Nemours Blog Posts | Expert Advice on Child Health & Wellness

12-18 YEARS: TEEN

Talking With Kids About #MeToo

With the flood of news available through social media on a daily basis, most kids and teens have probably had exposure to events surrounding the #MeToo movement and recent high profile sexual harassment cases. Parents can use this as an opportunity to talk to kids about these topics, in an age appropriate way. Understandably, this can be challenging and overwhelming, especially with tweens and young children. Parents can start by asking what their child has heard and help sort through their questions and ideas in a safe environment. This should not be a single conversation, but rather an ongoing dialogue that develops and can be revisited as kids get older. Below are tips on how to navigate the conversation. Keep it developmentally appropriate The foundation of appropriate and prosocial behavior can be taught at any age. Respect, empathy, and understanding are ideas that even young kids can start to grasp, […]

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

Promoting Global Education Among Pacific Association of Pediatric Surgeons

“Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” – Proverb About a year ago, Dr. Cynthia Reyes joined Nemours Children’s Hospital as the Division Chief of Pediatric Surgery and Surgical Director of Quality. Since joining the team, she’s been helping to expand the pediatric surgery program and develop a surgery quality program. Dr. Reyes holds the honor of being the first Hispanic female trained in pediatric surgery in the U.S. Along with Dr. Reyes years of experience and success in pediatric surgery, she also brings a unique perspective to the Nemours community. For more than 20 years, she has been an active member of the Pacific Association of Pediatric Surgeons (PAPS), which supports the growth of pediatric surgery around the world, with a focus on the countries of the Pacific Rim. Formed 50 years […]

Meal Planning to Go Further With Food, Powered by Nemours Children's Health System

STAYING HEALTHY

National Nutrition Month – Meal Planning to Go Further with Food

March is National Nutrition Month. This year’s theme is “Go Further with Food,” emphasizing a healthy diet while stretching your grocery budget and minimizing food waste. With a little meal planning and preparation, your family can enjoy a variety of delicious, healthy, and affordable meals all week long. Plan Ahead Planning meals and snacks in advance will make your grocery trip quicker, easier, and more effective. All you need are two breakfasts and two lunches to alternate through the week along with three or four dinners. Overwhelmed by the idea of planning a healthy meal? Don’t sweat it! Keep it simple by focusing on making sure you have three important foods on your plate: a protein source, a starchy vegetable or whole grain, and something colorful (fruit or a vegetable). Need inspiration? Start with the grocery store’s weekly circular. It will stir ideas that are also budget-friendly, a win win! […]

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

Should kids participate in the Hot Pepper Challenge for ALS?

This post originally appeared on Philly.com By now you’ve probably heard about the Hot Pepper Challenge for ALS which began gaining popularity this month. After NBA writer Tom Haberstroh found out his mother was diagnosed with ALS, his family started the Hot Pepper Challenge in December to raise money for research — a similar idea to the Ice Bucket Challenge in 2014. People are nominated on video and encouraged to donate to the cause. Should Your Kids Take Part? Challenges like this are done in good fun and help to raise awareness and funds for important causes. But as a pediatrician, I have mixed feelings about children participating in the pepper challenge. Here’s why. Hot peppers can cause some unpleasant symptoms due to a chemical compound called capsaicin. Most of the capsaicin is in the seeds and membranes, so remove these parts if you’re worried about the heat. Among other things, capsaicin […]

SERVICES & SPECIALTIES

Realizing the Promise of Telehealth for Children

BY: Mayra Alvarez, The Children’s Partnership Debbie Chang, Nemours Children’s Health System Deb Watson, Winter Park Health Foundation Pediatric providers, health centers, schools and school districts, school nurses, parents, child care centers, state government officials, national associations, non-profit advocacy organizations, health plans, and academic institutions filled the room at GuideWell Innovation Center in Orlando on January 26. The purpose? Convened by The Children’s Partnership, Nemours Children’s Health System, and the Winter Park Health Foundation, this diverse group of experts in children’s health traveled to Florida from thirteen different states to brainstorm on ways telehealth in school and child care settings can improve care and access for children, and to lay the groundwork for building a Roadmap for Action. As we prepared for the day, a key topic of conversation was the thriving school and child care telehealth programs in Delaware, Florida, New York, North Carolina, and Texas. The telehealth programs […]

STAYING HEALTHY

Mindful Eating

Why do we eat? While there are many answers to this question, one of the most important reasons for eating is to nourish our bodies. Think of your body as a car. Cars need gas to drive us to our destinations. Gas is the fuel that allows cars to function, and without it they cannot run. Like cars, our body will not run, or run well, without proper fuel in the form of food. What is Mindful Eating? Put simply, mindful eating is the act of paying attention to your food choices, how you are eating, and how your body feels when eating. Paying attention to your body begins with listening to the signals it displays before a meal. Hunger signals may include any of the following: growling stomach, low energy, irritability, maybe feeling lightheaded. Listening for these cues can help prevent us from eating out of emotions such as […]

