Category Archives: Teens

Gun safety

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), 44 million homes in the U.S. have at least one gun. In this season when your youngster may be visiting in homes of friends and relatives, or even spying for hidden stashes of gifts, it’s a good time to review gun safety.

If you own a gun, it needs to be unobtainable for a young person, not just out of sight. Children, even the very young, have an incredible knack for finding hidden things. A three-year-old, for example, found a gun hidden between his parents’ mattress and box springs. Guns should be unloaded and locked away in a cabinet for that purpose (preferably one that doesn’t have a glass or other see-through door). Ammunition should be kept in a separate, also locked, location.
Talk. Tell your children about the dangers of guns. Be clear about rules and firm about what privileges will be taken away if they break those rules.
Ask. If your child or teen is going to someone else’s home, ask whether or not that home has guns and, if so, how they are stored.
Don’t assume. Children are inquisitive; teens want to fit in. If they see a gun, no matter how well they know your rules, they are likely to want to touch it and play with it.
Also, don’t assume that your child would never choose to be violent toward herself or that he would never choose to harm others. Young people, no matter how good the parenting and how delightful the child, often make bad judgments, especially in the heat of a moment. In addition, mental illnesses such as depression can surface at nearly any age.
Some more statistics from the AAP: A gun kept in the home triples the risk of homicide. The risk of suicide is 5 times more likely if a gun is kept in the home.

For more information from the AAP, check out this link or this video.

Remember, safety is a huge part of staying healthy.

artwork by Corinne

Our own dietician on staff!

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Did you know that Georgetown Pediatrics has our very own dietician? Amy Crist has been with us for about 9 months and is available by appointment through our office.

Working part-time for us, Amy is a registered dietician (RD) with a master’s degree, has also worked at Georgetown Community hospital, and makes her home right here in Georgetown.

Amy loves working with infants, children, adolescents and their parents in developing healthy eating habits, including those who have dietary restrictions. She is a frequent speaker at local elementary schools to teach children about healthy eating and nutrition. She’s even led a support group on breast feeding. She is happy to have an appointment with you and your child or teen to discuss:

breast feeding,
dietary restrictions and planning as a result of disease or condition (diabetes, drug therapies, etc.),
concerns about weight or eating disorders,
helping the whole family develop healthy eating habits,
diet and sports,
picky eaters,
and anything else you want to talk over with a dietician.

Call our office and set up an appointment soon!

Amy Crist, our dietician

Keeping Healthy

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Cold and flu season is here. It arrives with colder weather as people spend more time indoors, in close quarters, where germs are more easily passed from one person to another.

Here are just a few reminders of how to help keep your family healthy.

Wash hands. Good old soap and water are still the best protection against contagious diseases that get passed through touching surfaces, shaking hands, etc. Get your family in the practice of washing their hands often. When soap and water are not handy, use hand sanitizer.
Get plenty of sleep. Being well-rested keeps your immune system stronger.
Don’t share. Okay, you teach your kids to share, but some things ought to be for just one person. Water and soda bottles, lip balm, musical instruments all fall into this category. If you have a youngster in child care, make sure the provider sanitizes toys and tables daily.
Cover. Cough or sneeze into a tissue. If there’s no tissue, use the crook of your elbow instead of your hand. Germs on the hand are more easily transferred to other people or surfaces.

Already have a cold? Continue to do all the above, and make sure you stay hydrated. Drinking plenty of fluids keeps mucous thin and your throat moist. Avoid caffeinated beverages.

It’s going to be a long winter, and your family will likely get colds at some point. Use the common sense advice above, and you may have fewer of them.

artwork by Kennedy

Television–friend or foe?

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Well, honestly, it can be both.

With all the appropriate attention given to the internet these days, and its inherent worries for parents, we seem to have forgotten the conversation about television.

How many TVs are in your home? Who has access to them when? What are your children watching? And what are your kids watching when you’re not watching the kids?

Content on television, even content aimed at youngsters, varies from brilliant to pitiful. Additionally, the volume of television or videos watched can make a difference in your child’s mental and social development.

Any parent these days occasionally pops in a video or turns on the television so you’ll have a few uninterrupted minutes to cook supper, take a shower, or just relax without hearing a thousand questions. There’s nothing wrong with that, to a point, because television has its good and bad aspects.

First, the good. Most American kids today have learned or practiced their numbers and letters with Sesame Street, and have absorbed important social skills from Mister Rogers. Or, they have simply been entertained by cartoons, music, and Animal Planet. There is a big world out there, and television is a good source for information and for reinforcing skills learned at home or school.

