When my family went searching for a good children’s psychologist a year ago we could not find an adequate one in our insurance plan. So, we, as many parents do, pay out of pocket for mental health care for our child.
Sometimes, though, mental health problems can be prevented in children. Problems such as aggression, anxiety, stress, and depression can be dealt with early in life (as early as two and three years old) when mental health programs are made available to parents and their children.
The Institute of Medicine found that the programs that do work at the lower age levels …read more

I am not a doctor, nor am I any sort of medical professional, but it is my personal opinion that many children are mislabeled as ADD, ADHD, and even Autism. Yes, Autism.
I have always very clearly stated that AJ has never had a diagnosis of Autism but that we believe that he may be on the spectrum because of his symptoms. However, he may very well simply be a sensory seeking/avoidant child or a child affected by Institutional Autism. Or, he may be a child affected by heavy metals and environmental toxins.

Children’s Flu Vaccination Day is December 9 and this year the CDC and Families Fighting Flu (FFF) want to remind all parents to vaccinate their children ages 6 months to 19 years.
Everyone who live with or care for children should also be vaccinated in order to prevent hospitalization or death.
According to the CDC, the flu is a contagious disease that can cause symptoms such as a high fever, sore throat, coughing, extreme tiredness, runny or stuffy nose, and even nausea and diarrhea in children. Each year in the US, an average of 20,000 children under the age of five are …read more

The American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine recently published a new study that shows babies born four months before the peak of the winter virus season were more likely to develop asthma than babies born at any other time of the year.
Why?
Because being born at that time of the year increases the chance of a respiratory infection during infancy, which also increases the chance of asthma.
WebMD

This is your friendly reminder to schedule your family’s flu shots, now.
The cold and flu season are about to begin, and I’m all about protecting your family against influenza and its complication.
Should your family member get vaccinated? 
Yes, if he is high risk for complications of the flu. No, if he falls under this category of people.

Children up to 9 years old who are getting the shots for the first time should receive two shots, and one shot every year thereafter.
Household contacts and out-of-home caregivers of children need to be vaccinated as well. Yes, that means up …read more

Late last year, the FDA pulled several infant cold and cough medicine off the shelves for potential misuse. The dosage information on the medicine labels were wrongly calculated based on age, not weight. Several children died because of over-medication from these products.
And then earlier this year, the agency warned against using over-the-counter cough and cold medicines for children under 2 years, and later to children up to 11 years. The American Academy of Pediatrics even weighed in that these drugs are ineffective for treating cough and cold, and so the FDA was urged to enforce a ban.
But …read more

One of the tough choices that working mothers have to face is going to work while a child is sick. It’s even worse when you are already at work and the daycare center calls to tell you that they can’t let your child stay because she’s too sick, and would you please pick her up within the hour. But for most of us, taking time off work means loss of pay and lots of stress. What’s a mom (or dad) to do?
The first tip: PLAN AHEAD. Nothing is more stressful than not having a plan for times like …read more

So my son has been sick for two weeks. First it was a virus, now its colds and cough. He is seven months old, active and drooling a lot from teething. I try to keep up by disinfecting as we go through the day but alas, since I can’t see the germs I don’t know if he’s spreading the virus everywhere. I’m sure it’s all over my shirt and arms, all over his teething toys and who knows where else. Thing is, I have also have a three-year old who adores her little brother and would not leave him …read more

When my son broke out in hives on Thursday, I thought he was allergic to soy which I had given him earlier that day. But then he registered a 100.8 deg F temperature.
The pediatrician said the rashes and fever might be caused by a virus, so we’re sort of quarantined for the next few days. And then today, my sister asked me if my son has a simple viral fever, or a roseola.
A what? ROSEOLA is an extremely common but mild infection that affects children under 2. Symptoms include a rash that develops after fever has subsided. Well, …read more

Swimmer’s ear (also called otitis externa) is an painful infection that happens when water gets trapped in the ear canal and it swells and becomes infected with bacteria or fungus. It frequently occurs in children and teenagers but both boys and girls are equally affected.
How do you know if your child has a swimmer’s ear? The most common symptom is severe pain, which becomes worse when the child tugs on the ear. Other symptoms include:

Swelling in your ear or lymph nodes in the neck.
Feeling of fullness or stuffiness in the ear.
Pus draining out of the ear.
Decreased or muffled …read more