child health and safety topics
Your child wakes up not feeling well and says they can’t go to school. You make your assessment by taking their temperature or noticing that they aren’t acting or looking normal, call school to report the absence, and then start the process of figuring out how to help your child feel more comfortable. Sound familiar? […]
When people think of osteoporosis, most likely, they wouldn’t think about kids and teens. However, Dr. Michael Goldberg, director of Seattle Children’s Hospital’s Skeletal Health Program, says osteoporosis is actually a pediatric disorder and childhood is the best time to think about bone health. By thinking about bone health at an early age, individuals can […]
Editor’s note: Dr. Dimitri Christakis, director of the Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development at Seattle Children’s Research Institute, offers parents the following advice when choosing toys for their children during the holiday season and throughout the year. In the midst of the holiday shopping season, parents are faced with a plethora of toy […]
It’s well understood that head injuries are harmful to children, but just how serious are the effects? A new study published in Pediatrics reports half of children who experience a severe abusive head trauma before the age of 5 will die before their 21st birthday. The study, led by Ted Miller of the Pacific Institute for […]
If you haven’t already, it’s time to start thinking about seasonal influenza, or the flu, and the important steps you should take to protect your child. Flu season can range from October through May, but most cases of the flu in the U.S. occur between December and February. According to data from the Centers for […]
When it comes to the holiday season, sugar is everywhere, particularly in desserts and holiday candy. But did you know that sugar is also added to many everyday foods, including soups and yogurt? “Many people are unaware of just how pervasive added sugar is in our foods,” said Dr. Mollie Grow, a pediatrician at Seattle […]
More than 30 million Americans have eczema, a skin condition that causes dry, red, extremely itchy skin. Eczema in children often starts before the age of 5 and can negatively impact children in many ways, including not being able to sleep and lacking focus in school or social situations because of frequent scratching. I see […]
By now you’ve probably seen news reports about the outbreak of enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) that’s been sweeping across the country, resulting in many children being hospitalized for difficulties with breathing. While there are no confirmed cases of EV-D68 in Washington state, Seattle Children’s has seen cases of severe respiratory disease in many patients who have […]
Antibiotics can be used as life-saving therapies, but many experts believe they are prescribed more frequently than they should be. This practice puts individuals at risk of dangerous side effects and exposes the public to drug-resistant bacteria. To better understand how antibiotics should be prescribed, Dr. Matthew Kronman, an infectious disease expert at Seattle Children’s […]
New data suggests that adolescents in the U.S. are chronically sleep-deprived. Doctors recommend the average teenager get between 8.5 to 9.5 hours of sleep on school nights, but a recent study conducted by the National Sleep Foundation found that 87 percent of high school students were sleeping far less. That’s a real concern for parents […]