PARENTING
Mission Possible: COVID-19 Unwrapped for Kids
Our Child Life team at UMass Memorial Children’s Medical Center offers some thoughts to help you talk to kids about COVID-19. There are other resources for children available on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Be aware of your emotions. This is an …
Keep Calm and Quarantine On
Is social distancing making you wonder what to do for the next few weeks? If you have small kids, spending weeks at home, not seeing friends, and avoiding public places could make the time seem to drag on. Our Child Life team at UMass Memorial Medical …
20 Seconds Is What it Takes
A single gram of human feces ”which is about the weight of a paper clip” can contain one trillion germs. Estimated global rates of handwashing after using the toilet are only 19 percent. If that doesn’t make you become a hand-washer, then keep reading! People …
5 of the Most Common and 4 Surprising Causes of Birth Defects
A birth defect, also called a congenital anomaly, is a problem that occurs when a baby is developing in the womb. An estimated one out of every 33 babies in the U.S. is born with a birth defect, of varying severity, according to the Centers …
If You Don’t Have a Family Meal Each Day…
If you don't have a family meal each day, it's time to get out the plates. Table time yields benefits that go far beyond food. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University says that the more often children eat dinner …
Folic Acid and Your Unborn Baby
Planning to become pregnant? If you answered yes, then it’s time to talk about folic acid and the many positive effects it can have on you and your unborn child. If you’re considering having a baby, now, is the perfect time to share what we …
Buying Guidelines for Safe and Fun Toys
Who’d have thought a cute plush puppy could cause choking? Or that dinosaur claw gloves could poke an eye? You know the little boy in your life would love the toy sword but think twice. It could cause a blunt force injury when he swings …
Prediction: Obesity Will Surpass Smoking As Most Preventable Cause of Cancer
It’s no secret that being overweight or obese can affect your overall health. When you’re overweight, you increase your chances of stroke, diabetes, heart disease and depression, but did you know being overweight increases your risk for cancer? In 2014, obesity increased the risk of …
Grocery Shop the Smart and Healthy Way
Good nutrition starts with smart choices in the grocery store. If you don’t have the proper healthy ingredients in your home, preparing healthy meals can be difficult and challenging. Here are some useful tips to make sure you shop the smart and healthy way. Plan …
Is it More than Just a Fever and a Rash?
Guest Blogger: Michael Fahey, MD, Chief, Pediatric Cardiology, UMass Memorial Children’s Medical Center Has your child had a fever that has lasted more than five days? As parents, it’s easy for us to jump from fever to flu to pneumonia and beyond. What happens when …
If You Don’t Have a Family Meal Each Day…
If you don't have a family meal each day, it's time to get out the plates. Table time yields benefits that go far beyond food. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University says that the more often children eat dinner …
Buying Guidelines for Safe and Fun Toys
Who’d have thought a cute plush puppy could cause choking? Or that dinosaur claw gloves could poke an eye? You know the little boy in your life would love the toy sword but think twice. It could cause a blunt force injury when he swings …
The Pain Brought on by Opioids
Massachusetts is facing a growing epidemic of opioid addiction and overdose deaths. Recent statistics from the Worcester DPH show opioid-related death rate increased from 59.6 per 100,000 in 2021 to 81.3 per 100,000 residents in 2022. With proper prevention, treatment and recovery support, this epidemic …
Toddler and Tablets
We’re living in a technological age; it’s all around us. So it only makes sense that children, toddlers and even infants are exposed to iPads, smartphones and tablets at a high rate. Tablet use in young children and toddlers has experts split on how much …
