For kids, Halloween means trick-or-treating, wearing costumes, carving pumpkins, and listening to scary stories. For pediatricians, Halloween means informing parents that pirate-type baggy costumes can catch fire if children come too close to jack-o’-lanterns lit with candles, that carving pumpkins is not child’s play, and that face paints may cause rashes. 1. Halloween is a […]
Children/travel/drinking water
September 24, 2015 by
Drinking adequate amounts of liquids is essential to staying healthy when traveling. Liquids help counteract fatigue, jet lag, altitude, hot and cold environments and other vagaries of travel. A common misconception is that one has to be lost in the Sahara to become dehydrated. In fact, dehydration comes in all degrees of severity and occurs […]
Children/National parks/Health and safety
June 29, 2015 by
In national parks, your family’s health and safety are your responsibility. The National Park Service (NPS) has two missions: minimizing mishaps for visitors and maintaining a pristine wilderness. All large parks have experts to monitor safety conditions. But the wilderness, by its very nature, has inherent dangers with wild animals roaming free and “land in […]
Swimming/Children/Intestinal illnesses
June 14, 2015 by
You need not travel halfway around the world to acquire “travelers’” diarrhea. A short trip to your neighborhood recreational water facility may suffice. But if indeed someone does become ill, don’t panic. Hold off on treating. Most cases get better by themselves, while medication may cause harm – especially for children. 1. All recreational water […]
Healthful Hint: Ordering food when traveling where sanitation is suspect
August 14, 2014 by
(Hi Readers: Here is the first of what will be a regular feature on KidsTravelDoc, a short item to help keep you and your children healthy and safe for travel and outdoor activities.) Choose foods that are too hot to eat immediately. When traveling, nearly all upset stomachs are due to microorganisms (and their toxins) […]
Travel/Children/Winter/Nutrition/Sports
January 12, 2014 by
Hi Kids! Good news regarding what’s good for you to eat on days when you spend time outdoors in cold weather. Tell your parents that there’s no need to make you eat yucky oatmeal or other ugh-tasting stuff while denying you a measly piece of candy, which is what you really want. Tell them that […]
Healthy Trips to Exotic Places
November 24, 2013 by
Parents can take children to almost any place in the world if they prepare themselves to deal with the occasional health and safety issues that children may encounter while traveling, says Perri Klass MD in her recent New York Times column, 18 and Under (November 19, 2013.) Click here to read the entire article. I […]
Children/Holiday season/Health and safety
December 17, 2012 by
The very events that make holiday seasons festive for kids – visiting family, lighting candles, and receiving toys, for example – also increase visits to the emergency room. But, in fact, virtually all the holiday-related pitfalls are avoidable with some foresight. Happy holidays! (This is a compilation of timely reminders, some of which have […]
Children/Cold weather/travel/ Immune system
December 2, 2012 by
Good news and bad news if you’re planning a family vacation this winter. The good news: You can prevent your kids from catching colds and ruining your plans. It’s called isolation. Two weeks before your trip lock them in their rooms with all their paraphernalia. No school. No play dates. Enter their rooms infrequently and […]
Appropriate drinks for active children
November 11, 2012 by
Sports drinks. Energy drinks. Electrolyte solutions. Carbonated drinks. Milk. What is healthy, what is not? Young children and adolescents participating in non-competitive play do not benefit from the wide variety of beverages that are heavily marketed as means to prevent dehydration and improve performance. In fact, some of these beverages are counterproductive at times. Yes, […]
