The website contains a number of blogs on various topics. The purpose of the blogs is to provide relatively brief comments or tips on specific pediatric topics. Longer articles can be found on the medical articles page. You can read the blogs at your leisure or “jump” to a specific section to see if I have written something on a topic of particular interest.
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For most children, immunizations are the most stressful part of an annual checkup. We have a policy in my office that helps reduce the anxiety associated with this necessary evil. Whenever a child needs two vaccinations, we administer the shots simultaneously. This...
Diarrhea is a common symptom in pediatrics. In most cases, children have a viral gastroenteritis (“stomach flu”) that does not require any lab work. In some cases, however, it’s important to find out what’s causing the symptoms. Although it’s relatively easy for...
It's very common for newborns to become jaundiced by the second or third day of life. Jaundice is a medical condition that presents with yellowing of the skin or sclera (whites of the eyes). It is due to a build up of bilirubin in the baby's system. Bilirubin is a...
Babies are traditionally weaned from formula after their first birthday. Although you can wean them from bottles when they are older, transitioning them to cups at the same time you discontinue formula is preferable for two reasons. First, it’s better for a toddler's...
I get lots of calls that children complain when parents use either prescription or non-prescription creams to treat eczema and other rashes. In many cases, parents think their kids are just being difficult, and there is no way a cream can sting. Your kids are not...
One of the most common questions I get has to do with the color of a newborn's bowel movements. The first stool that an infant has is a dark green, black substance called meconium. Babies pass meconium stools for a few days before they have something called...
Infants have two types of sucking: nutritional and non-nutritional. The former is something they do when they are hungry. The latter is something they do to soothe themselves. When babies reach five or six months of age, they are developmentally able to suck their...
Children love to have fun during bath time. Whether it's playing with bath toys, surrounding themselves with bubbles or just splashing around, kids enjoy having fun in the tub. However, bubble baths can cause side effects in girls. The opening to a girl's urethra (the...
A common finding in male infants is a circumcised penis that has some extra foreskin—it is most noticeable on the underside of the penis. When babies are circumcised, the person doing the procedure has to be careful not to remove too much foreskin. As a result,...
I have an article on helping children cope with doctor’s visits and shots elsewhere on the website. (Link: http://howardjbennett.com/medical-articles/help-your-child-cope-with-doctors-visits/) Today, I wanted to mention a simple technique that can improve the way...
In a recent article, I stated that fever does not always need to be treated. In many cases, however, it's worthwhile to treat fever to help children sleep or prevent them from becoming dehydrated. There are two situations when parents will have difficulty managing...
Learning to swallow pills is difficult for many children. One technique I find helpful is to “hide” the pill in another food before attempting to swallow it. Bread is an excellent choice because it’s sticky and easily encases the pill. Before you suggest the technique...
Evaluating children with abdominal pain is a common occurrence in pediatrics. Although most children with abdominal pain do not have anything serious, the occasional child will show up who may have appendicitis. When this occurs, patients are usually sent to the...
It is common knowledge that you don’t have to pull back on a baby’s foreskin to get it to detach from the head of the penis (glans). This is a natural process that will occur as the baby grows. Like many aspects of growth and development, a child’s foreskin detaches...
Before prescribing antibiotics for children, doctors ask if the child has any known drug allergies. It is not uncommon in this situation for parents to mention their own history of drug allergy. A doctor’s standard response is to reassure parents that their child is...
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