Monthly Archive for April, 2010

National Infant Immunization Week

Published on April 29, 2010 in Parenting, Prevention and Vaccine. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

This is national infant immunization week. Many, including myself,  view immunizations as one of the greatest advances in medicine as they have clearly saved countless lives from diseases such as pertussis, measles, and haemophilus. Vaccination is the single most important thing I do on a day-to-day basis to prevent illness and protect children.

Our State, like many others, finds itself facing a rising number of school-aged children whose parents are choosing not to immunize their child and Continue reading ‘National Infant Immunization Week’

Everybody Loves Babies

Published on April 27, 2010 in Babies and Out and About. 0 Comments Tags: .

Image from Babies movieLast night my entire family went to the screening of the new movie Babies that was put on by the Group Health Foundation. I found it thoroughly enjoying with many clips bringing a smile to my face or making me laugh. Despite the cultural differences of the families, I found there to be so many similarities in the way the families interacted with their children such as the mothers singing to their babies. I also enjoyed seeing the differences as this is what makes us all unique. Continue reading ‘Everybody Loves Babies’

Healthy Planet, Healthy Families

Published on April 22, 2010 in Out and About and Prevention. 0 Comments Tags: .

vegetable gardenSince today is Earth Day, I thought I would take a moment to share what we discussed in our home. My daughter was actually the first one to mention it a few days ago as her school has been talking about it. This was a great introduction into a discussion about the importance doing what we can help the planet and to keep us healthy. We discussed healthy living by eating healthy foods, conserving our resources by doing little things like turning off lights, walking to places when able to and a few other topics.

Recycling is already common practice at home. I love it when she asks “daddy, Continue reading ‘Healthy Planet, Healthy Families’

Taking Time for Your Relationship = Good for Your Family

Published on April 20, 2010 in Parenting. 0 Comments Tags: .

couple walkingChildren are wonderful and I am so thankful for the two that my wife and I have. They can also be quite stressful and change many of the things that were standard practice before their arrival.

As parents, we are so keyed in to the needs and well being of our children not to mention career demands that finding time to nurture a relationship can easily get forgotten.  At times even in my household, this is something that we have struggled with, as priorities get misaligned.

On occasion Continue reading ‘Taking Time for Your Relationship = Good for Your Family’

Every Child is Different

Published on April 15, 2010 in Babies and Parenting. 0 Comments Tags: .

learning to walkIt is very hard not to make comparisons between children. I see this on a day-to-day basis in the office when parents will say that their other child did something at a much earlier age. Earlier is not better. In fact, the most common examples that parents mention are around language development and walking. For both, there are huge ranges of normal. Children typically will walk between 9-15 months of age. When it comes to language skills, most children will know about 5-10 words at 15 months and begin 2 word phrases typically by 2 years of age and have a vocabulary of about 50 words at that time.

It was hard even for my wife Continue reading ‘Every Child is Different’

It’s Time to Play

Published on April 13, 2010 in Out and About. 2 Comments Tags: .

Yesterday was my daughter’s first day of soccer practice and she loved every minute of it. It was fun to watch my 6 year old run around with her friends having a great time. I am not sure who had more fun, her, or us parents.  Even the grandparents got involved and came down to the field to watch and supply dinner for us all. I expected the fields to be soggy but they were in great shape and made for a fun evening for the entire family. Even my 2 year old got involved trying to kick a soccer ball that was about a quarter of his size. He was quite good for a 2 year old.

This time of year the weather is changing. As busy as we all are, it is important to find some time to get active as a family. It does not have to involve doing any organized sport. Children need exercise and we can help as parents by promoting this.

Have fun and stay warm.

Why do my eyes itch?

Published on April 9, 2010 in Allergies. 1 Comment Tags: , .

Spring is here and things are in bloom. For some of us that means allergy time. The season for the world in bloom may cause some children to have seasonal allergies otherwise known as “Allergic rhinitis,” or hay fever. The symptoms are typically a stuffy or runny nose with clear drainage, sneezing, itchy eyes and nose, sore throat, throat clearing and a cough that may be worse at night and in the morning. For people with asthma, it may also cause things to flare up.

We typically do not see seasonal allergies until children are at least a few years old. Often the symptoms are mild and you can make a good case to do nothing. Having said that, if your child is miserable, treating with an over-the-counter antihistamine is very reasonable as it is hard to limit exposure and we pediatricians want children to run and play.

There are a lot of great options Continue reading ‘Why do my eyes itch?’

Vacation time with kids

Published on April 6, 2010 in Out and About. 1 Comment Tags: , .

Jumping in the sandHaving just returned from a family vacation it was both enjoyable and at times challenging. Having that unstructured time to bond with my children without all the busy day to day things that distract us was wonderful. That is not to say that my two children did not argue or try to push each others buttons on more than one occasion but memories were made that we will all remember forever.

It’s nurturing to the parent-child relationship to have that unstructured Continue reading ‘Vacation time with kids’