In two separate studies recently, more evidence mounts for the value of exercise in school. It’s something any grade school teacher can tell you: going outside and running around allows kids to come back in and focus better. Scientists have shown this now to be the case in older kids too. Physically active children of … Continue Reading →
You’ve only got a week left so it’s time to start getting your children ready for the early morning wake-up times that school demands. It’s common to let things slide in the summer. It’s light so late, fireworks and outdoor fun last until even the adults are bleary-eyed, but kids have had the luxury of sleeping … 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 →
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 →
Summer vacation is here and my tweens and teens are struggling to find something to do all day. We go to the swim club frequently and enjoy cooking together, but without the structure of school and extracurricular activities there are still hours and hours of wide-open time each day for my kids to fill. They … Continue Reading →
It’s checkup season in the office and I’m seeing a lot of children who are heading off to camp or who play sports or who are moving on to middle or high school and need forms completed. Every child gets their height and weight measured and for many of the middle- and high school-aged kids, … Continue Reading →
Just in time for Father’s Day here are a couple of good books hot off the press for the dads of the world. The AAP has published a book just for dads. It’s written by a pediatrician-father and mixes humor and advice to give dads confidence and guidance. This book, Dad to Dad: Parenting Like … Continue Reading →
It’s horrible. Tragic. Unthinkable. And yet it happened. Again. This time the athlete who died was only 12. A sixth grader. Not even old enough to shave. How can his family and friends go on? J. Cooper Salsberry was a multisport athlete who played goalie on his hockey team and was just getting his spring baseball season … Continue Reading →
Children ages 8 to 11 are at high risk of getting whooping cough if exposed — even if they’ve been fully vaccinated. Yep, you read that right. Of course tweens who haven’t had all their DTaP vaccines are more likely than vaccinated children to get the illness if exposed, but research is now showing that … Continue Reading →
A really interesting study revealed something most of us intuitively thought was true: if you drink your milk, your bones are stronger and the less likely you’ll be to break a bone. Milk consumption in the US has declined a lot over the last few decades at the same time girls’ participation in sports has … Continue Reading →