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...
- 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. - Kids eating too many Halloween treats? Try this trick
Despite my confession, it used to drive me crazy to watch my kids gobble up pounds of candy every fall. My wife came up with a perfect solution to our dilemma. - Limit visitors the first week you are home with your baby
While it helps to have friends or relatives assist you in taking care of the baby, what begins as a 5-minute visit can easily stretch to an hour or more. - How to make tummy time easier
Once parents start tummy time, lots of questions come up. How long should it last? How many times a day should we do it? - How to clean a newborn’s vagina
Cleaning this area often makes parents nervous. I recommend two things to make this easier. - Why newborns poop when they’re nursing
When a person’s stomach fills with food, it triggers a reflex that stimulates peristalsis.