Recently, my family and I had to make the difficult decision to move my Dad to hospice care. After battling multiple myeloma for fourteen years, his body no longer had the strength to fight. When he passed away surrounded by loved ones, and my own grief ebbed and flowed, my thoughts turned to my young
Illness seems to happen at the most inconvenient times: right before a vacation, a holiday gathering with family, just when life is finally feeling manageable. Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (HFMD) is a very common childhood illness, especially in kids under 5 and those in daycare settings. If you have ever been told your child
With summer schedules quickly filling up, you may find yourself spending more and more time in the car chauffeuring your child to their various activities, or on the road for a family vacation. More car time can mean more complaints of nausea, dizziness, and vomiting from your kiddos… all unfortunate symptoms of motion sickness. Strategies
Summer is upon us, and in my family, that means lots of fun in the sun. Unfortunately, unprotected sun exposure can cause sunburns. Sunburns early in life can accelerate skin aging and, worse, increase the risk of skin cancers, including melanoma, later in life. Thankfully, there are steps we can take to keep our children
Traveling with littles can be a daunting task! Especially when you are travelling with your baby for the first time. The car seat, the stroller, the pack-n-play, etc. This list can seem endless. I have found it helpful to make a list of the “must-haves” in my notes section, so I can try my best
Surviving the Daycare Germ Gauntlet: A Parent’s Guide to Frequent Illnesses in Young Babies So, you’ve taken the leap—your little one is starting daycare! New friends, new toys, new routines… and yes, new germs. Many parents are surprised (and a little overwhelmed) by how often their baby seems to catch something once they enter
“Frustration is the key to milestones”… I know I’ve read that somewhere when my youngest was a newborn and it’s the first thing that comes out of my mouth when addressing tummy time during well visits. Every now and then, you may hear that a child enjoys tummy time but more often than not, newborns
A heart murmur is a condition in which an audible whooshing or swirling sound is heard by your doctor while listening to your child’s heartbeat. In an ideal scenario, we don’t hear anything except the strong dull snapping of the classic “lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub”. The “lub” portion, also called S1 or systole, is caused by the
We love to welcome the crisp fall air, but unfortunately a lot of seasonal viruses feel welcomed this time of year too! Croup is an obnoxious companion of many of these viruses that love to start popping up as the leaves change colors and the holidays roll in. Most identifiable by a loud, seal-like barking
Sleep. We as parents know how coveted a good night’s rest can be, and most of us would pay large sums of money just to be guaranteed some solid shut eye. So, who can blame us when we run to CVS for some magical sleeping gummies—otherwise known as melatonin— for our restless children or even