

The Influence of a Perfect Teacher
Perhaps because I had a teacher who made reading aloud into ceremony, ritual and compelling drama, I grew up to find my cause in pediatricians’ promoting reading aloud at checkups.


How to Help When Adolescents Have Suicidal Thoughts
Even when rates of suicidal ideation increase, there are ways to keep kids safe.


There’s No Easy Fix for Children’s Weight Gain
Experts advise families to avoid blaming themselves and to look for opportunities to congratulate children for healthy behaviors and good decisions.


An Appreciation for Vaccines, and How Far They Have Come
The DTP vaccine teaches us about how brilliant vaccine technology can be, but also how it can be studied and improved over time.


Turning the Page on the Year
If ever there were a new year that called for a new notebook, this would be it.


What Pediatricians Say Can’t Wait
As we celebrate the rollout of the new Covid-19 vaccines, don’t forget the standard immunizations and other steps to keep children safe.


After a Covid-19 Semester, College Doctors Reflect on Sports
Weighing the risks and benefits of participating in sports against the larger public health factors.


New Guidelines Cover Opioid Use After Children’s Surgery
Parents should not be afraid of managing the child’s pain with opioids when they are needed, but should make sure a child does not have access to leftover doses.


Being Thankful and Hopeful in This Weird and Terrible Year
It’s a year for getting through the winter as well as we can, for thinking about how to help those who are bearing the greatest burdens, and for waiting hopefully for better times.


How Pediatricians Are Fending Off Coronavirus Myths
Doctors report misinformation at both extremes, with some parents worrying about taking impossible precautions and others encouraged to believe their children can’t get infected.


Helping Children With Anxiety in the Pandemic
Even in an anxious time, children’s anxiety is treatable.


In a Stressful Time, Knitting for Calm and Connection
The yarn in my fingers connected me to the past, beyond this strange and terrible year, and to the family members far away.


Respecting Children’s Pain
A new study challenges those who care for children to end what researchers say is the common undertreatment of pain in children, starting at birth.


Recognizing Miscarriage as an Occasion for Grief
Many people experiencing miscarriages feel isolated or blame themselves, often because pregnancy loss is still veiled in secrecy.


In Terms of Child Mortality, It’s a Good Time for Public Health
Despite the crises of 2020, parents can realistically expect that children born today will outlive them. That wasn’t always the case.


Now Taking the Stage in the Pandemic: The School Nurse
In the school reopening effort, nurses have a crucial role: being the first to spot and stop the spread of a contagious disease.


Back-to-School Season in Italy
There is a cultural emphasis on children being with other children, and having them go to school in person.


For Young People’s Sexual Health, the Pandemic Changes the Game
The pandemic may offer opportunities to help adolescents and young adults make good decisions regarding sexual and social behavior.


Do Masks Impede Children’s Development?
Scientists who have studied the ways children process and use the information hidden by masks say that children will find ways to communicate, and that parents and teachers can help.


Helping Children With Pandemic Grief
Many children may learn of a grandparent’s death without a chance to visit to say goodbye.
Many children may learn of a grandparent’s death without a chance to visit to say goodbye.
Many children may learn of a grandparent’s death without a chance to visit to say goodbye.
Many children may learn of a grandparent’s death without a chance to visit to say goodbye.
Many children may learn of a grandparent’s death without a chance to visit to say goodbye.


Young Adults’ Pandemic Mental Health Risks
In a new C.D.C. survey, 18- to 24-year-olds reported the highest levels of symptoms of anxiety and depression, and a quarter of them said they had seriously considered suicide.


How Children’s Sleep Habits Have Changed in the Pandemic
Spending more time on screens, staying up late and sleeping late may require some adjustments for the start of the school year.


When Things Aren’t OK With a Child’s Mental Health
Everyone is stressed and anxious now. We have to find and help the children who are hurting most.


In This Pandemic Summer, Don’t Forget About Kids’ Other Risks
Reinforcing summer safety with some of the special twists and dangers of this dangerous and twisty time.


The Pandemic’s Toll on Children With Special Needs and Their Parents
Missing social contacts and altered routines, disturbed sleep and eating habits can be particularly intense for the kids with developmental challenges.


To Get People to Wear Masks, Look to Seatbelts, Helmets and Condoms
The ways we built habits around other routine safety measures can inform mask-wearing, experts say.


How Are You Telling Children the Story of the Pandemic?
Every child needs a narrative. Here’s what several pediatricians are talking about with their children.


Caring for Children With Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome
Now, nearly two months after the first cases were reported, doctors can reassure parents that the syndrome remains rare, while continuing to urge vigilance.


How to Help Kids Embrace Mask-Wearing
Most children enjoy the chance to feel morally superior. Assign them to be the family mask monitors.


The Impact of Disparities on Children’s Health
Differences in access to medical care and treatment contribute to conditions that disproportionately hurt minority children.


Concerns About Preterm Birth Extend to the Last Few Weeks
Infants born at 37 or 38 weeks were more likely to have developmental delays than full-term babies.


How Do You Decide if Children Can Play Together Again?
As always, parents must weigh the risks, look at what the experts say and make decisions based on their own level of comfort.


Hoping for a Covid Vaccine and Recalling the One for Smallpox
It’s worth reflecting on the biologic brilliance of the technique and on what our bodies and immune systems are capable of doing, when appropriately prompted.


Emotional Eating in Quarantined Kids
Boredom and stress are two big contributors to emotional eating, and children have a lot of both right now.


Rethinking Covid-19 in Children
There is new evidence that some children may become very sick, and we are beginning to learn more about who may be most at risk and what parents need to watch for.


What’s Scaring the Pediatricians
Children are not the focus of the pandemic. But pediatricians are worried for children and families, for now and for the future.


How Parents Can Support College Students’ Online Learning
I asked students what parents could do to help them finish a semester that was never supposed to go this way.