Dr. Geary Recommends: Summer Edition!
July 29, 2008 | Leave a Comment
I rarely shop- as a pediatrician and mother of three I tend to shop on-line, late at night. So I am always searching and researching for the very best products and then I stick with them- especially when it comes to my children. Since it is half way through the summer (oh no) I thought I would update my “It List”- nothing too trendy, just high quality, eco-responsible, and most importantly, healthy and safe items:
1. Barlean’s Organic Oils: Barlean’s has just come out with the “Omega swirl”, an omega-3 flax oil supplement which contains the highest quality omega-3 fatty acids but is also, miraculously, something your child will actually take! Strawberry-banana or Lemon-Zest flavors with a consistency like a smoothie and an impressive 750 mg of EPA/DHA per serving, the Omega Swirl will help your child get the recommended amount of omega-3 fatty acids, especially if your child doesn’t like fish. Check out: www.barleans.com
2. Sage Baby NYC: Two brilliant moms with business savvy who pick the best of organic. I bought their recommended air-purifier when my baby starting wheezing and it has made a huge difference. Check out: www.sagebabynyc.com
3. Florastor: I have recommended Florastor Kids, a probiotic, for many of my patients, and for good reason. They come in convenient powder packets that can be carried around and mixed in juice, applesauce, ice cream. Florastor restores normal bowel function, strengthens intestinal immunity, maintains intestinal health and prevents diarrhea. It contains “healthy” bacteria to promote a healthy digestive system, leading to better nutrient absorption and less stomach discomforts. Florastor can be taken daily or when your child has stomach discomfort. Check out: www.florastor.com
4. a b sea baby: My youngest daughter loves their beautiful blue yoga-pants-style pants, and I would recommend this brand for any mother interested in their baby’s comfort and an easy wash. The baby-soft blend of 70% natural silk, 30% organic cotton that is 100% washable and very chic! It is naturally wrinkle-resistant, hypoallergenic, and all weather. These adorable baby clothes are all natural and organic. Check out: www.abseababy.com
5. Adiri Natural Nurser: These chic bottles have no polycarbonates, BPA, latex or phthalates, and the breast-like nipple makes for an easy transition from breast to bottle feeding. Winner of the Medical Design Excellence Award for 2008, these bottles are green, practical and adorable. Check out: www.Adiri.com
I hope you try some of these great products—your child will thank you.
Finding Myself
July 29, 2008 | Leave a Comment
The other evening I got very frustrated with my husband because of his travel schedule for work. I said to him, “I feel like I have no life and the entire family’s schedule revolves around yours.” After I said this to him, I realized I was the only one that had the major issue with his absence. What was really bothering me was a lack of control.
I look at all of these well-toned, volunteering, career achieving mums and I think, are the pressures of raising a family today just too much at times? We worry about if our kids our taking their vitamins at camp, doing the right activities. I know mums also worry in their own heads at times, what about ME? If they are working, what is the next career step? If they have taken time off from their careers, when do they go back and how do they fit back into the working world? Some mums have decided they are done with the “corporate world”, but this poses a decision as well. When their child begin to go to school full-time, what do we do with the free hours and still feel productive?
I think raising a family is always in transition, I just wonder if we can have a bit more tranquility in our own minds while we are running to get the next birthday gift or trying to catch a cab for an 8:00 a.m. breakfast meeting; maybe if we can stay in the moment and applaud ourselves for doing a good job we would be a bit more at peace for our families. I know that lately I need to adhere to this advice as well.
This Week’s Must-Haves
July 29, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Here are my must haves and must do’s for the week:
Looking to spruce up some bedrooms this summer…
Check out: Sweet Charity- at this shop you will find Indian-inspired crib quilts and amazing bright colored rugs. A portion of the store’s proceeds goes to the Best Friends Animal Society and Farm Sanctuary. 411 Seventh Ave between 13th and 14th Street. Park Slope Brooklyn (718-965-9200, sweetcharitynyc.com)
CB2 At Crate and Barrels’s lower-priced store you can find frames made out of recycled soda cans, pagodastyle wood stools($100.00) are the perfect height for tots, but the best buy is the Sleepy Hollow bed($300.00-$700.00) a platform bunk. 451 Broadway between Canal and Grand Streets (212-219-1454, cb2.com)
In August Deana’s Dish will be bringing you my favorite home décor styling along with fashion advice from Marni and Prada to vintage and the must have t-shirts.
Fish Oils
July 29, 2008 | Leave a Comment
By Ms. Annabelle Moore with Dr. Geary
There has been a lot of attention lately on the health benefits of fish oils, but as a parent, you know that getting your child to take fish oil is a potential challenge. So is the struggle worth it?
As it turns out, the answer is yes: fish oils are really worth adding to the diet. Why? They contain Omega-3 fatty acids that improve your child’s eyesight, potentially their cognitive and learning skills and help prevent asthma and later heart disease.
