For so many, dogs are our best friends and trusted companions. Despite how warm and loving they can be, all breeds of dogs are capable of biting. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), every year, more than 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs in the United States, and more than half of those bites happen at home with a familiar dog. Of those who endure dog bites, more than half are children under the age of 14 and nearly a million require medical attention. Most dogs won’t bite without a reason. A family dog may bite when a new baby is brought home or a child plays too roughly, teases, or startles the dog. A dog you don’t know may bite when approached without taking the proper precautions. Knowing how to prevent dog bites will help keep your family safer this summer — and beyond. […]

Many parents wonder: “Is my child’s anxiety normal? Should I be worried?” While anxiety in young kids can be nerve-wracking for parents, it has a lot to do with age and development. Anxiety about a certain trigger can be completely appropriate at one stage and inappropriate at another. For example, it’s entirely normal for children up to age 2 to have some degree of separation anxiety, but we hope that kids are able to separate without too many tears around ages 3 or 4. Being worried about dogs, bees, storms and sudden loud noises is totally understandable for 3- and 4-year-olds because they’re starting to understand that the world can be scary sometimes. It’s also expected that kids of this age will go through a phase when they’re exercising mastery of their environment – when it’s “my way or the highway,” which can often be mistaken for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). For […]

After a 10-month study reviewing published papers and sleep expert advice, the American Association of Sleep Medicine recently released recommendations for the amount of sleep needed by children and teens to achieve optimal physical health, mental health and cognitive functioning. This marks the first time the organization has set official guidelines for pediatric sleep. How Much Is Enough? If you’re wondering how much sleep your child should get — it depends on their age and individual sleep needs. Each age group has a range of optimal time and your child may fall anywhere on the spectrum. These are the new recommendations: Infants 4–12 months should sleep 12–16 hours per 24 hours. Children 1–3 years should sleep 11–14 hours per 24 hours. Children 3–5 years should sleep 10–13 hours per 24 hours. Children 6–12 years should sleep 9–12 hours per 24 hours. Teenagers 13–18 years should sleep 8–10 hours per 24 […]

Recently, Malia Obama made the decision to take a gap year – a hiatus of 12 to 15 months between the end of high school and the start of college. While this news brought a spate of reactions from critics and supporters alike, Malia is among a growing number of students making this decision. In the past year, more academic proponents, including Ivy League schools, have come out in public support of gap years and more students are picking up on the trend. One of the most debated themes about the gap year is how young adults can afford a year of non-educational leave. The American Gap Association publishes annual statistics on gap years. Data show 35 percent of “gappers” attend private school (10 percent of students attend private high school nationwide) and indicate they have the support of their parents. Costs vary depending on the types of programs students […]

A hospital stay can be a challenging experience for patients and their families. For children used to the comforts of their home and bedroom, the environment in a hospital can feel strange or foreign. Often, the arts can help make time in the hospital less stressful. So the Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children’s Creative Arts Therapy team developed an Arts in Medicine program as a way to help patients and families feel more at ease while they visit and/or stay at the hospital. This spring, the Arts in Medicine program welcomed visiting artist Catherine Czerwinski to work with patients and families in our Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). Catherine’s project focused on the installation of a mural in the PICU solarium. The mural project was inspired by the experiences of patients, families and staff from the PICU. Together, they were involved in the creation of the mural. The process […]

A brave contingent of donors had their heads shaved to raise funds and awareness for childhood cancer at a recent Nemours-sponsored St. Baldrick’s Foundation event, held at Iron Hill Brewery on the Wilmington Riverfront. St. Baldrick’s supports the Nemours Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children by supplying all new patients and their families with a “day pack” filled with bilingual resource materials to help guide them through the overwhelming experience of a childhood cancer diagnosis. Among the “shavees” was Candice Morris, a home health nurse from Magnolia, Del., who was inspired by one of her young patients’ bravery in the face of cancer. About 30 minutes after Candice submitted to the razor, her mother and son went for it, too! Many thanks to the volunteer stylists from Currie of Wilmington, Iron Hill for providing a private room, and event organizers/Nemours oncology nurses Nicole Roselli and […]