Having trouble figuring out what to feed your toddler? Read our post for easy, healthy, and economical toddler meal ideas, featuring finger food suggestions. Spoiler alert: you can stay out of the “baby and toddler food aisle” of your local food market!
Julie Kardos, MD and Naline Lai, MD
©2019 Two Peds in a Pod®
Does your child have an earache?
In the aftermath of flu and croup season, we are diagnosing a fair share of ear infections. But not all earaches are due to ear infections.
Read our post about ear pain and what to do about it.
Julie Kardos, MD and Naline Lai, MD
©2019 Two Peds in a Pod®
It saddens us that we need to post about how to recognize measles, but the recent measles outbreaks in the United States force parents to be vigilant for a disease that was nearly eradicated in this country.
Both an increase in international travel and a decrease in parents vaccinating their kids is thought to be responsible for the increase in measles cases.
Measles typically starts out looking like a really bad cold
Continue reading “Another measles outbreak: recognize measles in your child”
Now that the weather has turned “freezy,” parents ask us how to dress their baby (and big kids) for cold weather. Even Dr. Kardos’s teenaged kids allow her to thrust winter coats on them as they head out to the bus stop. Wondering how to know if your baby, toddler, or older child are dressed correctly for the weather? Read our post on this topic.
Stay warm!
Naline Lai, MD and Julie Kardos, MD
©2019 Two Peds in a Pod®
Unfortunately, it is sick season. Fortunately, we have a great post to help you know when you need to call the doctor about your child’s illness.
Julie Kardos, MD and Naline Lai, MD
©2018 Two Peds in a Pod®
In this busy, holiday time of year, you may find yourself dining out frequently with your toddler. Read our post to find hints on avoiding restaurant meltdowns without the use of an iPad or phone!
Julie Kardos, MD and Naline Lai, MD
©2018 Two Peds in a Pod®
Recently a 6-year-old patient handed me this drawing of “a person coughing out germs.”
The artwork reminds us that a cough can be a good thing. A cough dislodges mucus from the airway and can help prevent pneumonia.
However, coughs can spread germs and make kids feel plenty uncomfortable. And, frustrating for parents, many over-the-counter medicines are not recommended for kids.
Looking for natural remedies for kids? Look no further than your kitchen.
Julie Kardos, MD and Naline Lai, MD
©2018 Two Peds in a Pod®
It’s time for your child’s yearly flu vaccine!
Why get the flu shot? Vaccinate against influenza (the flu) not only to avoid missed school days, but also to avoid hospitalizations and death. Last year in the USA, 172 children died from flu. You may not have heard about these fatalities because more sensational news tends to overshadow news about illness. We wish the news would inform that the vast majority of kids who died from flu had not received the flu vaccine. In addition, about half of the children who died from the flu were previously healthy and without underlying medical problems. Excluding the 2009 flu pandemic (H1N1), last year’s flu deaths represents “the highest reported since influenza-associated pediatric mortality became a nationally notifiable condition in 2004.” Kids younger than 5 years old have the highest flu complication rate of all children, so even if they do not yet attend daycare or school, bring your little ones in for a flu vaccine. Vaccinate your school-aged kids as well, for they spread the flu to more folks than any other age group.
Does it help to wait to give the vaccine? What if the vaccine wears off before flu season ends?
Continue reading “Hooray! United States flu vaccine is here!”
Just in time for families who plan to drive to Labor Day Weekend destinations, the American Academy of Pediatrics updated their car seat safety recommendations.
Families are now encouraged to keep their children rear facing for as long as possible, until they exceed the height or weight limit allowed by their car seat’s manufacturer. This means that some kids who are older than two years will continue to ride backwards. Dr. Lai’s own pip squeaks easily would have ridden backwards until they were three or four years old. Continue reading “Updated car seat safety guidelines!”
Now that you just read how to drop your kid off at school on the first day, you may be backpack shopping, pondering what to send your child for lunch, and knowing that your child will have difficulty waking up early for school. Never fear! Your Two Peds can help you and your kids get ready for school.
First, make sure your child’s backpack fits correctly and is not too heavy. Our guest blogger, a pediatric physical therapist, provides tips to help lighten the load.
Help your child get back on a school-friendly sleep schedule. If your child is still in summer vacation sleep mode, we provide ways to help get your child’s sleep back on track.
If your child brings lunch to school, you may need some hints on what to pack and how to beware of junk food disguised as healthy food. And this post provides suggestions for healthy snacks.
Need suggestions on how to motivate your child to want to learn? Two former school principals share their wisdom in this post.
Finally, you should know when to keep your child home for illness. This post also contains some surprising truths about when you can send your child back to school during as well as after certain maladies.
Julie Kardos, MD and Naline Lai, MD
©2018 Two Peds in a Pod®