We recommend that you and your child eat 2 servings of foods high in omega-3 fatty acids a week to get the full benefits. Pregnant women who eat the proper amounts of these fatty acids have been shown to have babies with longer attention spans, and to suffer less from postpartum depression.
The new formulations of baby formula all contain Fish oils in varying amounts, and there are supplements readily available for you and your young child.
The fish that contain higher quality and quantities of the omega-3 fatty acids are:
- Salmon
- Herring
- Mackerel
- Sardines
- Anchovies
It is often hard to include that much fish in your young child’s diet. Given that these fish oils are particularly important in the first three years of life, it is important to consider other sources.
If your child doesn’t like fish there are other foods, such as flaxseed and tofu, which contain omega-3 fatty acids. We have had great success with Barlean’s Omega Swirl, a fruit flavored drink not unlike a smoothie candy with flavors they will enjoy.
Why Opt for Brown Rice?
July 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment
There’s a bigger difference between brown and white rice than color and taste. All rice begins in nature as brown rice. In order to get white rice, the brown rice is processed and stripped of its husk-like coating, losing almost all of its nutritional value! Brown rice is unprocessed and therefore contains most if its natural nutritional value. It is a great source of manganese, fiber, selenium, and magnesium, (check my recent post on the value of magnesium.) Brown rice is also an antioxidant, may help women lose weight, and lowers cholesterol.
Basically, brown rice is a much healthier and more nutritious alternative to white rice, and can easily be replaced in most recipes. I am always encouraging my patients and their families to makes simple practical changes to their diets that won’t demand extra work, extra money or extra planning. Substituting brown rice for white rice in your diet will add fiber, decrease preservatives, increase nutrients and is a simple way to increase your family’s health.
Pool Safety
July 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Drowning is the second leading cause of accidental deaths, after motor vehicle accidents, in children under fourteen, and your swimming pool must be treated as a potential danger. Please take your pool seriously!
Here are some pool safety tips to ensure the safety of your child:
- - Obviously, NEVER leave your child unattended near a pool.
- - Think about taking a CPR class. They’re offered by most local hospitals for free.
- - Keep a cell phone or cordless phone near the pool in case of an emergency.
- - Make sure the supervising adult can swim.
- - Make sure the area around the pool is a nonslip surface.
- - Bring all the pool toys into the house once your child is done playing in the pool—he or she should not be tempted to try and reach in.
- - Just because your child has learned how to swim does not mean she is safe. Although she may be more comfortable in the water, you should not rely on new swimmers to swim to safety.
- - Make sure the pool chemicals are kept out of your child’s reach.
Most counties require that people construct a fence around the pool. 76% of drowning accidents happen NOT when kids are swimming, but when they are playing or walking around the pool. The fence should be at least four feet high and surround the entire pool, and make sure the latch to enter is too high for your child to reach.
These rules apply for all pools, no matter how shallow the water is. Parents should be as vigilant in respect to pool safety as they are with automobile safety. If your child is particularly interested in exploring the pool on her own, you may want to look into getting a Child Immersion Alarm from safetyturtle.com.
The Real Worries about Overweight Children
July 17, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Childhood obesity affects up to 25% of American children and teens and children who are obese are at least 70% more likely to be obese as adults. Childhood obesity can cause problems with high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome, and an increased risk of diabetes, not to mention low self-esteem.
The solution may seem simple: eat healthy food and add more physical activity to your child’s daily routine. However, it can be extremely tough to manage. Childhood obesity is most effectively treated and prevented when the entire family adopts healthier habits. By encouraging the whole family to get healthier, you are supporting your child instead of singling him or her out. Consider these helpful hints:
CREATE A HEALTHY AND ACTIVE ENVIRONMENT:
- Healthy Choices: Stock the fridge with a lot of healthy food and snacks, such as whole-grain choices, fresh produce and milk. Get rid of the junk food and soda.
- Behavioral changes help: Serving water or milk at dinner instead of soda, sitting at a table instead of around the T.V., eating dinner at a regular time—these changes are small but can break old habits and make a real difference. Make small decisions to increase the activity in your day.
- Beware of the TV: studies have shown that TV time directly correlates with snacking. Instead, encourage your child to be active, or work on a project that engages his or her hands so they are less likely to snack.
- Slow down the consumption. Encourage your child to eat slowly and engage them in discussion during mealtime. Serve them smaller portions, and if they are old enough, don’t cut their food for them.
- Food as nutrition, not reward: Don’t make food a source of reward or punishment. Allow your child to stop eating when they are no longer hungry and never force them to finish their plate.
- Engage them in physical activity outside of the home. Enroll your child in a physical activity they might enjoy, such as gymnastics, dance or martial arts. Encourage him to join a school team or play basketball with his friends.
