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It’s actually not a matter of age when a child can wear contact lenses. What families need to consider is whether the child can practice good hygiene and take responsibility to care for the lenses. There may be 9-year-olds who can responsibly handle contacts and 16-year-olds who cannot. Virtually all contacts nowadays are “soft,” meaning they don’t require a long adaptation period in order to wear them easily. How the patient handles the contacts is what really matters. Many families start to think about contact lenses when their kids are involved in sports. This is understandable since glasses may be cumbersome and offer less-than-perfect vision on the field of play. Parents shouldn’t push for kids to wear contacts, but ask themselves instead: Is the child motivated and capable of caring for contact lenses conscientiously? That is key. Here are some other general questions that I get from parents: Are kids […]

As adults, we’ve all had to handle some amount of stress in our lives. Stress is our body’s way of rising to a challenge and preparing to meet a tough situation with focus, strength, stamina, and heightened alertness. But we often believe kids are happy and carefree – that their lives are simpler than ours. We find ourselves telling them how much harder it will be when they grow up and face the “real world.” The reality is, though, kids are facing their own “real world” every day. Stressors for kids can include issues with family or friends, ongoing challenges with school, or crammed schedules that don’t allow any downtime. And while they may not initiate a conversation about what’s bothering them, kids do want their parents to reach out and help them cope with their troubles. Signs and Symptoms For kids with chronic conditions like migraines or sickle cell […]

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 […]

Whether you send your kids to sleep-away or day summer camp, there’s a lot of preparation that goes into getting them ready. As another school year comes to a close and camp season approaches, we thought we’d go over some camp readiness tips. Before Summer Camp Finding the Right Fit Pick a summer camp with your kids, not for them. Camp is a time for your children to have fun and stay active in the summer, while learning new things or pursuing an interest. Maybe your child wouldn’t like the same camp as an older sibling but, instead, would like the kind of camp you went to growing up – or maybe an entirely different one. Follow your kids’ lead. Encourage them to be excited, but don’t discount their worries and fears. There’s no need to freak your kids out by discussing emergency pick-up plans and homesickness, but if these […]