A recent study confirmed that there is limited time with pediatricians for well baby care. The Pediatrics study surveyed parents retrospectively about their well-baby visits with pediatricians; 1/3 of parents reported having less than 10 minutes with the doctor! I say this can still be a great place for partnership, reassurance, diagnosis, and care even […]
California Bans Indoor Tanning
Atta girl, California. This week Governor Brown signed a law making it illegal for children under age 18 to use tanning beds. No doctor note, no parent note, or any other paperwork necessary. It’s a real ban and it’s the strictest law in our nation. While 30 some other states have laws limiting indoor tanning […]
How To Stop A Nosebleed: Seattle Mama Doc 101
Nosebleeds are a common frustration during childhood. Although finger-nose-picking is a common cause, other climate changes (dry), medication use (nasal sprays), and other medical problems (rarely) can be the cause. The best advice? Don’t panic. And do your best to help prevent nosebleeds: stop the picking (GOOD LUCK), use humidifiers in children’s rooms, nasal saline […]
First Day of Preschool
He exceeded expectations. Our little boys do that, it seems. And like every parent, I glow and gleam and glitter when they do. Today little O exceeded. Today was O’s first day of school. And although I am the one who housed the separation anxiety this morning, I expected him to miss us at some […]
Most Parents Avoid Alternative Vaccination Schedules
I see this as a glass half-full, glass half-empty issue. Yesterday, a study was published in Pediatrics detailing research conducted in May of 2010 about parents’ preferences to use alternative vaccination schedules versus following the recommended CDC vaccination schedule. The majority of the media coverage focused on the finding that over 10% of parents followed a […]
It's Time For A Flu Shot
Why To Get A Flu Shot (Cliff Notes): Influenza causes more hospitalizations than any other vaccine-preventable illness. It’s not just kids at risk for complications (asthmatics, diabetics, children with complex heart disease or immune problems) that die from the flu. Nearly 1/2 the children who died in this last year in the US were well, healthy children. […]
We Can Engage With Grace?
Our kids teach us a lot about life. Doesn’t matter if they’re in-utero, a newborn, a toddler, or a teen. An obvious statement of course, but not only do our children teach us about their journey, they teach us about our own. Today it happened again, O taught me something. He reminded me about self. […]
Helicopter: You Betcha
The husband just took the training wheels off of F’s bike this morning. Mind you, F never really needed the training wheels as he’d already learned how to balance on two wheels with his “balance bike” as a toddler. But this morning, as sun cast gorgeous light over Seattle, we realized there were 2 days […]
One Family Meal, A World Of Difference
Good Reads (Data) On Family Meals: Correlations Between Family Meals and Teen Well-Being Adolescent Risk and Mealtime Routines Don’t have 100 or so seconds? Here’s the Cliff Notes on what I said: Family meals matter. Not because of the fruits and veggies but because of the communication that occurs. Any meal can be a family […]