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Welcome
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Happy May! With summer camp right around the corner, we remind you to please try to give us 48 hours to complete camp forms. Additionally, if you can please complete any parent section prior to bringing it to our attention, that would be appreciated. Lastly, please remember to book any Pop Warner or sports participation physical soon so as to avoid the last second crunch. |
| Spring is Here (so Get Outside!)
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Spring is an excellent time for parents and children to re-dedicate themselves to living an active lifestyle. We recommend at least an hour each day being outside. Many types of outside play - running, hopping, skipping, bike riding, hiking, walking - are great ways to get in shape, build strong muscle and bones, and stay healthy.
Many of our patients are involved in team sports (such as soccer, lacrosse, and baseball) in the spring and summer. These are also great ways to exercise, have fun, learn new skills, and stay in shape. There is a saying, "if you fail to plan, you plan to fail". Make sure your "plan" each week includes plenty of outside play and exercise in addition to healthy food choices everyday.
Enjoy the outdoors. |
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New Hospital Rounding and Admission Policy
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We would like to announce that, effective June 1st, our physicians will no longer round at Norwood Hospital. All babies in the newborn nursery and all admitted inpatients will be managed by a Pediatric Hospitalist associated with Children's Hospital.
We are making this change in keeping with the pediatric trend of utilizing Hospitalists for inpatient management (as studies have shown they provide higher quality of care and are more oriented towards inpatient issues). In addition, by cutting down on our rounding responsibilities, we will be able to increase our availability for behavioral consults and chronic disease management.
This decision comes after much deliberation and is being made to improve the quality (and continuity) of care delivered to our patients. We will maintain close ties with Norwood Hospital, and continue to utilize it as a primary hospital for referral. We will continue to round daily at Newton-Wellesley Hospital (as they do not have 24-hour inpatient Hospitalist coverage).
More information is available in the office and will follow in a separate newsletter.
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| Nurse Manager Retires: A Farewell to Anne
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We are sad to announce that Anne Christian has retired from Westwood-Mansfield Pediatrics. Anne has been working in the Westwood office for the past 13 years, 7 of those as Nurse Manager. She has helped oversee the expansion of Westwood Pediatrics and has been instrumental in training and developing our excellent nursing staff. We are sorry to see her go, and wish her the best of luck in the next stage of her life!
Chris Towne will serve as the new Nurse Manager. |
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Book Recommendation: How Doctors Think
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How Doctors Think, by Jerome Groopman, M.D., is a well-written summary of the strengths and faults of medical decision making. Written by the Head of Experimental Medicine at Beth Israel-Deaconess Hospital, How Doctors Think offers insight into the diagnostic process. This book empowers parents (and older adolescents) to establish a focused dialogue with their physicians. Only by doing this can we work together to improve patient safety, outcomes, and satisfaction. |
| 0-1 Year Olds: Probiotics and Eczema
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In last month's e-newsletter, we wrote about the potential benefits of probiotics ("healthy bacteria") in the management of colic. Today, we would like to detail another apparent benefit: preventing eczema.
Researchers analyzed almost 200 families with a history of eczema. Patients were randomly assigned to receive probiotics (in this case, Lactobacillus reuteri ATCC 55730) or placebo. This was administered to pregnant women starting at 36 weeks gestation, and then, once the baby was born, to the infant daily until 12 months of age.
At a follow-up appointment at 2 years of age, 8% of the children in the probiotic group had findings consistent with eczema (compared to 20% of the group receiving placebo). The probiotic group also had a lower incidence of having a positive allergy test (18% versus 29%).
If your family history is significant for eczema, allergies, or asthma, consider giving your baby daily probiotics. Exclusive breastfeeding (or supplementation with hypoallergenic formula such as Alimentum or Nutramigen) for 6 months may also help prevent these conditions. |
| 1-4 Year Olds: Reading is Fundamental
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The toddler and preschool years are important times for learning to love books. The following are suggestions for helping choose books to read with this age range.
- Toddlers are learning to cope with feelings. Look for books with characters handling typical emotions and experiences.
- Toddlers feel competent when they can participate. Read books with rhymes and predictable words they can remember.
- Toddlers can pay attention -- for a while -- if they are interested. Read picture storybooks with brief, simple plots and only a few words per page.
- Toddlers are curious. Read books about special interests and books about new people, places, and events.
- Toddlers are increasing their vocabularies and listening skills. Read books a few levels above their current vocabulary that introduce new words and ideas. Also look for books with lots of pictures of things to name.
- Toddlers are beginning to make sense of concepts such as size, color, shape, and time. Read simple picture-concept books that reinforce their learning.
