Why we chose to vaccinate our daughter against COVID-19?

Eva’s dad and I decided to vaccinate her against COVID-19 because we believe that the vaccine offers the best way to protect Eva from moderate to severe illness as well as any long term effects from a COVID-19 infection.  We believe that the research is sound demonstrating that the vaccine is safe.  Prior to her appointmen we had an age appropriate discussion with Eva.  She knows that the vaccine not only protects her but in being vaccinated, she will be doing her part in protecting others.

Posted in Pediatric Blog

Does my child to wear a face mask or covering?

As of May 1, 2020, it is law in Illinois for all people over 2 years old to cover their noses and mouths when unable to maintain social distance.  This law is to prevent the unknowing spread of the novel coronavirus, COVID 19, via respiratory droplet particles while breathing or talking. This means, a face covering should be worn when entering ANY place of business, including grocery stores, banks, hardware stores and pharmacies; picking up curbside orders of food, craft supplies, garden supplies etc; traveling via public transportation or rideshare services, ie planes, trains, buses, taxis, Ubers and Lyfts, performing essential duties (i.e. work); and visiting doctors’ offices, veterinarian clinics, emergency rooms, labs and urgent cares.   It is also recommended, that a face covering be used when using crowded public sidewalks or parks.  A face covering, can limit the spread of the virus, but social distancing and staying at home is still the best practice!  Also, if you or your child has a fever or a cough please leave your home to seek medical attention and call first.  The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends against forcing young children to wear masks or face coverings and reminds us that in children and infants under 2 years of age, face coverings can cause suffocation and are not recommended.   https://services.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-infections/masks-and-children-during-covid-19/

Posted in Pediatric Blog

How to wear a face mask…

A face mask or covering fits correctly if it covers the wearer’s nose and mouth, lays flat against the wearer’s cheeks and stays in place while talking.  Remember the purpose of the mask it to catch water droplets that can be spread while breathing or talking.  So wearing a mask below the nose or under the chin defeats the purpose of wearing the mask in the first place! Frequently, movement of the mask or covering occurs because it is the wrong size.  Simple fixes can include tying the ear loops tighter or securing them behind the head with a clip.

Remember… put on the mask with clean hands; adjust it only from ear loops; or ties and avoid touching the front of the mask once wearing it (it is dirty).  When you no longer need it, take it off completely and store it in a bag (ideally paper).  Also, everyone should have their own masks.  Do not share masks unless they have been cleaned.  Cloth masks should be washed daily.  Disposable (surgical masks) can be reused by the same person but should be allowed to dry out at lease overnight in a paper bag. Do not use a mask that has either become wet or appears dirty. And please do not spray masks with bleach or alcohol (it can break down the fibers).  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html

Posted in Pediatric Blog

How to demonstrate why we social distance to your kids….

Here is a fun way to demonstrate how germs can spread via droplet particles.  Go outside on a cool day, one in which you will see your breath.  Each of you should take a deep breath in and out.  Look at the water vapor in the air.  Tell them, “sometimes germs live in our breath and look how far they can travel”.  Now you you both should cough and or sneeze and look at the difference in distance the water vapor travels.  Explain this is why we need to keep six feet from other.  Draw out six feet and try to have your kids cough and get the water vapor to travel that far.  Now have them cough onto a mirror.  Let them see the water droplets settle.  Tell them, “see, the germs are now on the mirror.”  Tell them, “If you touch the mirror, they’ll be on your hand unless someone has cleaned this surface first.  So, if we touch the mirror and it is not clean our hands will now be dirty.  That is why we need to wash our hands before eating and touching our faces.  We don’t want to invite those germs into our body through our eyes and mouth”.  And finally, have you and your child cough into your elbows.  Ask them, “see what happens when we cover our coughs? The germs have no where to travel!”  Stay healthy!

Posted in Pediatric Blog

What is the best way to take my child’s temperature?

