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What is Iron-Deficiency Anemia? Iron-deficiency anemia is a condition that happens when there isn’t enough iron in the body. An infant or child with anemia has a lower number of red blood cells (RBCs), and RBCs contain hemoglobin (HEE-muh-glow-bin), a protein that carries oxygen throughout the body. The body needs iron to make hemoglobin. Without enough iron, less hemoglobin and fewer red blood cells are produced, which leads to anemia. Unlike some types of anemia, iron-deficiency anemia (also called “IDA”) can be prevented. It’s also relatively easy to treat with things like iron supplements and dietary changes. Preventing IDA Symptoms and Screenings for IDA As part of routine wellness, you should have your child screened for anemia at the 12-month and 24-month well-child visits. If your child is showing signs of iron-deficiency anemia, ask your pediatrician to screen your child for anemia. Common symptoms a child may exhibit include would be things like: […]

We all know that terrible feeling of not being able to sleep and drudging through the next day in a fog. If your child is having trouble sleeping, of course you want to help. You have probably heard of using melatonin for sleep problems. Its use has skyrocketed in the past few years. Melatonin is a hormone (or chemical messenger) made by the brain. It helps us fall asleep. Melatonin is also made as a dietary supplement and can be bought in the U.S. without a prescription. But is melatonin safe for kids and teens? Does it work? If melatonin is used with guidance from a health care provider, it is probably safe for short-term use in kids over 5 years. It can help kids and teens get some rest while they work through certain types of sleep problems. But it is still being studied so we don’t know for sure what […]

Your family has been doing their part and staying home as much as possible to prevent and stop the spread of COVID-19. But messages can get confusing about whether you should take your child to their doctor for a pediatric well visit or check-up. Even during a pandemic, it’s important for kids to have their growth, development, and well-being tracked. What You Could Be Missing by Skipping Your Child’s Well Visit Physical Exam: A regular physical exam can help your doctor pick up hard-to-detect issues like high blood pressure, heart murmur, lumps and bumps, ear and hearing issues, and even cavities. Assessment of Growth: During a check-up, your healthcare provider will track height, weight, and BMI. These measurements can tell them if your child has any medical issues that impact growth. Assessment of Development: A development exam looks at parts of your child’s functioning, including things like reasoning and understanding, […]

Eat, poop, sleep, and repeat. As routine as these things may seem, we all know the struggles associated with parenting infants. Our job, as your friendly neighborhood dietitians, is to help guide you through that first part – feeding your infant. We are going to discuss, in a rather general sense, two primary feeding methods. To make a sometimes confusing topic a bit more relatable, I like to compare infant feeding to macaroni and cheese. You have your homemade mac-n-cheese and your pre-made mac-n-cheese. Both are delicious, and typically contain the same calories and nutrients, it’s just a matter of the resources available to you. Breastfeeding First, let’s talk about breastfeeding. Just like your homemade mac-n-cheese, breast milk is designed to specifically meet your family’s needs. Breast milk is unique to each woman as well each environment. That means, if you breastfeed (or pump) in day care, the milk will […]