What to do if your baby has lazy eye
If the baby’s eyes are constantly out of balance or wander after 6 months of age, see a pediatric ophthalmologist.
Parent’s Cheat Sheet: Describing coughs (and other noises) to the doctor
When children come down with respiratory illnesses, they make lots of noises. The words parents use to describe these noises don’t always agree with how the doctors use the terms. Here’s the lowdown on the noises kids make when they have a cold or the flu. Congestion....Does your child have hives?
When parents call me about rashes, I often hear that a child has “hives.” In most cases, parents use this term incorrectly. The question is, does that matter? The factors that cause most rashes in children are environmental (insect bites, heat rash, allergic...What are the white spots in a newborn’s mouth?
Parents often have questions about the things they see in their baby’s mouths. Here are the most common findings you may notice. Epstein’s Pearls. These are white spots on the roof of a baby’s mouth. They are usually the size of a sesame seeds. They disappear in a...What’s a retractile testicle?
In my last blog, I mentioned that it takes 6 months for testicles to descend from the abdomen into the scrotum. If this process doesn’t occur properly, a baby will be born with an undescended testicle. (If the testicle can be felt in the inguinal canal, it’s referred...Blood tests are not needed at every checkup
Children are encouraged to get regular checkups. In addition to answering a parent’s questions, these visits are meant to reinforce a healthy lifestyle and to screen for certain conditions based on the child’s age. For babies and toddlers, screening questions focus on...Make doctor’s visits easier for young children
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...Hernias and other problems in teenage boys
This blog post is really for adolescent males. If you are a parent, copy the information or send a link to your son. Concerned aunts, uncles and grandparents can do the same thing.On May 14th, I wrote a blog about testicular torsion. [Link:...Boys need to be examined standing up
Doctor’s visits can be unsettling for children so I usually examine infants and toddlers on the parent’s lap. However, once boys reach the age of three or four, it’s important to do the testicular examination while they are standing. Prior to adolescence, the main...
- 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.