Reading to Your Child — A Really Big Deal!
While still adjusting to retirement, I was watching the 2016 Summer Olympics one recent evening when I was struck by a television ad. It was selling audible books, not just for adults, but also [...]
Is Conversation Endangered in the Digital Era?
As I prepare to retire at the end of this month, I wish to share some reflections and concerns which arose from my reading of a rather profound book, Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in [...]
Daily Vroom — An Amazing App to Help You Develop Your Child’s Brain!
Research into the complex nerve connections of the developing brain has exploded in the last 20 years, and one conclusion is clear: From Day 1, every day counts. We know that children who from [...]
Asthma — What is it, and How is it Treated?
Few diseases commonly affecting children are as confusing to families as asthma. The presenting symptoms can vary, causing parents to debate even whether or not they should start treatment. This [...]
Fever is Your Friend!
A beloved Virology Professor, C. George Ray, uttered the immortal words “fever is your friend” during my training. He was not trying to discount the genuine concern, at times bordering on terror, [...]
Triumphing Over Thrush
Thrush is a remarkably common, harmless, yet frustrating condition which many of us have had to contend with in our newborns and infants. I still shudder when I recall, as new parents, how long [...]
Surviving Colic
“Does anyone have a clue what we’re going through?” Likely nothing in our entire lives leading to parenthood will ever quite prepare us for the infant with colic. Though our three children are [...]
Newborn Phenomena: When Normal May Be Frightening
Exhausting, complete overload likely describes the emotional state of many first-time (or even experienced) moms and dads: Sleep deprivation, sore nipples for breast-feeding moms, and visitors [...]
Making Sense of Rashes
Rashes often seem unfathomable to parents. They are amazingly common, unfortunately more so in some children than others, and only a very tiny few are really serious, demanding immediate medical [...]
So What Do I Do Now? KidsDoc to the Rescue!
Introducing KidsDoc Symptom Checker, the best phone app a concerned parent may ever buy. Innumerable are the anxious moments the average parent has spent agonizing over what to do next for their [...]
Potty Training: Does Anyone Know What They’re Doing?
Potty training techniques and philosophies have evolved dramatically in my career, yet one constant remains: the process seems mysterious. The anxiety thereby generated is only heightened by [...]
Tips for Taming Eczema
Eczema, or atopic dermatitis, refers to chronic, often life-long, sometimes severe, dry, cracked skin, which is typically very itchy. It is one of the four “Atopic Diseases”: asthma, allergy, [...]
Why is This So Hard? Transitioning Off Breast or Bottle
Let me preface my thoughts by acknowledging up front my awareness of the wide cultural and personal differences in the approach to weaning. If you are reading this, I will assume some acceptance [...]
Sorting out Diaper Rashes
Nothing seems quite as mysterious to parents as those dreaded diaper rashes that seem to appear at times with alarming frequency. Though there certainly are diaper rashes that require an [...]
Taming the Picky Eater
Ah, the picky eater: often the source of much angst, likely even sleepless nights for parents trying to deal with it. The “picky toddler” is almost a brand, yet parents of even school-aged [...]
Divining the Mysteries of Infant Solid Foods (2): Transitioning to Table Foods
Introducing table solids into a baby’s diet is for many parents a downright scary proposition. “I’m afraid he might choke on it, and…” you fill in the blank, but be assured, these words [...]
Divining the Mysteries of Infant Solid Foods (1): Puree Beginnings
If you are reading this, you are likely the parent of a 3 to 4 month old baby, alternately thrilled, then terrified at the prospect of introducing solids. You are not alone! I would submit that [...]
The ABCs of Sun Protection
Melanoma is one of the scariest, most aggressive cancers. Most of us are aware of its association with excessive sun exposure. Dermatologists use a mnemonic, “The ABCs of moles,” to help [...]
Time Outs for Toddlers
Welcome to the crazy world of toddlers: that challenging time of life when every parent’s precious baby hits their teens (in months 🙂 ); when children are embarking on a process called [...]
Could Charlotte’s Cough be Asthma?
This chat about cough is a tribute of sorts to the Royal Baby, Charlotte. I have no idea whether there is even a history of asthma in the Royal Family Tree, but I love the name. Asthma should be [...]
Infant Sleep (2): You Haven’t Slept Lately
What follows assumes your baby is at least 6 months old, and is waking up for a feeding at least once a night. It also assumes that your baby doesn’t consistently put him or herself to sleep at [...]
Infant Sleep (1): Have You Slept Lately?
Below is a simple approach, relatively easy for both parents and babies, which if followed, should achieve 9 to 12 hours of continuous night sleep by 4 months of age. All humans sleep by [...]