Almost everyone, whether they have children or not, has heard about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The issue of “not focusing” can be associated with hyperactivity or without hyperactivity. The children with hyperactivity are distracted by everything. The children without hyperactivity are easier to overlook as they are not disruptive but they also have problems with focusing and learning.Read More.

Limiting screen time for infants and toddlers has the positive effect of limiting screen time for their caregivers so that there is much more face to face time. Shared screen time has less 2 dimensional effect but best of all is face to face time like peek-a-boo.

It has been said that water is the new gold. Water, water, everywhere…. Keep it safe.

If a parent notices any of the following, they should discuss these symptoms with their health care provider: Your child is extremely and consistently fussy, having problems breathing, has loud snoring, unusual awakenings or difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. It is important to notice if they have daytime sleepiness or behavioral problems.

Playing peek-a-boo requires the adult to stop looking at their phone or the TV and interact with their child. Play helps children learn language, math and social skills. Play is important for both children and their parents as the joy in those moments enhances their relationship.

Family resolutions can be made together to make the family safer, stronger and more harmonious. For family goals to work each family member sees their role and gets a reward for cooperation.

Having a specific learning disability in learning to read is not because of low intelligence or being biliingual but does hurt school performance and consequently hurts the students’ self-esteem.

Fever itself is not a danger and is actually a benefit in fighting the infection. If the decision is made to treat the fever to make the child more comfortable, it is important to follow the direction for doses carefully. There is no evidence that using more than one fever reducer helps. Aspirin is never recommended for children. If your child looks and acts sick, seek medical help.

Attitude is a choice. Concentrate on overturning whining and complaining into something positive.

Attitude is a choice. Concentrate on overturning whining and complaining into something positive.

Sticking to family routines can help everyone cultivate a sense of peace amid the holiday rush. Make time for exercise, healthy meals, and plenty of sleep (including naps). Turning off devices or meditation can give the family time to slow down and simply “be”. Holiday hubbub can make children’s mood swing more intense with lack of sleep, lots of sugary snacks, intense media images of holiday parties and have-to-have gifts.

People have been studying for years about what is intelligence, what part of the brain is involved in “intelligence”, and how can we measure it? In general, intelligence is the ability to learn and to recall or remember what we have learned. In the 1960’s it was suggested that there were two “systems” of intelligence, fluid intelligence and crystallized intelligence. Fluid intelligence involves the ability to understand, to reason and to solve problems. Crystallized intelligence involves recalling stored knowledge and past experiences

A recent article in the journal Pediatrics (Kim I, et al) reports that there has been an increase in calls to poison control centers for overdoses of benzonanate. Benzonanate (Tessalon) is not recommended for children under 10 years, is only sold by prescription, comes in small enticing gummy capsules and is used for coughs due to colds and flu. Benzonanate overdose symptoms can occur in children within 15-20 minutes and in children younger than 2 years 1-2 capsules can be an overdose.

Clean air is important for healthy children. In this “Keeping Kids Healthy” article, Dr. Sally Robinson explains that children are at risk because their lungs are still growing, are very active, and breathe in a great deal of air. Several studies show that children who grew up in more polluted areas have an increased risk of having reduced lung growth.

For the “wordbox” to learn and to do its job it needs lots of practice. It starts with a parent reading aloud to an infant to toddlers having parents help them read. In this Keeping Kids Healthy, Dr. Sally Robinson explains how the brain works to help us understand and produce spoken language.