Archive for well child care
Bringing equity to genomic sequencing in newborns: BabySeq 2.0
Today, nearly 900 disorders caused by a single gene are known to be treatable. Yet the recommended “heel stick” testing for newborns only covers about 60 inherited, treatable disorders, and many individual states screen for fewer. What if newborns could instead have their entire genome sequenced at birth, with the results shared and acted on ... Read More
Babies and screen time: New research calls for caution
If you’re a parent, you’ve probably been there. You have a baby howling for attention, but you need to cook dinner or get a sibling to take a much-needed nap. Baby TV shows, touch tablets, and digital phone toys can feel like lifesavers in keeping an active infant calm and contained while juggling what life ... Read More
Why families need routines (even in the summer)
They say you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. Maybe no one has realized this more over the last few years than children and young people who lost all semblance of normalcy with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even if the benefits of their day-to-day routines were more subliminal in the “before ... Read More
Sound sleep, sound mind: The importance of sleep for preteens’ developing brains
When your preteen doesn’t get enough sound sleep, some of the signs, like crankiness, are obvious. But some of the effects are more subtle. A large, first-of-its-kind study from Boston Children’s Hospital now shows that too little or poor-quality sleep may prevent the brain from developing strong, efficient connections. “Early adolescence is a critical time ... Read More
Keeping kids emotionally healthy during COVID-19
Children and teens have suffered immensely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Changing school and family routines, isolation at home, illness or loss of a family member, stressed parents, and fear of the virus itself have hit kids hard. And sadly, the pandemic continues with the rise of new COVID-19 variants. Pediatric practices can play a role ... Read More
Regular physical activity linked to more ‘fit’ preteen brains
We know exercise has many health benefits. A new study from Boston Children’s Hospital adds another benefit: Physical activity appears to help organize children’s developing brains. The study, led by Dr. Caterina Stamoulis, analyzed brain imaging data from nearly 6,000 9- and 10-year-olds. It found that physical activity was associated with more efficiently organized, robust, ... Read More
BabySee: Mobile app lets you see through an infant’s eyes
David Hunter, MD, PhD, chief of Ophthalmology at Boston Children’s Hospital, gets a lot of questions from parents, but the number one question is: “What can my baby see?” That depends. How old is the baby? Five days after birth, she might see something like the image at left; at 3 months, the image at ... Read More