child health and safety topics
As featured in Good Growing Studies consistently show that less than half of all school-age kids get enough sleep most weeknights. While the most recognized consequence of inadequate sleep is daytime sleepiness, children commonly manifest their sleepiness as irritability, behavioral problems, learning difficulties and poor academic performance. Some sleep disruptions are normal and are connected […]
The new year is an ideal time for parents to renew their commitment to using positive reinforcement with their children. Positive reinforcement includes specific and immediate praise when spotting a child doing something kind or helpful. This kind of approach is also particularly beneficial if the action is the opposite of a problem behavior that […]
Beginning Dec. 14, Seattle Children’s began offering updated (bivalent) COVID-19 vaccines to children aged 6 months to 5 years old at our hospital campus. The Moderna bivalent vaccine is available as a booster to children aged 6 months to 5 who have received two doses of the monovalent Moderna COVID-19 vaccine series. The Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent […]
Winter can be a blue time of year for people of all ages, particularly as the days get shorter, darker and colder. These ‘winter blues’ can include feeling seasonally sad, irritable or fatigued, and can sometimes cause a decline in mood and motivation. While it’s normal for all children to experience emotional ups and downs, […]
As featured in Good Growing It’s important for parents and kids to talk about the dangers of viral ‘challenges.’ These dangerous stunts can involve ingesting things, such as biting into a liquid laundry pod or eating an intensely hot pepper. Other challenges can include dares that urge kids to get high or faint by taking […]
As smoky air covers large portions of Western Washington due to of wildfires, many parents wonder what they can do to keep their kids protected. Breathing in wildfire smoke is unhealthy for everyone, however children are at extra risk for negative health effects. Infants and children under age 18, whose lungs and airways are still […]
Across the country, children both young and old are preparing to celebrate another evening of Halloween, filled with costumes, activities, sweet treats and fun with friends. In fact, in 2021 alone, over 42 million kids between the ages of 5 and 14 went trick-or-treating, according to the latest data compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau. […]
With each new school year often comes new questions for many parents about their child’s health. For children with health conditions, understanding when and how to best communicate with teachers and school staff about a child’s medical needs, determining the proper amount of information to disclose, and identifying the right programs and services for students […]
Flu season is here. Dr. Annika Hofstetter, whose research focuses on pediatric and adolescent vaccination, especially in high-risk populations, answered a few questions parents may have about the flu vaccine this year for On the Pulse. Hofstetter is co-leader of the Maintenance of Certification Influenza Vaccination Project at Seattle Children’s and is a member of […]
Every year, people around the country observe September as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month to shine a light on mental health care and bring awareness to suicide, a topic many find difficult to discuss. Dr. Alysha Thompson, the clinical director and psychologist on the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Unit (PBMU) at Seattle Children’s, shares ways that […]
