Pediatricians play a key role in preventing medical problems in children as much as they do in treating them. It is the reason for those frequent visits with your pediatrician in the first few years when growth and development are crucial. Identifying issues early on allows intervention and improves outcomes for a child’s long term health. As a pediatrician myself, I have two main jobs: take care of children and educate parents.
By Matthew Feltrop : What is (and particularly what isn’t) on children’s plates in the United States is prime evidence of the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. Right before the current health crisis hit, childhood food insecurity affected a staggering 15 million children. Without the consistency of school meals, as well as many households losing income, that number has grown to about 18 million. Widespread childhood nutrition programs have proven essential to increasing both food security and health outcomes for children.
By Nicole Harkin, MD, FACC: In honor of Heart Health Month, I’m so excited to chat heart-healthy eating tips with you! It may seem strange to think about heart health and your kiddos, but unfortunately, heart disease isn’t just for older people. Research has demonstrated that the beginnings of heart and vascular disease occur in our 20s. Almost half of all heart attacks and strokes occur in Americans aged 45 to 64 years of age. Also, rates of obesity and diabetes are on the rise in children. Here are some of my top #doctormom hacks for getting more plants into my family's mouths.
By Dr. Jacqueline Douge: Children begin to develop an understanding of race very early. By the age of 6 months, children notice racial differences and by 2-4 years of age begin to internalize racial bias. Our children are watching, listening and learning to everything around them and from their parents. As your child’s first teacher, you play an important role in helping to teach your children about empathy, kindness, compassion and fairness towards others, to build positive racial and ethnic identities, celebrate similarities and differences and to help children to create a more just world.
By Cherie Chu, MD DipABLM: Take the time to teach your kids healthy habits now, and you will set them up for success for a lifetime of wellness. It may take a little extra work on the front end, but here is just one reason why it is worth the effort. Studies show that these five habits can help prevent common health issues down the road, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Learn more about the Top 5 Healthy Habits you can teach your kids, followed by ideas to implement them for yourself and your kids.
Research suggests there are benefits to including chores in a child's daily routine as early as age 3. These include executive function skills like self-control, planning, creative thinking and organizational abilities. These skills can help children deal with frustration and challenges, leading to success in school, and play a positive role in developing teamwork abilities. A 2-year old cannot take out the trash; however, young children can help with much more than you may think.
We often talk about healthy eating habits at Ahimsa. Well, we are a dinnerware company after all! However, nutrition is just one part of the bigger picture of health and wellness. We must not forget other important factors like exercise, sleep, mindfulness and play when we think about a holistic approach to our child's health. I'll focus on physical activity today.
On your next grocery run (or delivery these days) try to take notice of all the plastic surrounding your food. It’s normal to wrap produce in plastic bags that then go in more plastic bags. Each container of strawberries, the cookie trays, the plastic wrap, the sandwich bags - how many sandwich bags did you discard from your children’s lunches last week?
Only in 2009 did the medical community realize that synthetic chemicals commonly used in furniture, agriculture, cookware, food packaging materials, cosmetics and personal care products could impair hormones in our bodies and have serious and lifelong consequences for all of us. Even now, a decade later, awareness is still lagging despite other reports from the World Health Organization, United Nations Environment Program, the International Federation of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Poison Control Centers in the United States receive 1.2 million calls each year as a result of the accidental poisoning of children ages 5 and younger. Nearly 90% of these toxic exposures happen at home and 60% involve non-pharmaceutical products such as cleaners, personal care products, pesticides, cosmetics, art supplies, toys and alcohol.
When my youngest son was one-year-old, my father-in-law unknowingly handed him a whole pecan to eat while I was in the kitchen. Hearing commotion, I turned about to see my sister doing a finger sweep and my son still choking.
As a mother and pediatric gastroenterologist, I hear this complaint often. Is it because my child needs to poop? Because she doesn’t want to go to bed? For many parents, this happens regularly after their child eats and they wonder: Does my child have a food allergy?
As our country continues to listen to voices speaking out against racism, it's important that we also include our children in the discussion. Keeping an open dialogue is important to inform and educate us all on being anti-racist, and books can certainly help. If you’re looking for a place to start the conversation, please keep reading!
For many years, parents delayed introduction of foods in an attempt to prevent food allergy. Our understanding of allergy development has come a long way in the last two decades and the LEAP study has completely changed the way we think about early introduction of foods, particularly peanut introduction. It showed that introduction of peanuts in the first year of life was not only safe but could PREVENT peanut allergy in high risk infants. How cool is that?