Parenting Blog

Finding the right pediatrician can be daunting, especially if you are a first time parent. Your search for a pediatrician should begin toward the end of your pregnancy. Don’t be afraid to ask any question, even if you think that it won’t be important. It’s crucial that you choose a doctor you are comfortable with. In addition to their qualifications and experience, you should take into account their personality and how considerate and open-minded they are toward your concerns and beliefs.

There are certain questions you should answer for yourself before you begin your search. First, consider your child’s gender. Many kids, as they grow up, feel more comfortable with a pediatrician of the same sex. Decide if you want your pediatrician to be young or older. Older doctors have more experience but may retire while your child is growing up and may be hesitant to incorporate new medical advances into their practice. Younger doctors will not have the amount of experience but have been known to use new research and technology in their practice more often than older doctors. It may be a good idea to ask each pediatrician you meet with how he keeps up with the newest research on child development and preventing disease.

Study each pediatrician’s office and waiting room, check if it appears clean and make a note if sick patients are separated from healthy ones in the waiting room. You should talk to the people on staff to make sure they are friendly and helpful. Find out if each pediatrician is covered by your insurance.

If you have a pediatrician but you are unhappy, there are some signs that it’s time for a change. When your child has a simple illness like the common cold, your pediatrician should not prescribe a drug for them or perform a number of expensive tests. If you want to get a second opinion, your pediatrician should not become distressed or make you feel uncomfortable. He should never make you feel stupid for asking a question and should willingly provide you with all of the information you need. The staff should be helpful and accommodating when you have an emergency or need to change an appointment to work around your schedule. And of course, you should not stick with a pediatrician who makes your child uncomfortable or behave inappropriately. You can perform a background check on any doctor on the Federation of State Medical Boards’ website to make sure the pediatrician you are choosing doesn’t have a questionable history.

Tussionex, or the generic prescription Hydrocodone and Chlorpheniramine, is prescribed by doctors to relieve respiratory problems caused by a cold or allergies, but if you don’t follow the instructions carefully the results can be deadly. Recent reports have come out saying that patients who took Tussionex more than once every twelve hours or took more than the recommended dosage suffered dangerous breathing problems or even died. This is because Tussionex contains a narcotic drug, or a drug that acts as a tranquillizer or sedative. In high doses, this narcotic drug can lead to respiratory failure, a coma, or death. It’s very important to keep Tussionex away from children under six years of age. This drug is not approved for young kids and has caused five children’s deaths since 1987. To avoid accidental overdose of Tussionex or any medication, avoid estimating the amount you are taking by pouring it into a regular dinner spoon. The size of dinner spoons varies and they are not intended for exact measurement. When you are taking a prescription drug or giving one to your child, make sure you are familiar with the instructions and risks, and take care to measure exactly.

You have probably seen a child zipping around a shopping center on shoes that double as roller skates. These “roller shoes” look like regular tennis shoes but have wheels in the soles so the wearer can take off at any given second, and are incredibly popular among kids today. These shoes are essentially roller skates and pose all the same dangers, but kids usually get away with wearing them helmetless, and it’s caused a number of injuries already. The makers of the shoe claim they are safer than regular skates because they have caused fewer accidents, but this is probably because many kids use the shoes indoors or participate in safer activities than they would if they were wearing roller blades.
Kids have to lean back on their heels to get the wheels to pop out of the soles, and this alone causes a lot of falls. A child skating outside could hit a small rock and go tumbling. Hospitals have seen serious injuries like broken bones caused by these shoes. Since roller shoes are sold at regular shoe or clothing stores and not a sporting goods center, parents don’t consider them dangerous, but just like ordinary roller skates, kids should wear helmets and padding with roller shoes.