As a general pediatrician I talked to families about eating at almost every visit. One of the most common questions I got was about dessert and sweets. Are they okay? How often should a parent offer them? 

When you find out you are expecting a second child, there are so many emotions. Of course, you are so ecstatic! Another baby is such a gift. Parents often feel more confident the second time round, so anxiety levels are often lower around the basics of feeding, bathing, and diapering (but not absent!).

June is here, and our sunny days are longer (thank goodness!). That, coupled with summer vacation from school, often means more outdoor time for kids. This is great, but we also have to be sure to protect them from the sun. Too much sun exposure can lead to sunburn, skin damage, acceleration of wrinkles and signs of aging, eye damage called “cataracts,” and skin cancer. 

We have all been there. We are exhausted from our day, and are just ready for our kids to go to bed! Our frustration tolerance is low, but our kids are bouncing off the walls and cannot settle down. Ugh!! 

This can be a common pattern at bedtime for a lot of school-aged children. Thankfully, there are several things that can help your child settle their bodies and brains, and get to bed!

Does your toddler have tantrums? Of course they do!! Tantrums are a normal part of childhood development. Arms and legs flail, bodies flop, and crying ensues (often from the child AND the parent!). They often start around age one and continue until about age four. Parents are often embarrassed by tantrums and are sheepish to talk about it. But, be rest assured that tantrums are super normal! And, they are NOT a sign of poor parenting!!

People often tout gratitude as being a solution to many problems. But, is there really science behind it? And, can gratitude really help children? How can we implement gratitude to make a difference?

One of the most common questions I get when parents go home with their new babies is related to all the various big sounds that come from their tiny babies! Is that okay?! What is going on? Well, newborns are still trying to figure everything out. Those nervous systems are not quite mature. This can lead to several things, including those noisy hiccups.

Almost every child has a wart at some point...consider it a parenting right of passage. Warts are common on the soles of the feet and on the fingers, but can be found anywhere. When warts are on the bottom of the feet, they are often flat and grow inward. They can be mistaken for a callous, but if you look closely you will see small black dots (these are small capillary blood vessels). They can be painful when a child steps on them. Warts on other parts of the body are often dome shaped and feel rough. These often look like cauliflower.