But, not all is perfect in front of the TV. Here are some concerns you should be aware of:

Social. Though social skills can be reinforced effectively on the screen, nothing takes the place of real interaction. Turn off the television and play a board game. Perch your child on a chair in the kitchen while you cook and encourage him to tell you about his day. Give the video screen in your vehicle a rest and play a car tag game or have a conversation about your road trip, whether it’s a couple of miles or a couple thousand.
Physical. Too much television means too little physical activity. That can lead to weight gain (especially when high calorie snacks are involved) and other health and wellness issues. Get your child involved in a sport, or just play catch in the backyard.

What to do, then? Here are some thoughts.

Limit viewing time. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends NO television for children under the age of 2, so that they can develop through interaction with adults and other children. They also recommend limiting television viewing for older children to 1-2 hours/day of “educational, nonviolent programs,” supervised by a responsible adult.
Supervise. You should know what your child is watching at all times.
Keep the television out of your children’s bedrooms. Not only will they watch things you don’t want them to watch, their sleep patterns may be interrupted and they may be tempted to “hibernate,” avoiding healthy social interaction with family and friends.
Talk about television programs. Older children and adolescents, especially, can benefit from conversations about their favorite (and your favorite) shows. This is a good way to share something that’s important to your teen, while being sure she knows your values.
Turn it off. Don’t keep the television on for “background noise.” And be sure to limit when you have on the news. Young children don’t need to see scenes of war, destruction, natural disasters. Such images lead to anxiety and sleeplessness.

Television can be a great tool for education and for fun. We just need to make sure it doesn’t take the place of more important things!

artwork by Emily N., winner of our Pumpkin Coloring Contest!

On-the-go eating

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Families today are scrunched with work, school, sports, activities, friends…and the list goes on. And while all of you want to make sure your child eats well, that can be hard when you’re running from place to place.

Here are a few QUICK! guidelines to help.

Stay aware. Know what your child is eating when.
Plan ahead. Think about the week’s activities when you’re shopping and save yourself extra trips to the grocery.
Eat together. Whenever you can, have a meal with your kids, even if it’s on the tailgate at the soccer field. Eating is a great time for catching up, and for bonding as a family.
Check it out. Is your child in a sport? Ask the coach if there are specific nutritional guidelines to avoid fatigue and help with energy levels.
Think “nutrition,” not just “fill them up.” Fast food isn’t evil, but a regular diet of it leads to obesity and doesn’t provide all they need. For about the same amount of money, or less, you can pack a healthier meal.
- Shelf-stable milk that doesn’t have to be refrigerated, string cheese, yogurt.
- Carrot sticks, broccoli florets, apples, grapes.
- Sandwiches on whole wheat bread.
- Do a little research. Not sure what your child needs, nutritionally speaking? Here’s the perfect web page from the American Academy of Pediatrics, giving that information for every age group.
- Let them help plan. Sit down with your child or teen one evening and plan some meals and snacks for the week. Use the internet to research healthy ideas. Make some things together, like an easy homemade granola.

It takes a little extra planning, but your family will be much healthier and happier with good nutrition under the belt!

Artwork by Kendall

Calcium for teens

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You might think that once your son or daughter hits older childhood and puberty, the need for calcium drops.

Actually, the opposite is true. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) increases to 1300 mg of calcium for children and teens aged 9-18. Essential bone growth and development are continuing in these years, and it’s important to lay a strong foundation with calcium. Calcium in the teen years can help stave off osteoporosis in later life. Unfortunately, many adolescents, especially girls, don’t receive enough calcium to meet the RDA.

Another important note: our bones stop absorbing calcium in our early 20s, so you are “banking” the calcium you take as a teen for later years. That doesn’t mean you no longer need calcium after your teenage years, but it does highlight the importance of getting the right amount of calcium while the bones are still absorbing it.

What are good sources of calcium? There are two: food and supplements.

Milk and milk products are the best food source, with skim milk providing all 1300 mg in 4 ½ eight ounce glasses per day. Not everyone likes milk, and some can’t drink it because of lactose intolerance.

The American Academy of Pediatrics lists these other food sources for calcium:

“Most foods in the milk group: milk and dishes made with milk, such as puddings and soups.
Cheeses: mozzarella, cheddar, Swiss, Parmesan, cottage cheese.
Yogurt.
Canned fish with soft bones, including sardines, anchovies, salmon.
Dark-green leafy vegetables, such as kale, mustard greens, turnip greens, bok-choy.
Tofu, if processed with calcium sulfate.
Tortillas made from lime-processed corn.
Calcium-fortified juice, bread, cereal.”

Supplements are a good option, but be sure that any calcium supplement also contains vitamin D which aids in calcium absorption. A daily multivitamin does NOT provide enough calcium to meet the RDA. Don’t take all the supplements at once. It’s best to take part of the supplement in the morning and part later in the day. Check with your pediatrician for additional recommendations.

