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At least 3,500 babies die every year from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and accidental suffocation or strangulation. Losing a baby to sudden death is extremely devastating for families and can cause feelings of guilt along with grief. The cause of a baby’s death isn’t always clear at first, but most sudden deaths occur while the baby is sleeping. SIDS is still being studied by experts, but there are multiple things parents can do to reduce the risk and protect their baby. 

 

One of the essential recommendations from pediatricians is to ensure that your baby sleeps safely and in a safe environment. This includes placing the baby on their back and on a firm and flat surface – there should be no soft and loose bedding or objects such as pillows, blankets, and stuffed toys. Use a fitted sheet only and keep everything else out of your child’s crib or bassinet. Infants should not sleep on their stomachs (or on their side where they can roll over onto their stomach) as research suggests that SIDS might be caused by defects in the part of the brain that controls breathing and waking up. If the baby is on their stomach, they can sleep too deeply and not wake up when they need oxygen. 

 

It is also recommended to not let your baby share a bed, including putting twins or multiples together. Babies should sleep in a crib or bassinet alone, but it is highly beneficial to share a room with your baby so that you can watch over them. Never let your baby sleep in car seats, strollers, infant carriers, or swings. You’ll also want to make sure that the temperature of your baby’s sleep environment is safe. If your baby gets too hot, they become at higher risk for death. 

 

Another important precaution to follow is to avoid any smoke exposure. It is advised for pregnant women to avoid smoking, even if it’s just one cigarette per day, as it can double the risk for sudden infant death syndrome. Smoking near the baby should be avoided at all times as secondhand smoke increases their chances of dying and it also jeopardizes their respiratory system. Vaping and e-cigarettes are not safe around infants. 

 

Breastfeeding is recommended for babies to strengthen their immune system, provide all of the nourishment they need, and ensure that they develop healthy and strong. It can also reduce the risk of SIDS by 50%! Breast milk causes babies to wake up more easily when they need to which protects them from dying. A pacifier can also help keep your baby safe from sudden death, but it’s best to wait until your baby can latch onto the breast during nursing and has started to gain weight. 

 

Tummy time can protect babies as it strengthens their neck muscles and helps prevent flat spots on the head. An adult should always be with a baby during tummy time and it should only be done while the baby is fully awake. As always, keeping up with your child’s well-check visits is extremely important for ensuring that your baby’s development and health are on track and for them to be up-to-date with their immunizations. Immunization is helpful in protecting babies from sudden infant death syndrome. To schedule your baby’s visit or if you have any questions about keeping your little one safe, please call our office. 

Most children between the ages of 2 and 4 are potty-trained, but some still wet the bed at night even after the age of 5. Bedwetting is not a serious condition, but it can be a challenge for many families. One of the common reasons for why bedwetting happens in older children is a communication issue between the brain and the bladder. When the bladder signals to the brain that it is filled with urine and the brain doesn’t send a response to the bladder to hold the urine until morning, bedwetting occurs. 

 

Sometimes there is a delay in the development of the bladder or kidney during nighttime that causes bedwetting. There may be less space in the bladder at night or the kidney might make more urine at night. Other common reasons for bedwetting are stress or trauma and medical problems that a child might have. Some children might be more at risk for bedwetting due to genetics, a deep sleep pattern or poor sleep quality (common during the adolescent years or puberty), obstructive sleep apnea or snoring, constipation, bladder or kidney disease, neurologic disease, diabetes, ADHD, or taking certain medications. 

 

For young children who are wetting the bed, you can continue potty-training them until they grow out of this. They may still have occasional bedwetting accidents after being trained, but these are usually of no concern. If it happens frequently, however, you may want to look into the issue more closely. One solution that could help is to set a bedwetting alarm during the night for your child to wake up to use the bathroom. There are also certain medicines that can help, but we recommend talking to the pediatrician before using any of them. 

 

Another important tip to follow is to limit your child’s intake of food and drinks with caffeine or sugar in the evening. Salty snacks in particular should be avoided close to bedtime. Going to the bathroom within 2 hours of bedtime and regularly throughout the day can help. If your child is attending a sleepover or an overnight camp, you may want to consider providing them with disposable underwear with boxer shorts. 

 

Bedwetting can affect your child’s emotional well-being and self-esteem, and cause them to feel too embarrassed to have sleepovers or struggle with staying focused in school. It is therefore important to stay positive and patient during the process. If one treatment isn’t working, do not give up. It often takes a combination of different methods and it can also take some time to resolve the problem. Never blame your child or punish them for bedwetting as it is not their fault. Make sure to remain sensitive to their feelings and remind them that they will outgrow this. It’s also important to not allow teasing from anyone in the family, including your other children. 

 

If bedwetting is an ongoing problem in your home, you can schedule an appointment with the pediatrician who will take a complete medical history and inquire about urinary symptoms your child might have. These include the urge to urinate frequently or pain during urination. Your pediatrician will also want to gather information about your child’s sleep pattern, how often they have bowel movement, and any potential stressful events in your child’s life. A urine test along with a complete physical exam is often performed. 

 

For help and guidance with bedwetting and finding the right solutions, please call our office. 

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.