The Challenge
Day #4: Be Smart about Daycare
Up front, I will admit my bias… I advocate children staying home with one or both parents as much as possible until they are school-aged. You just cannot find anyone, no matter how much money you spend, that is more invested in your child’s safety, education,... [Read more...]
Get Smart
What’s Riskier: A gun or a swimming pool?
I hear all-too-often families talking about how they never let little Johnny go over to little Timmy’s house because “they have a gun in the house.” Instead, they let little Johnny go over to little Billy’s house to swim. Now, if this is a political... [Read more...]
Friend or Foe?
Babywise 101
There are many myths and facts surrounding this fairly controversial parenting style. On the whole, many pediatricians frown at the idea of using the parent-directed feeding (PDF) approach described in Babywise. However, when I look into the matter I find very little evidence... [Read more...]
Don't Buy That!
Day #4: Be Smart about Daycare
Up front, I will admit my bias… I advocate children staying home with one or both parents as much as possible until they are school-aged. You just cannot find anyone, no matter how much money you spend, that is more invested in your child’s safety, education, discipline,... [Read more...]
Vomiting
Myths & Facts: Vomiting
Like fever, there is considerable confusion over vomiting and I will attempt to resolve many of the myths with this post. First, let me remind you that the human race has survived for tens of thousands of years. Part of the credit for this amazing accomplishment is certainly... [Read more...]
Fever
Fever: The Great Temperature Menace
Is a high fever dangerous? Will it cause my child to have a seizure? What about brain damage? These are the common questions that I see parents asking when they come into the ER. Along with these questions, parents generally also bring in all kinds of myths and misconceptions... [Read more...]
Most Recent
Babywise and scheduling… after 2 babies!
Baby #2, moving to a new city, starting a new job, and the beginnings of raising our first 2-year-old required a brief hiatus from blogging. While this time has been devoid of blogging, it has been very rich in personal experiences to blog about. Today I am covering the idea of putting your baby on a schedule, which is the focus of most of the controversy when it comes to [Read more...]
Most Popular
Ask the Doctor: Steroids for Croup?
Michelle Asks:
I was wondering what you would suggest for treatment for croup. My son has had it twice this year and both times the doctor prescribed steroids. Is there any other treatment for croup? Thanks! [Read more...]
You Decide: What is a Strep Carrier?
Understanding what it means to be a Strep carrier is critical if you want to understand the management of sore throat. It is especially critical for Smart Parents to understand so they can be vigilant to make sure their children are not needlessly exposed to antibiotics and their side-effects. While most physicians are aware that some kids [Read more...]
On Becoming Babywise: The 45-minute intruder
If you are a Babywise parent you are probably aware of this concept. If not, I am sure you have dealt with the intruder in one form or another. This post is dedicated to what we have learned about the intruder and the ways we have come up with to best deal with it. A word of warning though, the intruder can be very nasty and difficult to break. Babywise will have you believe that the intruder is rare and will likely go away in a week or two. From my experience and research this is not always the case. [Read more...]
Sugar Water for Vaccine Pain
There are many different controversies surrounding immunization in children. One of the controversies surrounds controlling the pain children experience with vaccinations. If you do choose to vaccinate your baby, there are a few things you might consider to help ease the pain your newborn experiences. [Read more...]
Umbilical Cord Infection?
I got a call from some friends the other day regarding their new daughter’s umbilical cord. This is a common problem that many new parents encounter and also a common problem that I see in the ER. The issue relates to infection. Infection of the umbilical cord is a serious problem and ALWAYS requires medical intervention. However, in the normal process of the umbilical cord falling off it often looks pretty horrible sometimes resembling infection. So how to tell? Hopefully this post will help some parents with that very question. [Read more...]
Featured Post
Peak Fussiness
I am happy to report that we are at the 5-week mark with baby #2. In virtually every way baby #2 has been much easier than baby #1. Mostly we attribute this to less trial and error parenting on our part rather than any major difference [Read more...]
As a Parent
Day #4: Be Smart about Daycare
Up front, I will admit my bias… I advocate children staying home with one or both parents as much as possible until they are school-aged. You just cannot find anyone, no matter how much money you spend, that is more invested in your child’s safety, education, discipline, and overall health & well being than YOU. That said, I understand that not everyone has the resources to allow for one parent to stay home (although this is mostly a choice rather than an absolute truth). I also understand that even the best mommies and daddies need some precious time alone [Read more...]
Day #3: Your Kids are what YOU Eat
Now that you are not sitting in front of the stupid box 5 hours a day, you should have some free time on your hands. Let me suggest that you use some of that time to think a little bit about what you feed your children. [Read more...]
Generic Infant Formula
The goal of this page is not to debate formula versus breast milk. That debate is over and there is just no comparison between the two. However, there are plenty of people that, either by choice or necessity, decide to formula feed their babies. This is not for me to judge. In fact our second son has been on formula since about 4 months of age.
The real question is… Do I really need expensive name brand formula? [Read more...]
Day # 2: Learn to Live Within Your Means
This may seem like a strange topic when we are considering the health of our children. However, for a variety of reasons, children tend to suffer a great deal from the financial perils of their parents. I have read all kinds of books on the subject and I have talked with many “financial experts.” When I step back and look at things objectively, there is nothing magic about finances. What is magic is the prosperity that comes from living within your means. What is tragic is the turmoil that comes from living beyond them. Again, I intend to argue that the bulk of this turmoil trickles down to your kids and adversely affects them for the rest of their life. [Read more...]
Day #1: Sell Your TV
Consider the following:
Several European countries forbid or severely curtail advertising to children; in the United States, on the other hand, selling to children is simply “business as usual.” The average young person views more than 3000 ads per day on television (TV), on the Internet, on billboards, and in magazines. Increasingly, advertisers are targeting younger and younger children in an effort to establish “brand-name preference” at as early an age as possible. [Read more...]















