What are those pearly white spots you sometimes see on your child’s tonsils? And how are they like parents? Click here to read Dr. Greene’s insights about a common condition people don’t hear much about.
What’s so important about breast milk? A lot more than you might think! It is important to emphasize that breast milk is a dynamic fluid that changes in composition throughout the day and throughout the course of lactation. It provides for the baby...
This oil is found in the leaves, roots, and twigs of poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac and is the reason for the horribly itchy rash that many of us have suffered through. Click here for more information on urushiol.
The tonsils usually appear like small, dimpled golf balls set on either side of the back of the throat. Children with large tonsils and deep crypts often get food particles trapped in there. Because saliva contains digestive enzymes, trapped food...
In children with benign growing pains, the muscles or tendons are still a little too tight for the growing long bones. During a pain episode, stretching the foot and toes upward will often resolve the muscle spasm.
When children are plagued by episodes of recurrent, brief leg pain, it is a good idea for them to be checked once by a physician. If the physical examination is normal, with no redness, tenderness, swelling, or limitation of movement, and if the...
Continuing after birth, the brain grows very rapidly during the first several years of life. This growth is made possible by corresponding growth of the cranial bones along the suture lines. Premature closing of the suture lines is called...
Recently, my youngest son was having a confusional arousal, and his mother observed that these events are most common at the same ages that children are becoming aware of the bladder feeling full during sleep. Perhaps some of these kids just need to...
True sleep terrors are a more intense form of partial arousal. They are considerably less common than confusional arousals, and are seldom described in popular parenting literature. True sleep terrors are primarily a phenomenon of adolescence. They...
Many parents worry about the timing of the appearance of their children's teeth. While the average time for the appearance of the first teeth is between five and seven months of age, there is a wide normal variation of timing. The teeth might come...
During the later part of pregnancy, each baby develops her own sleep/wakefulness rhythm. Whatever your baby's pattern before birth, it is likely that she will continue the same rhythm in the period shortly after birth. Click here for Dr. Greene’s...
Alcohol is now recognized as the most common major destructive environmental agent to which a fetus is likely to be exposed. It is directly responsible for 10-20% of mental deficiency with IQ's in the 50-80 range, and one in six cases of cerebral...
It's Monday morning. You've had a wonderful weekend playing with your kids and your dog, romping through the woods. Now, as you lie in bed, you hear whimpering coming from the next room. A few minutes later, your child comes in to join you in bed,...
Children who do not get the vaccine are likely to develop chickenpox. Although these children may be miserable for several days, and miss a week of school or day-care (stranding parents at home), they will likely recover from the 250-500 itchy...
Parents are often concerned about the sleeping habits of their adolescent children. In my office, I commonly hear "He sleeps past noon!" or "She's up all night!" (or both). Naturally, we want our children to be motivated and healthy. The ideal...
Many children strongly prefer one parent over every other person in the world for a brief period of time. Usually they prefer their mothers during the later part of their first year. Click here for Dr. Greene’s suggestions on how to manage your time...
Some children regress after a younger sibling is born. The most commonly affected areas are eating, toileting, crying, and sleeping. The best way to deal with this is to look at the world through your first child’s eyes. Click here for more...
There are a number of breast milk components that are extremely beneficial to babies’ development. Many of these cannot be found in formula. Click here to read a list of breast milk components and how they benefit a baby’s well-being.
Every mother goes through a period during which her child can’t bear to be separated from her. This is a phase and, although it can be exhausting, it will pass. Click here for a guide to managing this time with your child.
To find clues as to the best toys, turn off the TV, put away the passive-play toys, and watch your child. Many kids will begin to play spontaneously, using whatever is at hand; take note of what they choose to play with. Click here for more tips on toys for two-year-olds.
