This webinar is intended for all parents, with children of various ages (infant – older children), to learn about sleep guidelines, general sleep facts, common sleep issues, and much more! Our panel includes Allied Physician Group pediatricians, Dr. Kerry Fierstein (Pediatric Health Associates, Plainview, NY) and Dr. Janice Montague (Tuxedo Pediatrics, Suffern, NY), as well as Child Sleep Specialists, Seema Bhambri, and Zeenat Hameed-Zaman.
By: Kerry Fierstein, MD, Pediatric Health Associates (Plainview, New York)
Mealtime should be fun – for you and your child! You can de-stress mealtimes by remembering some simple concepts.
#1 – Don’t really care if your child eats or not. Normal, healthy, neurologically-intact children will not starve themselves. The more invested you are, the more power you have given to your child and the more likely he is to use mealtime to manipulate.
#2 -Your job is to provide the food. Your child’s job is to determine which choice and how much. Make sure whatever you offer has some nutritional value. She doesn’t drive or shop. Don’t give her food you don’t want her to have. Don’t play waitress. If you make Mac & cheese whenever she doesn’t like what you give her, soon she will only be eating Mac & cheese.
#3 -Give them control – Make a buffet and let your child fill the plate. Create dips out of applesauce, tomato sauce, avocado, mayo, yogurt or ketchup. Put Parmesan cheese in a child-sized shaker.
#4 – Involve them. Use the IKEA principle. We are all more invested in things we make. Cooks are invested in their meals – so let your little helper prepare dinner with you.
#5 – Appeal to their sense of fun! Make plates colorful. Arrange foods in a happy face. Have pizza for breakfast or pancakes for dinner. Have a picnic in the den for lunch.
#6 – Have realistic expectations. From one year to puberty kids are just not growing that quickly. A toddler should eat 1/4 of what an adult should. That means one chicken nugget, 1/4 of a grilled cheese sandwich or 1/2 an egg.
One good meal a day is fine. So if your toddler eats two good meals today, he may not eat tomorrow at all!
#7 – Don’t sabotage mealtimes. Goldfish will fill up her little belly with no nutritional value, and no wonder she doesn’t eat dinner. Milk is not a substitute for eating. Don’t let him drink all day. Max out milk at 16 oz per day. Max out juice at 4 oz per day. Offer water liberally.
#8 – Give your child the gift of recognizing and responding to their hunger signals. Don’t you wish you only ate when you were hungry?
#9 – Go easy on yourself. Your value as a parent is not judged by how well your child eats at any given meal.
No one knows your child like you, and no one can take care of him or her medically like your pediatrician. An Allied doctor is on-call at all times and we want to hear from you. Learn why to call us first and how we can help you.
By: Dr. Karen Lidoshore- Fuld, Pediatric Health Associates (Plainview, NY)
Many of you have seen or heard about the recent death of an 18 day old baby girl following infection with Herpes Simplex Virus from a kiss. It is important for us to remember that this type of transmission to a newborn and extent of disease is an extremely rare occurrence. It is also important to understand how we as parents can do our best to prevent HSV transmission.
There are 2 types of Herpes Simplex infection; HSV-1 which usually causes cold sores and fever blisters on the mouth and lips, and HSV-2 which causes most cases of genital herpes. According to the World Health Organization close to 70% of people under the age of 50 are infected with HSV-1. Approximately 16% of people age 14-49 test positive for HSV-2.
Herpes affects about 1 in 3,500 babies in the United States each year. Transmission to a newborn can occur either in utero (extremely rare), during labor and birth, or after birth. During labor or birth is the most common way that a newborn can acquire the virus. After birth, a parent or another family member or friend can pass the virus to the newborn as occurred in this case. Unfortunately, most people can shed the virus in their saliva without any symptoms, though sometimes they will have a cold sore on their lips.
Symptoms of HSV-1 in babies (seen 2-12 days after exposure).
- Fever (100.4 or greater –rectally)
- Poor feeding
- Itching and/or burning around the mouth or lips (Does your child pull away and begin crying during breastfeeding, or when the lips or mouth come in contact with an object, or when you touch them?)
- Floppiness (of the body)
- Redness of the gums
- Swollen, tender lymph glands
- Cold sores (on, inside or around the lips and/or mouth; may also occur on the face)
Prevention of transmission of HSV to the newborn is possible in most cases. If you are pregnant and have a history or signs and symptoms of genital HSV-2 infection, tell your doctor as soon as possible. A C-section delivery is recommended if a mother has an HSV-2 outbreak near the time of birth. In terms of HSV-1 transmission, it is essential that you have anyone who will touch the baby wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water. Also, do not kiss your baby or let others kiss your baby on the lips, whether or not there are visible cold sores.