I am moving into a new home with a swimming pool soon. I am worried about my two year-old daughter's safety around the pool. Is it too early to begin swimming lessons?
With summer approaching, people go outside in the sun and enjoy all types of activities, including swimming. Safety around water is very important. Between 2005 and 2009, there were 3,553 fatal unintentional drownings annually. That is ten events every day of the year. More than 50% of drowning victims required hospitalization or transfer for further specialized care. When you compare this with the 6% of other unintentional injuries,
Swimming Pool Safety and Children
by Tom Seman MD FAAP April 24th, 2013 | Pediatrician on Call Read More
Youth Sports Concerns
by Tom Seman MD FAAP March 27th, 2013 | Pediatrician on Call
My husband insists that our 13 year-old daughter practice pitching for softball year round. Â I am concerned. Should I be?
Part of any healthy lifestyle is staying active throughout the week and the year. Children often take this to the far limits due to their passion for the sport, their desire to be the best, and a bit of obsessive behavior related to their development to want to master their bodies. What children and often their parents do not understand, is that even the best players in the world give their bodies rest to recover and practice other activities so
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Part of any healthy lifestyle is staying active throughout the week and the year. Children often take this to the far limits due to their passion for the sport, their desire to be the best, and a bit of obsessive behavior related to their development to want to master their bodies. What children and often their parents do not understand, is that even the best players in the world give their bodies rest to recover and practice other activities so
Young Children and Nutrition
by Tom Seman MD FAAP February 27th, 2013 | Pediatrician on Call
My two year-old son will only eat fruit and bread, but not vegetables. Should I worry about him getting the right nutrition?
It is very important for everyone to have well balanced daily nutrition to remain healthy. This should include mostly whole grains and a variety of fruits and vegetables, as well as lean proteins, good oils/fats, with limited amounts of solid fats such as butter and margarine, and only scant amounts of refined sugars and candies. Children are no exception. There are many important nutritional items in fruit, but not everything found in vegetables can be found in fruits,
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It is very important for everyone to have well balanced daily nutrition to remain healthy. This should include mostly whole grains and a variety of fruits and vegetables, as well as lean proteins, good oils/fats, with limited amounts of solid fats such as butter and margarine, and only scant amounts of refined sugars and candies. Children are no exception. There are many important nutritional items in fruit, but not everything found in vegetables can be found in fruits,
Children and Heart Murmurs
by Tom Seman MD FAAP January 31st, 2013 | Pediatrician on Call
My child's doctor mentioned the word murmur at our last visit. Â What is that?
Over the millennia the heart has been revered and imagined as the center and master of the body and soul. In ancient Egypt, it was preserved with the mummy while the brain was removed and thrown away. Â All of the great writers, from the ancient Greeks through Shakespeare to those of the twenty first century, center on the heart. Â It is so strong, yet it breaks so easily. Â The sound of it beating reminds us we are alive.
When a physician evaluates a child, one of the
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Over the millennia the heart has been revered and imagined as the center and master of the body and soul. In ancient Egypt, it was preserved with the mummy while the brain was removed and thrown away. Â All of the great writers, from the ancient Greeks through Shakespeare to those of the twenty first century, center on the heart. Â It is so strong, yet it breaks so easily. Â The sound of it beating reminds us we are alive.
When a physician evaluates a child, one of the
Prenatal Testing
by Tom Seman MD FAAP January 3rd, 2013 | Pediatrician on Call
I am pregnant with my first child, and I am over 30 years old. My doctor
 keeps recommending that I get my blood tested and have an ultrasound to
 make sure that the baby is ok. No matter what, I do not want to terminate
 the pregnancy. Is it really important to do all of these tests?
Congratulations! People have often wondered if there is a reason to do all
 of the tests, especially when they know that they will have the baby no
 matter what. After all, just a generation ago, there were not as many tests 
to tell what
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Congratulations! People have often wondered if there is a reason to do all
 of the tests, especially when they know that they will have the baby no
 matter what. After all, just a generation ago, there were not as many tests 
to tell what