New parents, congratulations on the soon-to-be newest addition to your family. It’s crucial to keep your baby healthy in the beginning stages of his or her development, and a pediatrician can definitely help you maintain that. It's smarter to plan ahead and start looking for your child’s pediatrician while you're still pregnant. It takes some time and research to find a pediatrician that you like and respect. You also want to do it while you’re pregnant because you’ll have your hands full enough ... [Read More]
Strep Throat
The Difference Between Strep Throat and Tonsillitis
Two of the most common causes of sore throats are strep throat and tonsillitis. Since both of these conditions involve the throat pain and inflammation as well as the tonsils (lymph nodes in the back of the mouth/throat), it’s easy to confuse the two conditions, especially when your child is miserable and in pain. The fact is, strep throat and tonsillitis are very different conditions that require different types of treatments. Let’s take a quick look at what the differences between strep throat ... [Read More]
Pediatric Immunization Schedule
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a division of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, recommends that parents follow the official pediatric immunization schedule for their children. Following the schedule is the best way to ensure that young children are immune to dangerous diseases before they are even exposed. The pediatric immunization schedule was developed based on recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and has been ... [Read More]
10 Common Illnesses Kids Pick Up in School
A schoolroom can be a breeding ground for childhood illnesses. The classrooms are clean and orderly, but placing twenty children in a room increases the opportunity for sickness to spread. All it takes is one child arriving to school with symptoms of illness, and before you know it, your child who left home healthy steps off the school bus with a fever. Below are 10 common illnesses that kids might pick up in school. Chicken Pox Chickenpox is a childhood disease that’s nearly been e ... [Read More]
Could Frequent Tonsillitis Indicate the Need for a Tonsillectomy?
Frank recalls the first time his son, Ben, slept soundly through the night. He remembers it because it was the first time in as many months that he slept soundly, too. Only a week before, Frank was wondering if he was doing the right thing, bringing Ben to outpatient surgery for a tonsillectomy. He was somber as he watched his son being wheeled away in an induced sleep to the operating room. Frank’s wife Gayle, a pediatric nurse herself, reassured him. “It’s going to be OK. Actually, better ... [Read More]