- Be a good role model: Create a healthy lifestyle, not just a goal for your child’s weight. There are old habits to break and good habits to establish- acting as a role model for your child is the most effective way to help him or her make changes that last.
car seat safety
July 10, 2008 | Leave a Comment
I usually do not write about life or death issues, but this story that I am about to tell will hopefully make every parent and caregiver extraordinarily diligent about car seat installation .
Last Saturday, I received an e-mail from my friend; the subject was her daughters name (for sake of privacy we will call her “baby C”). It started off saying she was sorry to write this in an e-mail, but she needed to reach everyone as quickly as possible. She and her daughter had been in a “serious” car accident on the LIE. She is fine, but Baby C is not. She has been intubated, because of major head injuries. She was asking all of us for our prayers. I could not even finish reading the rest of her e-mail; I just handed my husband my blackberry and went into the bathroom shaking. I was in complete shock- they were both just at our house three days ago for a play-date.
I e-mailed my friend immediately, not asking any questions about “what happened”, but telling her we are praying for baby C and we were here if they needed anything. I really prayed. I am sort of a lapsed Catholic, but honestly I prayed and cried the entire weekend. I also hovered over both of my girls, especially my two year old. For a week now my friend and I have been in constant contact entitling our e-mails something like this: “Monday 4:45 p.m. Up-date on C”. The last update we got was that C’s feeding tube was being removed and she was singing her favorite songs.
My friend and I believe that honestly by a MIRACLE (and I mean a sheer MIRACLE,) her baby is alive and is going to be okay after a long stint of in-patient rehab.
I am begging all of my friends, readers that EVERYONE look on-line (go to the www.aap.org) with regards to your particular car seat and make sure you not only install your infant, toddler, or school aged kids car seat properly in the back seat, but make sure it is “tethered” securely to the back of the seat as well. While my friend’s baby’s Britax Car Seat was installed properly (honestly, this car seat ended up saving her life,) the tethered option was not used. If it had been ,Baby C ’s head injuries may not have been so severe.
My List of my must have’s must do’s for the week:
go onto www.aap.org to learn about total proper installation of your child(s) car seats
Hug and kiss your children and realize how lucky and blessed most of us are.
AAP NY Times
July 10, 2008 | Leave a Comment
A recent New York Times article, called “8-Year-Olds on Statins? A New Plan Quickly Bites Back”, has many parents up in arms, and rightly so. The article claims that the American Academy of Pediatrics is recommending the use of statins, cholesterol-lowering drugs, to prevent heart disease in. The report was misleading, as it implied that this was a fully endorsed plan by the AAP. Instead, the policy statement by the AAP was carefully considered and clearly recommended a case-by-case evaluation in the context of the family’s medical history. On the other hand, this article by the AAP and the following media coverage does signals an increasing recognition of childhood obesity. While they are not recommending parents add lovastatins to their children’s low-fat milk, it is worth looking at the following recommendations:
1. “For children between 12 months and 2 years of age for whom overweight or obesity is a concern […] the use of reduced-fat milk [may] be appropriate.”
2. The AAP recommends a change in diet with nutritional counseling and increased physical activity for children at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease.
3. Screen children with a family history of cardiovascular disease, if their history is unknown or if they have other risk factors such as obesity, hypertension or smoking.
4.”For these children, the first screening should take place after 2 years of age but no later than 10 years of age. Screening before 2 years of age is not recommended. ”
5. Weight management is the primary treatment for overweight or obese patients. This includes increased physical activity and an improved diet.
6. Medications, such as statins, should be considered for patients eight or older with a family history of cardiovascular disease to lower their levels of LVL cholesterol, especially if there are other risk factors such as obesity or diabetes.
Clearly the new attention to America’s increasing epidemic of childhood obesity is worthy of media coverage and parental concern, however children are not simply small adults and, by extension, their care needs to be uniquely considered.
Bed-Wetting
July 3, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Although we all know that everyone learns to stop bed-wetting, it can be stressful teaching your child how to stay dry through the night. If your child still bed-wets, then either your child is a deep, deep sleeper or he still feels the need to urinate at night. So what to do??
Photo by Asif Ahmed
Since bedwetting can damage a child’s self-image and confidence, it is crucial that you avoid being judgmental and remain supportive. You should reassure your child that bedwetting is a relatively common problem (5 to 7 million children in the United States are affected by it,) and that you know they will succeed in learning how to stay dry.
Here are some tips to consider.
BEFORE GOING TO SLEEP: Do not give your child anything to drink in the 2 hours before bedtime. Also, have your child go to the bathroom before getting into bed.
REASSURANCE AND PATIENCE: Reassure and encourage your child often. Do not make an issue out of the bedwetting each time it happens.
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