Why you should gift board games
Board games are a fun way to help build focus and sportsmanship, to create bonding opportunities with family, and to develop age-appropriate skills which will later help in school.
Croup
Kids with croup sound like they swallowed a seal. Croup is the name given to the cough caused by a narrowing upper airway. In many cases, this is caused by infection, but there are many other possible causes as well. The tell-tale barky cough and stridor are a result of air passing through the narrowed upper airway (larynx, trachea).
Childproofing for grandparents
Low effort babyproofing tips that provide major payoff in terms of keeping your child safe, and maintaining your peace of mind.
What to try for a cough
I know coughs can be frustrating. But I promise you, your pediatrician isn’t holding out on you with some magical home remedy that they want to keep to themselves.
Hopefully these remedies help, but otherwise the best thing for most coughs is tincture of time.
How to assess your child’s breathing
As mothers and physicians, we really believe in the intangible gut instinct that comes with parenting, and while it is unfortunate that sometimes it falls upon us as parents to be persistent and advocate for our children, this is sometimes the case.
Nasal irrigation in kids: safe? effective?
Nasal irrigation, or using a neti-pot, has been around for centuries as a remedy for blocked noses. The idea is that you use a sterile solution, like saline, and flush out the mucus. If you’re going to try it, please do it safely.
Why is this viral season so wild?
Cold after cold, fever after fever. Non stop, without any real break for a parent to recover. It feels endless, and its easy to worry about whether or not things will always be this way.
Yes, pediatrics hospitals are full
We are at the start of respiratory season, but are seeing have unseasonably high numbers of RSV, Rhinovirus, and many other respiratory viruses - and in many parts of the country, flu season has also begun.
RSV: 5 things to try
Most children have been infected with RSV by the age of 2 years and recover just fine. We worry most about those children who are very young (under 6 months) or have underlying medical issues, such as prematurity, lung or heart disease, or immunosuppression.
Fussy baby? Is it a hair tourniquet?
In young infants, a fallen hair (or a thread) can get tangled around a finger, a toe, or genitals and constrict the flow of blood. We see this most often in infants under 6 months, but it can be seen in toddlers and older children (in this case, it is usually the result of them intentionally winding something around the area or, unfortunately, because of child abuse).
My kid has a fever! What now?
A fever is a normal body response to infection. If your child is handling it well, most of the time you can keep take a holistic approach and focus on closely monitoring them (barring a few specific situations, such as when your child is very young or has underlying medical conditions).
Tummy bugs: practical tips
Stomach flu or gastroenteritis is an incredibly frustrating illness to deal with. It is super contagious. It can cause major and dramatic symptoms immediately, but for some children it can cause ongoing lingering symptoms for a few weeks after.