- Toddlers are learning self-help skills. Read books about daily routines such as using the toilet, washing hands, and taking a bath.
- Toddlers are doers. Read books with flaps to lift and textures to feel.
- Read the same books again and again, if asked. A toddler will let you know when he or she has had enough of a book.
Prepare for the summer vacation. . .find more great suggestions, activities and book lists for kids of all ages at www.rif.org |
5-8 Year Olds: Heelys
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As you probably know, Heelys are very popular shoes for the pre-adolescent crowd. Because they are commonly worn in public or in the home, most kids do not wear any protective gear (helmets, wrist guards, etc. . .). Heely accidents have accounted for numerous injuries and at least one death. These numbers are going to increase as Heelys become more popular and commonly worn.
We would like to remind you that when wearing Heelys, as with any "wheeled sport" (roller blades, skateboards, scooters), wearing a helmet is extremely important. Additionally, the Heelys website offers the following safety recommendations:
1) always stagger feet with the strong (dominant) foot in front (putting the feet side by side can cause loss of balance).
2) when walking with the wheels in, do not lean back on the heels. Be sure to walk with your toes touching the ground first.
3) be extra cautious when heeling on an uneven surface. Debris and crevices can cause sudden stops and uncontrolled movements.
4) never "heel" faster than you can walk. If you feel you are losing balance, step out of heeling by putting your toes down and leaning forwards.
Have fun, but stay safe! |
9-15 Year Olds: Pitching Safety (Part 2)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Overuse injuries are becoming increasingly common in young athletes. Pitchers are at particular risk for this type of injury given the excessive stress that is repeatedly placed in the elbow and shoulder. In last month's newsletter, we detailed the importance of waiting until age 14 to throw breaking balls. Today, we would like to expound on pitch counts.
Pitching is not a natural motion, and the amount of stress placed on a pitcher's body is significant. Over time, this stress ultimately leads to injury. In fact, the vast majority of major league baseball pitchers have had surgery on their arms at least once. In an article in the New York Times, the pitching coach for the Mets (Rick Peterson) admitted that he would not allow his three sons to pitch until they were 13 years old. Most major league pitchers did not pitch until the high school level (because those who pitched at a younger age tended to burn out).
While no consensus exists as too how many pitches are too many, there is significant data supporting the notion that the risk of injury increases with the number of pitches thrown. Pitch counts have emerged as important protectors of young arms.
The chart below lists the recommended pitch counts at different ages according to the Children's Hospital Sports Medicine Department. The numbers in parentheses are less restrictive and represent the limits placed by Little League.
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Age (in years) |
Maximum Pitches Per Game |
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8-10 |
50 (75) |
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11-12 |
65 (85) |
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13-14 |
75 (95) |
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15-16 |
90 (95) |
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≥17 |
105 (n/a) |
It is recommended that no athelete pitch in more than 2 games each week, and that players should ever pitch when in pain. It is important to remember that pitching takes place in arenas outside of games - whiffle ball, wall ball - as well as throwing in the back yard.
While pitching is fun, ensuring long-term health is paramount. |
16-21 Years: Driving at Your Own Risk
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The sun is shining, windows are open, music blaring, friends laughing and talking on cell phones. . .Teens are having fun in the car this time of year, but unfortunately, they are risky drivers. Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death in teenagers, and much of this is related to the inexperience of teen drivers, and the fact that the adolescent brain is still developing. Teen brains are not as capable of managing multiple tasks as adult brains; thus, their driving environment should be limited from distractions as much as possible.
It is important to discuss the rules around car use, car maintenance and passenger safety before your child starts driving. Seatbelts are an absolute must, and failure to wear one should result in serious consequences. New drivers should earn their driving freedom over time. Initially, we suggest not allowing them to drive with other teenagers and having limited use of when and where they can drive the car. Other distractions to consider limiting in some way are music, cell phones, DVD players, GPS systems, food/coffee consumption, and driving while having intense emotions.
Discussing the danger of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is critical. Studies show that, after consuming even small amounts of alcohol, teenagers are less capable of handling complex tasks than adults. We recommend waiting until teens are more experienced and incident-free prior to getting them their own car. Teens who feel more responsible for the car are less likely to take driving risks. Therefore, we suggest having the adolescent contribute to car insurance and gasoline expenses, and assisting with ongoing car maintenance and cleaning.
Recommended Web Sites:
1) The National Safety Council has a Guide for Families that may help you set guidelines for your new teen driver.
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| Reaching Beyond Ourselves
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In recognition of Mother's Day, Westwood-Mansfield Pediatrics has made a donation to a United States UNICEF campaign which provides vaccines to children in developing countries. We hope you had a happy Mother's Day and a safe spring. | |
