Posts Categorized: Parenting tips
December 8, 2025
Keeping Kids in the Game: Preventing Rotator Cuff Injuries in Youth Sports
From baseball and tennis players to swimmers and gymnasts, many young athletes put heavy strain on their shoulders. Kids today are playing harder and training longer—especially in a city with year-round good weather—and are unfortunately increasing their risk for rotator cuff injuries. “Growing kids’ arm lengths are constantly changing and that means that the muscles…
Orthopedics & Scoliosis, Parenting tips, Sports Medicine
orthopedics, pediatric ortho, Pediatric Orthopedics, tips for parents
September 19, 2025
Opinion: Confused About Childhood Vaccinations? Here’s Who You Can Trust
By Pia Pannaraj, M.D., M.P.H PUBLISHED: September 19, 2025 at 6:10 AM PDT A new school year. An approaching winter respiratory season. And lots of parents are confused by contradictory messages from various health authorities around childhood vaccinations. They are not alone. Health departments, clinics, and pharmacies are all scrambling to adapt to erratically changing directives. It…
Parenting tips
COVID-19 vaccine, flu vaccine, vaccine schedule
September 27, 2023
Going Back to School with Food Allergies: What Parents Need to Know
The school year is in full swing, but we know that sending a child with food allergies back to school can be a bit stressful. We’re here to help you understand what you need to do to keep your child safe and happy at school. When Should Your Child Carry Epinephrine? Typically, when kids reach…
Parenting tips
allergy, allergy and immunology, epi pen, epinephrine, immunology, nutrition, parenting tips, tips for parents
August 16, 2023
Nurturing Nutritional Choices for Your School-Age Kids: A Guide for Parents
It’s fall and that means back to school for kiddos in preschool to high school and beyond! What they eat during this time can shape their lifelong eating habits and influence their overall well-being. Through our series of blog posts on nutrition and diet, let’s explore how you can support their nutritional journey and provide…
Parenting tips
childhood nutrition, healthy meals, nutrition, parenting tips, tips for parents
April 2, 2023
Spring Fever: How to Handle a High Temperature in Kids
It’s natural for parents to worry when the thermometer reads over 100 degrees. However, before you grab the ibuprofen or rush to urgent care, Jaime Friedman, MD, a pediatrician at Rady Children’s, wants you to keep some information in mind. “The most important thing parents should know about a fever is that, for the vast…
Parenting tips
fever, flu, flu care, flu prevention, flu shot, influenza, kids and flu, parenting tips, temperature, tips for parents
November 3, 2022
How To Care for the Seasonal Sniffles, Flu, Fever and More at Home
It’s that time of year again. Cold and flu season. And with kids returning to normal activities like school, daycare, activities and playdates, cases of all respiratory diseases are up this year. Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego, shares tips on differentiating the various illnesses, prevention tips, how to care for symptoms at home, and what you…
Parenting tips
coronavirus, covid-19, COVID-19 vaccine, fever, flu season, flu vaccine, pediatric vaccines, vaccines
August 2, 2022
COVID-19 vaccination is approved for kids. As a pediatrician, here’s why I recommend it.