Fevers, a.k.a. elevation of you child’s body temperature, can be very frightening. Your child may feel unwell, act irritably or appear sleepier. Typically, fevers are associated with an illness, although they can be associated with other inflammatory processes (some autoimmune conditions) and can simply indicate overheating (think athlete on a hot day or an over bundled infant in a car seat). While we all wish to be as good as our mothers and grandmothers and just place a hand on our child’s forehead and know that he or she is burning up, inevitable you will get the dreaded question at the doctors of how high the fever has been and for how many days the fever has been present. The pattern of your child’s fever (the height and the length of the fever) in addition to other symptoms (runny nose, sore throat, cough, diarrhea), typically can indicate the diagnosis. So what’s the best and most accurate way to take your child’s temperature? First of all, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that you always use a digital thermometer. Glass and mercury thermometers should NOT be used. The AAP also discourages use of pacifier thermometers and also fever strips. There are three types of digital thermometers: digital multiuse thermometers, temporal artery thermometers and tympanic (in the ear) thermometers. The digital multiuse can be used rectally (this is the BEST method for infants < 6 months of age), orally (when your child is > 4-6 years) and under the armpit (axillary) that is a good alternative for children of all ages. Both the temporal artery and the tympanic thermometers are accurate in infants older than six months, although there is evidence that excessive earwax may alter the reading. Please remember, for infants < 3 months and patients with supressed immune systems, please call the doctor for temperatures > 100.4 Degrees F (38 degrees C) immediately!! Please visit healthychildren.org for step-by-step instructions on how to use each thermometer: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/fever/Pages/How-to-Take-a-Childs-Temperature.aspx

Posted in Pediatric Blog

How to cope with social distancing with special needs children…

Let’s face it. Social distancing is disruptive. It requires families to multi-task in ways that they have not had to before. The best-case scenario is that mom and dad can work from home with limited interruptions from their children who are sitting in front of the computer with on line learning. But let’s face it, this is likely going to be the exception and not the norm as many children will require more hands on attention and learning throughout the day (simply just redirecting and keeping kids on task). But for children with attention deficits, speech delays and learning disabilities, this hiatus from school could and may slow down progress achieved this year. So what should you do? Our advice is to openly communicate with your child’s teachers to clarify what exactly is being taught in the classroom and what are the short-term goals in therapy. In addition to lesson plans (what work sheets need to be completed), ask speech, occupation and physical therapists for written instructions and or videos of exercises to work on with your child. If possible, set up weekly times to check in with teachers and therapists. You might be able to video your child performing a task and then have it critiqued by the teacher or therapist. And also get creative! See this as a time to learn through life. Have an older sibling work with a younger sibling on sight words while the younger sibling then quizzes the older sibling on spelling (they know their letters right…?). Also pick a daily topic to learn about and at dinner discuss that topic together. And finally, work in breaks to stay active. Here are some helpful resources for coping: https://schoolchoiceweek.com/as-new-coronavirus-spreads-know-your-homeschool-and-online-learning-options/.

Posted in Pediatric Blog

Self-quarantine vs Social Distancing vs Isolation?

In the simplest of terms, self-quarantine is the practice of complete isolation of one’s self and one’s family from contact from others. This is to prevent or the eliminate the spread of a pathogen to others. This means that a person in quarantine should have absolutely no contact with others, including leaving the house to go to work, school, shopping, gym ETC. This also means that there should be no visitors to the house. When this person needs to be in contact with others, personal protection equipment (ie masks, disposable gowns and gloves) should be used. The idea of self-quarantine means that a person is voluntarily doing it; In other words, they are not being fined or held in quarantine by the government. Quarantine is useful for people with potential exposure as they are waiting to see if they start to exhibit symptoms because they could be infectious to others before showing signs of being ill. Quarantine occurs for a specific period depending on when a specific pathogen could be contagious (remember many people can be contagious without symptoms –ie tuberculosis, measles, chicken pox in addition to COVID-19). This is in contrast to the idea of social distancing. Social distancing is not to eliminate the spread of a specific pathogen but it is to make it less likely to come into contact with it. We know that when people are closer together they are more like to come into contact with a person carrying an illness even without direct contact through hand shaking, hugging or sharing beverages. Think of a person coughing in a confined space like an elevator. This can slow the progression of a virus or pathogen through a community and help limit the number of people who may get sick at once. But with social distancing because people are still able to go out into public there is risk of catching the circulating illness. This is in contrast to isolation. Isolation means quarantine with special precautions for people symptomatic and or confirmed to have an infection or people at significant risk of contracting a disease. This means that any interaction with these people will occur in a limited basis and with personal protection equipment for the patient and the care giver. This will include disposable gowns, gloves, masks and eye protection. For information on who should self-quarantine vs practice social distancing and how to implement self-quarantine please visit the following site : https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/20200229-covid-19-quarantine.pdf?sfvrsn=9aef4b3c_1&download=true or visit and contact the Illinois Department of Public Healthhttp://dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/diseases-and-conditions/diseases-a-z-list/coronavirus/personal-guidance-and-testing. As always please contact our office for questions or advise. Also please remember if told to implement self-quarantine then please understand that release from self -quarantine should be dictated by a physician or a public health entity.

