Take Home Pediatrics

Let's see what's unfolding in the world of kids:

• April = Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month

• Eat together, laugh together 🥗🥘

• mRNA tackles COVID and now peanut allergies

• Asthma ➡️ Anxiety

April is Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month...let's educate, understand, respect and engage!

Lithium medications and it's safety in pregnancies have long been questioned but a recent study correlates higher level of lithium in the water during pregnancy with higher risk of autism... yet another environmental risk factor for autism. As we try to understand what is causing the increase incidence of autism, we also need to support and accept the resources needed for our children.  

Family dinners are disappearing. Bring those kids back to the dinner table and drown out the silence of electronics with laughter. Different generations have different reasons for wanting family dinner, but all are good values: spend more time with the family, spend more valuable time, learn to cook, pass down family recipes, learn to eat variety of foods, slow down the day of the overbooked family.  Whichever excuse you use, know those dinners will forever be remembered.

mRNA technology may provide a cure for peanut allergy. COVID vaccine research has set the new road for medical treatment. This method is used to train the cells to tolerate peanut protein.  Excited to see clinical trials start and to see the technology used for other allergies and even some autoimmune diseases!  

Asthma can increase the risk of anxiety! Thankfully the asthma medications were not shown to be linked to anxiety.  The stress of the illness, its impact on daily activity and complex management can definitely attribute to anxiety.  Could an inflammatory or immune process be linked to mental health... question for further studies. Last week, we discussed viral infections can increase asthma risk, and now asthma can increase anxiety risk... when will it end?

🚨RECALLS AND ALERTS🚨

• Kid's Board Games

• Kid's Toy

• Salad Kits

• Protein Bars

Dear Dr. Bhumi, my 5 year old is still a picky eater.  How can I get him to eat a variety of food.  Should I do something different for me 1 year old to avoid this happening again?

Dear Reader, you are not alone in the world of picker eaters. This is a question pediatricians tackle with parents on a daily basis. Good guidance from infancy will definitely help pave the way.  When introducing solid foods, stick with whole food options of fruits and veggies, avoiding the processed/packaged foods. Do not introduce sweet drinks and juices, only water with the solid foods. Once your child has started eating the solid foods, continue to offer variety of foods to get their palate acquainted with all flavors. As your child gets older, have them help you shop, pick recipes with their favorite ingredient in it, prep the food and even help cook. Have a cook off with each person in the family finding a recipe with a particular veggie for the week and make those recipes throughout the week. Have theme week- food from different countries or recipes with the same ingredients.  Now, if your child still does not eat the food that is cooked, do not give them something else that they like to eat. This leads to the child who will eat only chicken nuggets, mac and cheese and fries. Yes this will fill them up but there will be no nutritional value. Also remember, it takes 10-15 tries before some children will even try a certain food so keep serving that particular food/vegetable, even if it means the first few times, you just have your child touch it, then squeeze it and then next time, lick or taste it. Be patient, they will eat it. Decrease the processed snacks. It is so easy for children to go into the pantry and grab a bag of chips. Let's make it simple for them to grab the healthy foods- cut up cucumbers, wash the grapes, cut the apples and have them on the kitchen counter. You will be surprised how it will get eaten by those same kids! Offer them choices to help with any power struggle but keep them your healthy choices.  Lastly, do not make meal time a battle as the tension is felt by all including the kids and they will fight back.  Make trying new foods an adventure or a game. If they refuse, let them walk away and realize they are hungry later.

SLEEP DISTURBANCES💤😴

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