This month, the AAP published a clinical report representing the committee on nutrition, urging pediatricians and parents to work together to improve rates of iron deficiency in this country. The reason: iron deficiency is one of the more common problems among children but it frequently goes undetected. We can’t see it, smell it, or detect […]
Toddler
Pacifier Free
This morning, casually, while at the breakfast table with the boys, I mentioned to O that big boys don’t use pacifiers. I said, “Babies use them, but big boys don’t. You’re soon to be 2 (years) and no longer a baby. You’re a big boy now.” He asked to get down from the table where […]
Minus One
O lost his front tooth this weekend. This was not one of those tooth fairy glory moments. No wiggling the tooth in the bathroom. No anticipation. No stuffing of dollar bills under the pillow. O is 23 months old, so losing a tooth right now is not only precocious, it’s 5 years premature. Every time […]
The Chicken, The Egg, or The Dog?
Research in The American Journal of Public Health last month found that children who had a dog at home were more active compared with dogless ones (my word, not the researchers). Although dogless kids may ultimately be safer (no bites, no Salmonella-tainted food, no getting pulled across the street) they may also be more likely […]
Crack The Code On Pediatric Flu Shot Recommendations
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0gYJmuw9So Flu shots have arrived to nearly every neighborhood in the US. Frustratingly, clinics often get the doses after the retail stores (seems silly) and doses for children under age 3 may not arrive at the same time. So if you’re reading all over the planet that shots are available and your pediatrician’s office can’t […]
Mandatory Flu Shots: "Ethically Justified, Necessary, & Long Overdue"
This year, The AAP issued a statement urging pediatric hospitals and clinics to require mandatory immunization against influenza for all health care workers. They stated it’s “ethically justified, necessary, and long overdue.” The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) began recommending influenza immunization (flu shots/mist) for health care workers back in the early 1980s. Even […]
Killing The TV Won't Cut It
Even if you kill your TV, you’ll still have Hulu, iTunes, your DVDs, and your smart phone. Today we’re never separate from streaming entertainment. So the old slogan of killing the TV just isn’t going to cut it. “Turn off TV, turn on life.” Better… Around here, we’re not big TV people so this TV […]
Little Boy = Violent Play?
So parenting news is aflutter with research talking about little boys, their genetic make-up, and their aggressive and violent make believe play. New writing posits that this violent and aggressive play may be needed, that boys will process their aggression via this play. But the jury is still out for some educators and parents. The […]
Moving Day: Double Take
Does this photo look familiar? We moved again today. Yup, we moved homes just 10 months ago. Crazy or stupid, you decide. I’m just home from a late night in clinic. The boys are in their new spaces while the boxes tower amidst the palpable tired. But the night still swells with possibility. I can […]
