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
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
Four ways exercise can benefit gender-diverse kids
There’s no doubt that exercise is important for good health: It has many benefits for kids and teens, from helping build strong bones to boosting mood. Team sports in particular have been linked with lower rates of loneliness and social anxiety. As a former college athlete and personal trainer himself, Ellis Barrera, a research assistant ... Read More
Gender and sexual identity: Five assumptions to avoid when talking to your child about sex
Talking about sex with your children is inevitably going to be awkward. It can be even more challenging if you’re a cisgender parent with a transgender child, or a heterosexual parent with a child who is questioning their sexual identity. In these situations, you may wonder if everything you know about sex goes out the ... Read More
Step by step: What to consider before your child wears a fitness tracker
Energetic children run circles around their parents. Wearable devices can count how many footsteps go into those circles. Depending on the model, fitness trackers can measure the steps a child walks and the miles they bike, all while monitoring their heart rate, body temperature, and other vital signs of health. More importantly, the devices can ... Read More
Pregnant mothers who get COVID-19 vaccines are also protecting their babies
Recent studies have shown that COVID-19 vaccination is safe for expectant mothers and can protect them against infection, severe illness, and death from COVID-19. We also know that mothers vaccinated during pregnancy pass coronavirus antibodies to their babies. The latest research — drawing on 20 children’s hospitals in 17 states — now confirms that vaccinating ... Read More