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.
How to take a rectal temperature in newborns
Once you take your baby home, you should take rectal temperatures if you’re concerned that the baby is sick or has a fever.
When can kids with hand, foot and mouth syndrome return to school?
Most children contract hand, foot and mouth syndrome before kindergarten. The infection is usually caused by a member of the Coxsackie virus family. It typically presents with fever, sore throat and small blisters on the palms and soles. Some strains of the virus also...Is it OK to give kids fever (or other) medicine before a doctor’s visit?
Lots of parents think that giving a child acetaminophen or ibuprofen prior to seeing the doctor will compromise the visit. This is not true. Fever reducing medicine won’t make it harder for the doctor to figure out what’s wrong. In fact, reducing a child’s fever...Why do kids have to be fever-free for 24 hours before returning to school?
Body temperature varies throughout the day whether you’re sick or healthy. If you take your daughter’s temperature three times a day for a number of days, you will see that the highest readings come in the evening. Similarly, if she is sick, you are more likely...Can a teenager be immune to mononucleosis and not know it?
It’s common knowledge that people are usually diagnosed with mononucleosis (mono) during adolescence. This is the reason it’s often referred to as the “kissing disease.” What lots of people don’t know, however, is that about 20 percent of children get mono before age...Fever management for children who can’t (or won’t) take oral medication
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...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...
- 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.