand, Foot, Mouth Syndrome?
Hand, foot, mouth syndrome (HFM) is a common viral infection most often seen in young children. It’s most common during… Read more: What is Hand, Foot, Mouth Syndrome? - How to Put Drops in a Child’s Eyes
Instilling drops in a child’s eyes can be difficult because they’re often afraid it will hurt when the drops go… Read more: How to Put Drops in a Child’s Eyes - Be careful when buying over the counter medication
Non-prescription medicine is not regulated by the FDA and doesn’t have to work to be sold in the US. The… Read more: Be careful when buying over the counter medication - What’s a strawberry hemangioma?
Strawberry hemangiomas are a collection of tiny capillaries located on the skin. Most resolve without treatment by the time a child is 5 to 10 years. - What are the incubation periods of some common childhood illnesses?
There is a lag time between being exposed to an infection and coming down with the disease. This time frame is called the incubation period. - What’s in a teaspoon?
Nowadays, doctors and parents need to be more precise in the way they give medicine to kids. - Are febrile seizures dangerous?
Febrile seizures occur in 3 percent of children between 6 months and 5 years. The seizure is triggered by the rapid rise in temperature that accompanies an illness. - It’s common for fathers to bond with their babies after mothers
I have made a point of telling new fathers that it’s “normal” for moms to bond to babies before they do.