Month: September 2024

Bullying is a serious issue that affects children and adolescents every year. As parents, it’s important to be aware of the signs, know how to effectively address and prevent it, and help your child thrive emotionally and socially. The first thing to understand is what bullying is and what it’s not. Bullying happens when there’s an imbalance of power between the bully and the one being targeted. The bully will use harmful words or actions and dominating behaviors that can make their victim feel intimidated and unsafe. It is not the same as harmless teasing between friends or an argument between kids. Some children are more likely to become targets of bullying, such as those who are shy, perceived to be weaker or smaller, have disabilities or special health care needs, or have a marginalized identity including their racial and ethnic background or being part of the LGBTQ+ community. 

 

If left unaddressed, bullying can take a toll on a child’s health, development, self-esteem, academic performance, and school attendance. If you notice signs that your child is troubled, such as problems with sleeping, loss of appetite, sudden change in their school grades, skipping school, or feelings of depression and anxiety, talk to your child to see what the root of the issues are. If you suspect that your child is being bullied, ask them questions to better understand the situation. Once you learn more, you can help make your child feel safer. 

 

Encourage your child to not give in to their bully’s demands or give the bully a reaction. Bullies try to scare others and when they get that reaction, it can encourage them to continue. Advise your child to ignore the bully and let an adult know about the issue as soon as possible so that they can intervene appropriately. If the bully keeps harassing your child even after they ignore them, suggest to them to stand up to the bully by firmly telling them to stop the behavior or they will report them. When the bullying behavior is extreme or becomes worse, intervention from teachers, the school principal, or the bully’s parents, should be sought. Alert all parties so that they’re aware of the situation and can take the necessary actions, as well as keep a close eye on the problem. 

 

In many cases, bullying doesn’t take place in-person at school but online instead. This is known as cyberbullying, which has increased in recent decades from social media and smartphones. It usually involves harmful messages such as texts or comments on social media, sharing embarrassing or altered pictures of the victim, making up and spreading rumors and false stories, etc. Cyberbullying can be more difficult to deal with as the bully can easily be anonymous. If your child is affected by cyberbullying, document all behaviors, messages, and harmful images and report them so that they’re taken down as soon as possible and the user gets banned or removed from the platform where the cyberbullying is taking place. Tell your child to block the bully online and from their phone so that they do not continue receiving the messages.

 

Lastly, it is always helpful to teach your children how to build healthy relationships so that if bullying does occur, they have a support system that they can rely on. The more isolated a child is, the easier it is for a bully to target them. By developing strong friendships, your child will have people who can stand up for them and help them get through tough situations. Our pediatricians can also help. If you have concerns about bullying and your child’s mental health, please contact our office. 

If your child is a picky eater, getting them to eat well-balanced meals and healthy foods can feel like an everyday battle! It’s especially common for toddlers and young children to be picky eaters. Children can develop food preferences from an early age and trying new things can cause mealtime conflicts. However, there are many strategies that can help kids break out of picky eating patterns.

 

One tip that is always recommended is to eat together as a family as often as possible and with no distractions, such as using media devices or cell phones or watching television. When you eat together as a family, you have an opportunity to model healthy eating. Children are more likely to develop good eating habits when they see the rest of the family following them. At mealtime, it’s helpful to add at least one food your child likes. This will encourage them to eat their entire meal when they have something on their plate that they enjoy. We advise against offering food bribes, such as a treat or dessert if your child finishes their meal. While it is okay to let your child enjoy an occasional treat or dessert, making it part of a reward system for finishing their meal can turn eating healthy into an unpleasant chore rather than a normal routine. 

 

Making food fun can entice your kids to eat the foods you give them. Consider cutting foods into fun shapes or arranging them in creative ways so that they’re more exciting. Try adding flavors or mixing up the foods to make them tasty. For example, you might want to offer your child a fun dip to go along with their vegetables or add sauce, herbs, or spices to their meals. Sometimes changing the texture can help. For example, if your child doesn’t like eating raw carrots, you can try heating and mashing them. It might take some trial and error to see what flavors and textures your child prefers. The key is to be patient during the process and keep trying to add new foods as well as foods your child previously had an aversion to. It takes time for kids’ taste buds to evolve. 

 

When your child refuses to eat the food that you give them, avoid fighting them over it. Pressuring kids can make them more adamant about not eating or dislike the food even more. Substitute the food for something else that provides the same nutrients. For example, if your child hates radishes, try giving them Brussels sprouts instead. Another method that can be helpful is the food bridge method. This is using a food your child already likes as a bridge to introduce a new food. An example is if they like mashed potatoes, serve some with broccoli and cheese. Once they can accept that, you can then offer broccoli with cheese alone. 

 

Lastly, we recommend involving kids in the meal planning process. Let them have a say in some of the ingredients you use and the fruits and vegetables you pick out. Give them a menu of healthy options and make sure that the different food groups are included, i.e. grains, protein, complex carbohydrates, healthy fat, vegetables, etc. 

 

If you’re still struggling with picky eaters in your household and you’re concerned that your child is not getting enough nutrients, contact our office to speak to our pediatrician for the best course of action to take.