Traveling and vacationing with your children are prudent investments into their developing self-assurance. To write this article, I went to Google (where else?) and typed in “Benefits of family travel.” Within .57 seconds I had a whopping 680,000,000 results. (Full disclosure: not surprisingly, I did not read all the results!) I did scan well over […]
Kids and the Great Outdoors
October 10, 2019 by
Hey, parents! It is time to pry your kids away from their TVs, video games, computers and smart phones – forcefully, if necessary. Ignore their yelling and sarcasm. Then kick them out the front door – literally, if need be. If older kids threaten to report you to child welfare, call their bluff: according to […]
Is global warming harming our children?
September 21, 2019 by
Children are in the crosshairs for climate change, says the American Academy of Pediatrics. They are especially susceptible to toxins in the environment and to many of the infectious diseases that spread more readily as the weather becomes warmer. 1. Rising global temperatures decrease air quality. Children spend more time outdoors than adults, breathe in more […]
Why Do Parents Forget Their Infants in Cars?
July 30, 2019 by
New York. July 31, 2019. It happened again. A father, a social worker, was charged with manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide for leaving his one-year old twins strapped into the backseat of his car on a hot July day while he worked his eight-hour shift at a VA hospital. He forgot to drop them off […]
Treating diarrhea in young children away from home: A primer
July 13, 2019 by
When packing for family trips, for overnight or overseas, include a pen, a paper pad and a cellphone. These come in handy if your child experiences diarrhea, a common health issue for young children away from home. The pad and pencil is to record symptoms. The cell phone is to call your pediatrician if symptoms […]
An Rx for swimming is what doctors order to keep young children active
May 19, 2019 by
True or false? Newborns are natural born swimmers. 1. Alas, false. Young infants do make hand and feet movements that resemble swimming when placed in water. And they do hold their breath and open their eyes when their heads accidentally slip underwater. However, infants’ heads are heavy for the size and weight of their bodies. […]
Should children miss school for vacations?
March 17, 2019 by
You find a package to Disney World that seems almost perfect for your family: working parents with little leisure time for their children, one child in sixth grade, one in third. The package: off-season, reasonably priced, a good fit for your work schedules. But it means that your kids will miss three school days. To […]
Safe sleeping away from home
March 3, 2019 by
“Safe sleeping arrangements” should be at the top of your list when you plan nights away from home with your infants and young children, says the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The safe sleeping practices you have developed at home are often difficult to duplicate in new surroundings. This may result in you making rash […]
Playground safety – a kid’s point of view
January 20, 2019 by
Hey Kids! Grownups need our help in keeping us kids happy, healthy and, especially, safe. True, nothing makes us happier (or safer) than staying home, lying on the floor and watching cartoons on TV. However, we kids are told that we need fresh air and exercise, like going to playgrounds to run around aimlessly and […]
Teaching Young Children to Cross Streets
January 5, 2019 by
Crossing streets is not child’s play. In simulated studies done at the University of Iowa, when compared to adults, 8% of 6-year-olds might be hit by cars when crossing streets. The percentage drops to 6% for 8-year-olds, and 2% for 12-year-olds. Adult street crossing skills are not reached until the age of fourteen. (To read […]