As you teach your teens to build strong life skills, don’t forget to help them build strong bones as well.

artwork by Audrey

Teaching your children and teens financial responsibility

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Shhhh. Don’t tell your kids, but it’s almost time for school! Just starting school is costly, with all the supplies and book fees, sports, extracurricular activities, field trips, etc. The school year requires planning, budgeting, and financial decisions. Those are skills you’ve acquired over a lifetime.

But what about your child? Does she need to start learning those skills, too? Do you want him to grow up able to manage money and work? Where to start?

The good news is that it’s never too late to begin teaching the importance of financial responsibility.

Start with chores. These should be age-appropriate and reasonable. Even a toddler can help put toys away, and they love to “help” by pretending with their toy vacuum cleaner or child-sized leaf rake. Elementary aged children can set the table for meals and put their dirty dishes in the sink, make their beds and collect trash. Teens can contribute with yard work and house cleaning.
Build a sense of accomplishment. Lavish praise for a job well done. Post of checklist of chores in a prominent place, and check them off when done. Allow your child some choices: “Would you rather set the table or clear it after we eat?”
Tie chores to allowance. Make expectations clear up front. Keep the allowance reasonable as it relates to family finances.
Set some rules about handling money. Determine percentages for saving, giving to charity, and spending. Discuss the benefits of long-term saving.
When your teen nears driving age, talk together about the privilege (and cost) of using the family car, and decide well in advance what costs the teen will assume. Be clear about how one earns—and loses—the privilege of driving.
Teach your teens the value of work by encouraging them to get a job, but make sure that job doesn’t interfere with school.
Help your child open a bank account. When in elementary school children can start savings accounts, and when teens start a job they can open a checking account.

With your help, your children can grow up financially healthy, with good attitudes about spending and saving.

Artwork by Molly

HPV vaccine: the who, what, when, and why

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You’ve heard of HPV (Human Papillomavirus), but you may not be sure what it is or what (if anything) you should do about preventing it in your children and teens.

[Most of the information that follows is adapted from the websites of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (see here at CDC).]

THE WHAT: HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI), and there are more than 40 types of HPV. It’s unrelated to HIV, herpes, or any other STI. HPV can cause genital warts, cervical and other types of cancer.

There are two types of vaccine. Cervarix is for females only, and protects against cervical cancers. The other, Gardasil, is for both males and females, and protects against genital warts as well as cancers of the cervix, anus, and vulva. As of 2012, over 46 million doses had been distributed in the US (most of them Gardasil). The vaccine is considered to be very safe and highly effective.

THE WHO AND THE WHEN: Both males and females can contract HPV, from genital contact or from oral or genital sex. It’s recommended that preteens (ages 11-12) of both sexes receive the series of three doses so that they can develop an immune response before they become sexually active. Gardasil is considered effective in teenagers and young adults through the age of 26.

THE WHY: Since a person can contract HPV even if he/she only has one sex partner, and since someone can have HPV for years without symptoms and therefore not even know that she or he has the virus, parents should consider whether this vaccine is right for their preteen or teen. The very good news is this: studies indicate that the vaccine is highly effective: the HPV rate of transmission in adolescents is declining faster than expected.

Ask your pediatrician about this. That’s why we’re here.

artwork by Camille

Print this blog for your teenager to read

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Texting while driving (TWD)—are you ready for this statistic?—increases by 23 times the risk of an accident.

Even if you think you or your friends would never text behind the wheel, a new article in Contemporary Pediatrics indicates that nearly half of teens do so. Not only that, people who text behind the wheel are also more likely to drink and drive, ride with someone who’s been drinking, or not use a seat belt.

What to do about it?

Teens and parents should talk about this together. Starting the conversation before driving age is best, but it’s never too late.
Make a contract. Parents and teenagers can agree NOT to TWD, drive under the influence, or ride with someone who participates in dangerous behavior. Here is a sample of such a contract.
Eliminate the temptation. Put the phone in the back seat. If you’re expecting an important text and hear the notification, pull over at a parking lot to retrieve it.

One more issue: what do you say to a driver who’s texting? You can always give the excuse, “My parents will ground me forever if I’m riding with a texting driver. Do you mind waiting?” Or, “Hand me your phone and I’ll send a reply saying you’re driving and will get back to them soon.” If nothing works, don’t ride with that person in the future, or get your parents to come pick you up. They’d much rather be inconvenienced for an hour than leave you in a dangerous situation.

Bottom line: Don’t text and drive. It can wait.

Artwork by Wyn, age 13