Troy pediatrician Dr. Molly O’Shea blogs on children’s physical and mental health, as well as offers parents tips on scheduling and other elements of well-being for infants through high-schoolers.
One of the main reasons parents seek care at my office is cough. It sounds bad, keeps parents awake and often keeps children awake too. In the olden days (like 5 years ago) we used to ply kids with cough medicines at night in the hope of relieving the cough and getting some sleep. To … Continue Reading →
Whooping cough claimed the life of a healthy infant earlier this summer and it was a terrible reminder of how devastating this illness can be. Infants, even vaccinated infants, are more vulnerable because of their size and relative weakness at fighting infection. Even with the help of some immunity that vaccination can provide, without completing … Continue Reading →
Here’s another reason to drink your milk. Children deficient in Vitamin D (as measured by blood levels) were more apt to be sicker and stay in the hospital longer than comparable children with normal blood levels. It seems that Vitamin D, long thought to have immune benefits, may well indeed have some role to play … Continue Reading →
Preventing injury in young athletes has long been a challenge. In adults, the best strategy to prevent injuries is to strengthen the muscles around fragile joints like knees and ankles. In children, especially before puberty, the notion of adding weight training to the regimen seemed unhealthy with bones still so flexible and growing and muscles … Continue Reading →
Preschoolers often play favorites. They have a favorite pair of shoes or a favorite meal or a favorite stuffed friend they like to carry around with them. Sometimes it can be tough for parents, though, when a preschooler has a favorite parent. Feeling rejected by a 3 or 4 year old consistently can be rough … Continue Reading →
It’s getting harder and harder to accept the fact that some families are opting not to fully vaccinate their children. Five to 10 years ago when the controversies surrounding vaccination were at their height, I felt strongly that vaccines were both safe and effective, but I had little head-to-head data to prove that fact. Most … Continue Reading →
I’m not sure when it changed. And maybe it never did. Maybe my notion of a neighborhood where the adults all kept an eye on the kids and broke up squabbles and made sure they weren’t breaking the rules, and told the other parents what they saw is a romantic one, more a movie scene … Continue Reading →
My sister-in-law called last night for help. My niece was sobbing in pain. Every time she touched her ear it hurt. Even when she wasn’t putting pressure on it there was pretty intense pain and this 7th grader is not a complainer. Annie is a competitive swimmer and her mom knew the tell-tale signs of … Continue Reading →
I’ve been consumed reading the articles surrounding the tragedy of the Penn State sexual abuse scandal, and the recent report from Louis Freeh revealing that there was an intermittent but consistent awareness of Sandusky’s illicit contact with young boys on the part of the Penn State administration and coach Joe Paterno in particular is both … Continue Reading →
My boys leave for camp this month. They’ll be away for almost three weeks and can’t wait to go. I’m excited for them. The long days spent outdoors, in the woods and lake, with other kids and caring adults but no parents means some freedom for my sons. Most kids today have their lives quite … Continue Reading →