When athletes have bad days: Tips for athletes and parents
No matter how hard they work, every athlete has bad days. Whether it’s a stumble, fumble, or outright loss, disappointment is a reality of sports. “No one likes the feeling of failing,” says Kelsey Griffith, mental skills specialist at The Micheli Center for Sports Injury Prevention. “But experiencing those emotions is part of the athletic ... Read More about When athletes have bad days: Tips for athletes and parents
Shining a light on the SPF gap: Why sun protection is so important for children of color
With summer just around the corner, it’s important to understand the risks that come along with those long, hot days in the sun. It’s also important to recognize some pretty dangerous misconceptions about sun protection — namely that Black children and other children of color don’t need to worry about skin protection and skin cancers. ... Read More about Shining a light on the SPF gap: Why sun protection is so important for children of color
The infant formula shortage: Your questions, answered
By now, you’ve likely heard about the current shortage of commercial infant formula: As of today, more than 40 percent of formulas are out of stock across the U.S. The situation has left families scrambling for solutions — and struggling to make sense of a barrage of misinformation online. To get answers, we spoke with ... Read More about The infant formula shortage: Your questions, answered
Helping your child understand puberty
We all remember the changes — and awkwardness — of puberty. But helping your child navigate puberty is a whole different matter. For answers, we turned to Boston Children’s Primary Care Alliance physician Caitlyn Hark, MD, at Framingham Pediatrics, and Frances Grimstad, MD, a pediatric and adolescent gynecologist in the Division of Gynecology at Boston ... Read More about Helping your child understand puberty
Sports medicine helps keep athletes in the game
Sports medicine specialist Dr. William Meehan sees a lot of sports injuries: everything from tennis elbow to concussions to anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. But when he talks about sports, he typically leads with how sports benefit young athletes. “There’s so much publicity about injuries and risk,” says Dr. Meehan, a physician in the Sports ... Read More about Sports medicine helps keep athletes in the game
A new symptom of COVID-19 in young children: Croup
During the Omicron surge, pediatricians and emergency departments (EDs) began noticing something new: a surge in croup among infants and young children. Marked by a distinctive “barking” cough and sometimes noisy, high-pitched intakes of breath, croup can happen when colds and other viral infections cause the voice box, windpipe, and bronchial tubes to become inflamed ... Read More about A new symptom of COVID-19 in young children: Croup
It takes a village: The frontlines of the behavioral health crisis
As challenging as navigating the pandemic has been for adults, it has been at least as stressful for children and teens. Yet even before COVID-19 transformed the way we live, kids were coping with mental and behavioral health challenges. In the past decade, children’s trips to emergency departments for mental health disorders rose by some ... Read More about It takes a village: The frontlines of the behavioral health crisis
Cannabis edibles: Keep kids safe from adult ‘treats’
Candy and chips aren’t necessarily for kids anymore. These days, a chocolate bar, gummy, or bag of cheesy treats may contain a very adult ingredient: cannabis (also known as marijuana). As more states legalize marijuana for medical and recreational use, more of these potent treats are finding their ways into children’s mouths. While older kids ... Read More about Cannabis edibles: Keep kids safe from adult ‘treats’
How to help young kids cope when a parent has to isolate
Parents: If you’ve tested positive for COVID-19 and need to isolate or quarantine, you understandably may have questions and concerns about what this means for your family. On top of coordinating logistics around work, child care, and safety measures, you may be worried about the psychological impact separation will have on your child. For children ... Read More about How to help young kids cope when a parent has to isolate
Six tips for how families can manage Omicron
Omicron, a highly transmissible COVID-19 variant, is straining hospitals, canceling events, and emptying store shelves of test kits. It seems almost inevitable that it will find its way into households. Nearly two years into the pandemic, staying on top of COVID-19 guidance can seem exhausting. But you shouldn’t lose hope. Eventually, we will see the ... Read More about Six tips for how families can manage Omicron