PARENTING

10 Ways to Limit Screen Time

Did you know that, besides sleeping, most American children spend more time watching television and looking at screens than doing almost anything else ? In fact, most kids spend nearly six hours per day in front of TV and other screens (excluding homework). That’s 42 hours per week of screen time – the equivalent of a full time job! When used wisely, high-quality and educational television and apps can help children learn. But the more time children spend playing video games, texting and watching TV, the less time they have for studying, reading and physical activity. Media use also interferes with sleep. Many studies have even shown a link between the amount of TV kids watch and their being overweight. If you want to reduce screen time and make TV and other screens less tempting to your children, try these ten tips: Keep the TV, laptop, tablet, etc. in a central […]

HEALTH CONDITIONS

The Flu–When to Go From R&R to the ER

There are steps you can take to avoid the flu coming into your house. While there’s no guaranteed way — including being vaccinated — to have 100% protection from the flu, there are things you and your family can do to make spreading the flu less likely: Wash your hands well and often with soap, especially after using the bathroom, after coughing or sneezing, and before eating or preparing food. Never pick up used tissues. Don’t share cups and eating utensils. Stay home from work or school when you’re sick with the flu. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, then put it in the trash. If a tissue isn’t available, cough or sneeze into your upper arm, not into your hands. But what if your child does catch the flu? When should you switch from R&R to the ER? Nemours pediatric pulmonologist Dr. Chris Makris, […]

Taking Lessons from Crohn's Disease | Promise, powered by Nemours Children's Health System

HEALTH CONDITIONS

Taking Life Lessons from Crohn’s Disease

Contributed by Darcy Galnor, whose daughter is a patient of Nemours Children’s Specialty Care, Jacksonville. The morning our daughter was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease started like any other. We woke up as just a regular young(ish) couple with two kids, jobs and life’s typical stressors. (I guess maybe not entirely typical, unless taking our 5-year-old daughter for a colonoscopy is considered an everyday event). We’d been chasing the cause of her diarrhea for months, maybe even years. Dairy? Nope. Gluten? Nope. Strawberries (her favorite food)? Nope. As we sat in the waiting room, anxiously watching for the doctor to tell us the results, we attempted to distract ourselves with work. Both of us had tablets rested on our thighs, cell phones on the arms of our chaisr. My husband downing coffee. Me biting my nails. Then, the doctor appeared. “She has inflammation throughout most of her GI tract. We’ll wait […]

HEALTH CONDITIONS

Cold & Flu Season – Does Your Child Need Antibiotics?

It’s that time of year – your kids come home from school or their extra-curricular activities and show signs or complain of a sore throat, cough, and/or a runny nose. Are antibiotics in order? The answer may surprise you! Viruses vs. Bacterial Infections To best understand whether your child needs antibiotics, it’s helpful to know the difference between viruses and bacteria, which are the two major types of germs that cause sickness. Although certain bacteria and viruses cause diseases with similar symptoms, the ways these two organisms multiply and spread illness are different. Antibiotics fight bacteria, not viruses. Bacteria are living organisms that exist as single cells. They can live in all types of environments, from extreme cold to extreme heat. They’re everywhere and most don’t cause any harm. In some cases they may actually be helpful, like when they live in your intestines and help digest food. The bacteria that are […]

PARENTING

Tips for Navigating Travel When Breastfeeding

Over the river and through the woods…we all have somewhere to be during the busy holiday season. But traveling by plane can always pose challenges, especially for the breastfeeding mom. Adequate preparation and a good understanding of one’s rights are the keys to a hassle-free trip. Here’s what you need to know. Can I take breast milk on the plane? You can carry on your breast milk in any reasonable quantity, whether it is thawed or frozen. It’s likely the breast milk will be screened, but calmly escalate the matter if a Transportation Security Administration begins to open your container or wants to dispose of the breast milk. You are within your rights to insist that your “liquid gold” be permitted on board the plane, uncorrupted. Other tests can be run that do not require opening the container. Do airports have accommodations for breastfeeding mothers? Airports must furnish accommodations, primarily […]

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

After 27 Years With Type 1 Diabetes, Here’s What I’ve Learned

I celebrated my first National Diabetes Awareness Month in 1990. I was twelve years old, had just started seventh grade, and was very aware of Type 1 diabetes – I’d just been diagnosed with it. Aside from the distinctive smells of insulin and alcohol swabs, I don’t remember much about the time I spent in the hospital after my diagnosis, or about those first few months at home. I do, however, remember the sense of bewilderment that accompanied my family home from the hospital, and how uncertain we were about how our lives would proceed with a chronic condition to manage. If I could go back to that November, there’s so much I would tell my younger self about the reality of living with diabetes. Unfortunately, I can’t – so I’m sharing what I’ve learned here. Don’t panic. It’s true that diabetes can (and will) infiltrate every part of your […]