First Energy For Life Walk!

The time is coming sooner than you think for our first annual Energy For Life Walk. I’d love for everyone to participate in whatever capacity you are able to do. Donate, walk, form a team, get your office to donate or sponsor!

https://www.kintera.org/faf/search/searchTeamPart.asp?ievent=1137190&lis=1&kntae1137190=6F01F0E7EF934A89BD56E6209F958100&supId=422845595&team=6371282

It’s summertime and more children are in the water!

Drowning is a real danger! We have all heard about typical drowning, but 15% of the time, ‘Dry Drowning’ is the problem. Here is great information out of a devastating situation.

http://pool.littlethings.com/dry-drowning-pool-water/?utm_source=TS&utm_medium=Facebook&utm_campaign=shocking

New hope for teens with headaches!

I do not usually recommend surgery unless there is a medical reason, but I have several teens in my practice right now with intractable headaches. This is interesting:

http://teens.webmd.com/news/20150625/surgery-may-help-teens-with-frequent-migraines-study-contends?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Too much sitting?

Depending on who you ask, too much sitting can make you sluggish or anxious. This article shows the most recent research’s findings.

http://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/news/20150619/can-too-much-sitting-make-you-anxious?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Some great websites for parents!

This summer, the recommendation is 2 hours per day of physical exercise for your child and one hour of mental exercise per day. To help keep your child’s mind active, take a look at these websites:

Father’s Day Contest!

First posted on June 12, but will repost for those who missed it!

For all the grown-ups out there who have taken on the role of ‘Father,’ I’d like to wish you a Happy Father’s Day! As many of you know, I am in the process of renovating my office and have about 3/4th of the office completed. My new decorations / murals would serve as a great background for pictures.

I would like to challenge all the ‘dads’ out there to take a picture with your children – creativity counts! Post them to my FaceBook pages or send them via email to [email protected]. Winning dad will get a 3 day-2 night trip to Daytona. Pictures in my office will count even more! Feel free to come in and we’ll give you a free room to use or the train in the hallway!

Remember, this is a contest for every adult who serves as a ‘dad.’ Grandparents, guardians, moms who have dual roles in life are welcome to enter. Contest will end at noon on Saturday and the winner will be announced Sunday morning for that lucky dad!

Farewell to Trans Fat!

This will be my topic for WINK news tomorrow! The FDA has given companies three years to eliminate the trans fat in foods. Those are the chemicals that can lead to ‘hardening’ of the arteries.’ See this interesting article and I will post the television segment tomorrow.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/20150522/fda-trans-fats-ban?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Chocolate and your heart health!

I’m taking a break from children’s health to talk about we adults and chocolate. I love studies like these … along with chocolate!

http://www.webmd.com/heart/news/20150615/more-research-hints-at-chocolates-heart-benefits?src=RSS_PUBLIC

The importance of drinking water!

Every day, I talk with families about the importance of drinking enough water everyday. It continues to amaze me how many children are chronically dehydrated. This article stresses the importance of drinking enough water:

http://www.webmd.com/children/news/20150611/us-kids-not-drinking-enough-water-each-day?src=RSS_PUBLIC

What are GMO’s?

Did you know GMO’s are in 80% of our foods? To learn more about these, check out this article:

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/truth-about-gmos?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Great read about raising a Powerful Daughter

I have raised a wonderful young woman and wish I had seen this when she was younger!

http://www.pbs.org/parents/parenting/raising-girls/body-image-identity/raising-a-powerful-girl/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=pbsofficial&utm_campaign=pbsparents_parenting

Father’s Day Contest!

For all the grown-ups out there who have taken on the role of ‘Father,’ I’d like to wish you a Happy Father’s Day! As many of you know, I am in the process of renovating my office and have about 3/4th of the office completed. My new decorations / murals would serve as a great background for pictures.

I would like to challenge all the ‘dads’ out there to take a picture with your children – creativity counts! Post them to my FaceBook pages or send them via email to [email protected]. Winning dad will get a 3 day-2 night trip to Daytona. Pictures in my office will count even more! Feel free to come in and we’ll give you a free room to use or the train in the hallway!

Remember, this is a contest for every adult who serves as a ‘dad.’ Grandparents, guardians, moms who have dual roles in life are welcome to enter.

First Contest EntryOur second contest entry!Our third contest entry

Traveling with children continued …

You don’t want to overwhelm your child. So when on a plane, give them one toy to play with at a time. When they are bored with that toy, put it away and introduce another. For planes, videos including their favorite movie and one they haven’t seen yet, are helpful. Interactive electronic apps for your phone or video games can save you many times. Then also have some old favorites like crayons / markers and paper, cards, dice, or quiet games. It would also be a good idea to get a good set of headphones so that others are not disturbed.

While traveling, make sure you schedule enough ‘down time’ so your children can relax. Trying to keep their usual schedule as far as sleeping and meals will help avoid cranky children and meltdowns. Be reasonable, if you think your child will hate a activity, hire a sitter (most hotels have a list or agency they use or have a ‘child care center’ associated with the hotel ). Don’t set yourself up for failure.

Get everywhere early! Children tend to be slow and need to explore their environment. Allow enough time to let them go at their own pace. Plan ahead- don’t leave things to chance. Give your child a camera and them document the trip. Don’t be afraid to use public transportation – children love buses, trams and trains. Avoid sweets – they can get your child irritable and hyperactive.

As your child gets older, allow them to be involved in the planning. Happy traveling this summer!

Traveling with children:

I just got back from a vacation with my adult children and remember well, traveling with them when they were younger. With electronics, life is so much easier when traveling. But I must say that many parents overuse electronics with their children. A perfect travel aid is one that is a ‘special treat’ or ‘new’ to keep your child interested.

Pick a time to travel when you might get lucky and have them sleep while you get to where you are going. Last week, I took a 1:50 am plane with my kids. We all slept on the way and arrived at our destination rested with the full day ahead of us! I always get asked about giving ‘drugs’ to get children to relax or sleep during the ride. Benadryl makes about 99% of kids drowsy and 1% hyperactive. So check with your doctor ahead of time for advice and dosing. Another safe medicine is melatonin. It is available at Health Food Stores and also pharmacies and should be given about two hours before traveling. Again, check with your doctor for safety and dosing. Another drug worth mentioning is dramamine. It works well for motion sickness and usually makes you tired. Dosing of all of these drugs can come from your doctor, pharmacist or the drug’s website.

You can find out more details on traveling on the website. Click on Pediatric Care Online for Parents – bottom right of the home page and click on ‘T’ in the index.

Come back tomorrow for more advice …