Are you familiar with the harmful effects that may result from medications you give your children? That when you give more than one medication, the two may interact and cause adverse reactions not caused by one alone? That travel-related factors can cause additional interactions? (This is Part 1, one of a two-part series. Watch for […]
New Recommendations for Infant Car Safety Seats
Just when you thought that you knew all you had to know about children’s car safety seats, the experts come up with a slew of new recommendations, forcing you to rethink what you were sure that you already knew. 1. The new recommendations: Children should ride in rear-facing safety seats until they are two years […]
Update on Children / Vacations*
Update on Children/Vacations* Unreasonable parental expectations and poor parental planning mar more family vacations than obstinate children. While traveling with kids will always have its ups and downs, savvy parents can keep the inevitable squabbles down to a manageable few. Here is what you should know: Your primary goal should be kids having fun. Family […]
Is it OK for Kids to Miss School to Visit Disney World?
You’re planning to take your family to Disneyworld: parents, two children, one in fourth grade, the other in second. You are as anxious to go as they are: you’re feeling guilty. Lately you’ve spent too little time with them because of your work schedules. You find a package that seems too good to be true: […]
Seasonal Affective Disorder in Children
A frequent dose of sunshine is the right tonic to keep your kids hale and hearty if you reside where winters are long and the days short. Here is what you should know: 1. Sunlight helps minimize being sad and having SAD. Sad (small letters) is having the “winter blues.” SAD (capital letters) stands for […]
Leashes/Children
I recently received this email: “Dear Dr. Neumann: Do you think it’s OK to place a leash on my 20-month old daughter? I use it mostly for travel, especially at airports and amusement parks, but also at malls. What an attention-getter! Some strangers tell me that leashing children is cruel and stunts curiosity and independence […]
Air Travel/Breast feeding/Infant death
Recently a four-week old infant died on a flight from Washington to Kuwait. The probable cause was the mother accidentally smothered the baby when the mother fell asleep while nursing her infant. This tragic event does not mean that nursing is unsafe during air travel. As far as is known this is the first time […]
Picnics/Food safety/Kids
Picnics/Food safety/Kids According to the dictionary, a “picnic” is a relaxed, pleasurable event, often family-oriented, at which meals are eaten outdoors, preferably in idyllic surroundings. The meaning of the phrase “It’s no picnic” is a non-pleasurable event. (Perhaps, referring to becoming ill from eating spoiled food at a picnic?) According to the Centers for Disease […]