By John Bradley, M.D. The Food and Drug Administration authorized children as young as 6 months old to get the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines last month. For many parents, the decision meant a long wait was finally over. COVID-19 has caused more than 2 million infections among children ages 6 months to 4 years old and…
Parenting tips
babies, coronavirus, COVID, covid-19, COVID-19 vaccine, infant health, kids vaccines, neonatology, parenting tips, tips for parents, vaccine questions, vaccines
December 23, 2020
Helping Children Find Meaning in a Pandemic: Questions for a Holiday Reflection
by Willough Jenkins, MD As the year turns over to 2021, it is a time for natural reflection, and I suspect many families will be having conversations about the COVID-19 pandemic. It is tempting when discussing the hardships of the pandemic to immediately jump to encouraging children to “look on the bright side” or remind…
Parenting tips
coronavirus, coronavirus activities, covid-19, family activities
August 3, 2020
At-Home Activities to Help Kids Cope with COVID-19 Isolation (While They Also Have Fun)
by Maggie Mayo, CCLS, and Carissa Menard, CCLS As we move forward and continue to embrace these difficult times thought the COVID-19 pandemic, keeping our minds occupied and our emotional well-being attended to can be challenging for all of us, including kiddos. As child life specialists, our job is to make the hospital experience less…
Parenting tips
certified child life specialist, child life, coping, coronavirus, coronavirus activities, covid-19, emotional wellness, mental health
June 19, 2020
Fun and Motivating Ways to Keep Kids Moving
by Danni Leonard, CCLS; Marie Osthimer, CCLS; and Joseph Remaley, LCSW While we’re all at home more than we’re used to, it’s more important than ever to keep your kids engaged and active. There are many benefits to exercise, including amplifying concentration, lowering stress and improving health. Below, we’ve outlined a few activities that are…
Parenting tips
certified child life specialist, child life, coronavirus, coronavirus activities, covid-19
May 26, 2020
Structuring Time Spent at Home for Children of All Ages
by Erin Carpenter, CCLS; Aislinn Mooney, CCLS; and Madeline Zinngrabe, CCLS It can be challenging to keep a schedule and routine at home during this uncertain time. You may see regressive or withdrawn behavior when your child is trying to adapt and manage their feelings and changes to their routine. Keeping your child’s environment structured…
Parenting tips
certified child life specialist, child development, child development at home, child life, coronavirus, coronavirus activities, covid-19, home activities, shelter in place
April 6, 2020
A Valuable New Tool for Patients on the Autism Spectrum
Imagine being a child checking into a hospital for a major surgery or standing by for an appointment in a physician’s busy waiting room. Pretty overwhelming, right? Now, imagine that environmental stimuli such as bright lights, loud sounds and bustling crowds cause you significant distress, or that you’re unable to speak to ask questions about…
Autism Discovery Institute, Parenting tips, Safety
autism, autism spectrum, autism spectrum disorder, autism support, Developmental Services, emergency medicine and autism, health care and autism
December 18, 2019
How to Show Support for Loved Ones in the Hospital During the Winter Illness Season
by Savannah Sambrano, marketing and communications intern and gift shop clerk As winter rolls around, the season of giving and gathering is upon us, and while receiving a shiny new gift can be exciting, one might not be as thrilled to become sick from those around them. Considering many of the children receiving care at…
Parenting tips
cold season, flu season, patient safety, safety policies, visitation policies, winter respiratory virus
October 24, 2019
Actions You Can Take to Help Support Your Baby’s Safe Sleep
Sudden infant death syndrome is the the number-one cause of death in babies between a month and a year old, according to the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. “In many, many instances, SIDS occurs because of internal causes that are impossible for anyone to control — for example, a…
Parenting tips
safe sleep, safe sleep for babies, SIDS, SIDS prevention, sleep
April 15, 2019
Straightforward Answers to Common Vaccine Questions
From a child’s first days, immunizations are a major — and complex — part of their health care. As such, questions including “Why does my child need all of these vaccines?” and “Are these safe?” to “Am I doing enough to protect my child?” and “Am I timing all of this right?” can cause worry,…
Parenting tips
immunizations, kids vaccines, mandatory vaccines, pediatric vaccines, vaccine questions, vaccine schedule, vaccines
December 4, 2018
Simple Tips for Raising a Compassionate Kid
As parents, you strive to instill good values in your kids — mind your manners, be a good sport, sharing is caring. Among the most prized of these warm and fuzzy human traits is having compassion for others, but it can be tough to gauge when children are ready to grasp and grow this emotionally…
Parenting tips
behavioral health, child development, childhood behavior, childhood social skills, compassion, kindness, peer pressure
November 30, 2018
What’s New in Flu? A Q&A with Dr. John Bradley
Ah, winter — a time for holiday cheer, sweater weather (well — for San Diego, at least sometimes) and … the flu. Most of us have experienced this nasty virus at least once, and last season’s strain made headlines for infecting even those who were vaccinated, and for its effects on children. To help parents…
Parenting tips
flu, flu care, flu prevention, flu season, flu shot, flu shot for kids, flu vaccine, kids and flu, kids vaccines
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