Dr. Kardos’s fourth child wears her coat without fuss in cold weather.
Now that the weather has turned “freezy,” parents ask us how to dress their baby (and big kids) for cold weather. Even Dr. Kardos’s teenaged kids allow her to thrust winter coats on them as they head out to the bus stop. Wondering how to know if your baby, toddler, or older child are dressed correctly for the weather? Read our post on this topic.
Stay warm!
Naline Lai, MD and Julie Kardos, MD
©2019 Two Peds in a Pod®
Larry the lizard squirmed, but still put his lotion on in the winter.
Does your child have dry, chapped hands? We can help with that. Read here for prevention and treatment tips.
Naline Lai, MD and Julie Kardos, MD
©2019 Two Peds in a Pod®
photo from pixabay
Happy 2019! As 2018 comes to a close, we invite you to read our most popular three posts of the year.
Here they are, in order of number of hits:
#1: It’s a gas! your young infant’s burps and farts
#2: It’s no laughing matter: another tween game in town
#3: Kids with “pink eye” CAN attend daycare, and other updated school exclusion recommendations
We wish all of our Two Peds readers and all of your children a Happy, Healthy, and Peaceful 2019.
Sincerely,
Julie Kardos, MD and Naline Lai, MD
©2019 Two Peds in a Pod®
Unfortunately, it is sick season. Fortunately, we have a great post to help you know when you need to call the doctor about your child’s illness.
Julie Kardos, MD and Naline Lai, MD
©2018 Two Peds in a Pod®
In this busy, holiday time of year, you may find yourself dining out frequently with your toddler. Read our post to find hints on avoiding restaurant meltdowns without the use of an iPad or phone!
Julie Kardos, MD and Naline Lai, MD
©2018 Two Peds in a Pod®
Some games are riskier than others and it’s hard for teens to tell the difference.
Remember playing “Truth or Dare” as a kid? Some of the dares were silly, some potentially embarrassing, but some were downright risky. Now our children are playing potentially dangerous games. How can you prevent your teen from taking unnecessary risks?
To understand why kids would play risky games such as the Cinnamon Challenge or the Laughing Game, let’s step into the mindset of a teenager. Don’t let their adult-like appearances deceive you. Based on what we know about teenage brain development, teens are more likely to misinterpret or mislead social cues and emotions and to engage in risky behavior. Even though your teens may be taller than you, their deductive reasoning skills are not fully developed until around 25 years old. They have difficulty thinking through long term plans.
Take a simple example of studying. If they stay up very late studying, they do not consider that this will cause impairment in cognition the next day and consequently they are forced to stay up
“coughing out germs”
Recently a 6-year-old patient handed me this drawing of “a person coughing out germs.”
The artwork reminds us that a cough can be a good thing. A cough dislodges mucus from the airway and can help prevent pneumonia.
However, coughs can spread germs and make kids feel plenty uncomfortable. And, frustrating for parents, many over-the-counter medicines are not recommended for kids.
Looking for natural remedies for kids? Look no further than your kitchen.
Julie Kardos, MD and Naline Lai, MD
©2018 Two Peds in a Pod®
Holiday gift ideas!
From toddlers to teens, use of tablets, smart phones, and game systems abound. With Black Friday fast approaching, it’s easy to run out of non-screen based holiday gift ideas.
In our gift ideas post, we suggest presents for children of all ages, from newborn to teen. You’ll find non-screen based fun gifts to encourage your children’s motor, intellectual, and emotional growth.
If you really run out of ideas even after reading the post, you can just wrap random objects in layers of wrapping paper and have your children unwrap them. Maybe it’ll be as intriguing to your kids in real life as on YouTube.
Happy shopping!
Julie Kardos, MD and Naline Lai, MD
©2018 Two Peds in a Pod®
I love kids who worry. If they didn’t worry, they wouldn’t care, and if they didn’t care, nothing would ever get done. But sometimes, those worries grow bigger than your child and threaten to engulf them. Like any skill, you can teach your child to calm their mind and settle their emotions. Helping them with relaxation techniques as they fall asleep will translate into the ability for your child to calm themselves during the day.
When your child was a baby you would rock them, sing to them, and maybe give a pacifier. But now that they are older, other calming modalities are available.
The flu is an unwelcome trick-or-treater.
We’re happy GoodHousekeeping.com editor Marisa LaScala quoted us in her recent post about the flu. Click here to read.
Naline Lai, MD and Kardos, MD
© 2018 Two Peds in a Pod®