Michael Gonzalez is a pediatrician.
Parents often wonder when is the appropriate time to introduce solid foods to their infant’s diet. It seems like a simple question. So simple that the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) cannot agree on the answer. The AAP Committee on Breastfeeding recommends starting complementary foods (rice cereal and baby foods) after six months of age and the Committee on Nutrition recommends the introduction of complementary foods between four to six …
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At some point, the novelty of a new baby wears off.
Waking up at two in the morning loses some of its appeal. Parents often tell me that their baby does not sleep well. I tell them how they can get their child to sleep through the night in just three nights. I explain that learning to sleep is a training process, either …
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I woke up in the middle of the night last night and I could not fall back asleep. I had a moment of brilliance laying there in bed. I had discovered a new medical disorder, Wimpy Parent Syndrome (WPS).
For years I have been seeing it in clinical practice, but have been unable to put my finger on exactly what was taking place. Then the idea of WPS came to me and everything …
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You are a new parent. Your infant is gassy, fussy, spitty, and does not sleep much. In other words your infant is a normal baby. You are stressed, and like any good parent, you want to fix what “ails” your infant. As you stroll down the baby aisle at the grocery store, you see labels that tout words like gentle, comfort, and restful. Formula manufacturers are brilliant. They know their …
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Viral upper respiratory illnesses, or common colds, are by far the most frequent illness I see in my office.
It is called the common cold because it is, well, common. I typically can make the diagnosis with a high degree of certainty based on the pattern and the timing of the symptoms. Deciphering cold symptoms and knowing when to worry is what a pediatrician does more often than anything else, and …
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I was recently scanning an online forum about pediatric health concerns. (What can I say? I sometimes need inspiration.) One thread within the forum was significantly longer than any other. Parent after parent posted about how they had noticed a knot on their infant or toddler. This concern parallels what I see in practice. An unexplained knot on the head is a common reason parents bring their child to be …
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We all hate it when the cable company tells us that the technician will be at our house sometime between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Fantastic! Going to the pediatrician’s office can be the same way.
Your appointment may be at 9 a.m. but you may not get out of the office until noon. Unfortunately, this is the nature of running a medical practice. What should take ten minutes for one reason or another …
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Childhood is full of self-limited illnesses. Kids get sick and kids get better. The majority of childhood illnesses will get better on their own. Because of this, observation and “watchful waiting” is often the most useful diagnostic test at the pediatrician’s disposal.
Parents are often confused about the need for testing. Their experiences with adult medicine is typically full of lab tests and imaging studies. Unfortunately some parents equate the quantity …
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There are several things that parents will notice the first week of life. Most of these concerns are related to physical appearance.
Fortunately, these are all normal and anxiety is not warranted.
Flea-bite rash. Infants will often have a rash that looks like several flea bites at various places on the body. This is called Erythema Toxicum. The name sounds awful, but the rash is of no significance. It goes away in …
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