Posted in Pediatric Blog

Cold weather, the car seat and your child…

As the temperature outside drops, many families wonder how to safely dress their infants and children. especially when riding in the car. First of all, when dressing your child or infant consider how long your trip will be and then what you will be doing at your destination (i.e. will you be outside or inside). For short trips, unless your preheat your car your car would likely be cooler and your child may need more covering. For longer trips, the car will likely be toasty and lighter layers may be needed to prevent your child from overheating. In addition, bulky clothes can cause safety problems. Hoods can push an infant’s head forward. And, plush fluffy coats will compress in the force of the collision and put your child at risk of sliding out of the care seat! The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests in the winter these tips : 1) Store the carrier portion of infant seats inside the house to keep them warm; 2) Get an early start by not only allowing the car to preheat, but allow more time to drive safely to your destination; 3) Dress your child in layers starting with tights, leggings and long-sleeved body suits and then cover with a sweater or track suit and then layer a thin jacket over top; 4) Don’t’ forget hats, mittens, socks and booties. Though you may need to remove them on longer trips; 5) Use a coat or blanket over the straps for extra warm. You can put the coat on backwards over the straps or just cover the seat with a blanket to cut out the winter wind chill; and 5) Make sure to tighten your child’s harness straps. Remember if you can pinch the straps of the harness then it’s too loose! For more information please visit: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/on-the-go/Pages/Winter-Car-Seat-Safety-Tips.aspx

Posted in Pediatric Blog

How much should my child be eating?

Nutrition is very important for your growing child. Good nutrition is three-fold: enough fuel (ie calories), well balanced (ie a healthy mixture of fats, protein and carbohydrates) and diverse (containing necessary vitamins and nutrition). A diet lacking in any of these three components can affect your child’s health increasing risk of infection, affect growth, affect behavior and could cause fatigue, headaches and abdominal pain. We have learned that children even though they consume a lot of fuel may actually be malnourished. Nevertheless, let us first look at how much your child should per consuming, ie calories per day. While this may vary based on how active your child is typically the AAP recommends that a child between 2-3 years consume 1000 cal/day and between 4-8 years consume 1200-1400 cal/day. In reference a Happy Meal can contain as much as 700 calories in 1 serving. Once your child hits puberty girls and boys need a different amount. Typically a girl between ages 9 and 13 years requires 1400-1600 calories perday and boys will require 1600-2000 calories per day. And girls 14 to 18 will need about 1800 calories per day, whereas boys will need 2000- 2400 calories per day. The importance of yearly check-ups can help us detect over eating or under eating. For more information please visit: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/nutrition/Pages/Childhood-Nutrition.aspx https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/gradeschool/nutrition/Pages/Making-Healthy-Food-Choices.aspx https://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/nutrition/Pages/Energy-In-Recommended-Food-Drink-Amounts-for-Children.aspx

Posted in Pediatric Blog

What Bug Spray is safe for my kids?

As the weather starts warming up, biting and stinging insects will make their return. Biting insects like Mosquitoes and Ticks may carry diseases like West Nile, Lyme Disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted fever and in warmer tropical climates can carry other diseases like Malaria, Dengue, Zika etc. Mosquitoes and ticks live in darker most areas, like wooded areas, marshes and grassy fields. Prevention is the best way to prevent these illnesses. The Centers for Disease Control recommends elimination of standing water where mosquitoes may breed, wearing loose light colored long sleeved shirts and long pants when out at dusk, hiking in woods or walking in fields, performing skin checks prior to returning back into the house and checking animals for ticks. In addition, deterrents like Deet are important. Currently products with less than 30% Deet are safe for children. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends spraying your child’s clothes and avoiding hands, feet and faces. Prior to travel, you can check with the office to see if there are additional travel recommendations for your vacation to prevent any of these illnesses. For more information please visit: https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/aap-press-room-media-center/Pages/Insect-Repellents.aspx https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/list/

Posted in Pediatric Blog