From changing voices and growing pains to first periods and teenage mood swings, puberty comes with so many changes. Empower yourself to support your child through puberty with confidence. This episode of ParentingU features expert insights from Karli Boggs, MD, Board Certified gynecologist with Our Lady of the Lake Physician Group, and Brett Hutchinson, MD, Board Certified pediatrician with Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Health. More Helpful ParentingU Resources - Read our blog post, all about teen puberty: https://health.fmolhs.org/body/childrens-health/understanding-puberty-in-girls-a ..read more

Vaccines are a modern medical miracle according to “Dr. Hutch” (also known as Brett Hutchinson, MD, Board Certified pediatrician.) While we’ve talked about COVID vaccines on other ParentingU episodes, this time Dr. Hutch joins us to talk about what vaccines teens and tweens might hear about from their doctors at well check visits. If you’ve ever questioned why your teen or tween is recommended to take vaccines that you never received, Dr. Hutch gives clear, understandable explanations about how vaccine technology has changed over the years and why teens of today might receive vaccinations that ..read more

Sports teams and athletics can be a formative, fun part of tweens and teens lives. How can parents make sure teens are participating in sports in a safe way, that avoids injury, while providing enrichment, exercise, and life lessons along the way? ParentingU welcomes Kyle Pontiff, MD, sports medicine physician with Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Health to share his insights about getting the most out of youth sports. Dr. Pontiff offers practical guidelines for parents to assess how much activity is too much as well as explains the importance of rest for young athletes (if sports pros can rest ..read more

Illness and injury seem to come up at any time (sometimes, the most inconvenient times!) How do parents of teens and tweens know when to go to urgent care and when to go to the Emergency Room? Hannah Chachere, MD, a pediatrician with Our Lady of Lourdes Children’s Health joins us on ParentingU to break down all the different choices parents have when encountering an illness or injury with a teen or tween. What is the difference between urgent and emergency care? Do you know when to call the pediatrician’s office instead of going to urgent care? Do you know when urgent care might be the best op ..read more

The teen years can be difficult—for parents and teens alike! Did you know there’s a whole medical specialty dedicate to young people ages 12 to 21? It’s called adolescent medicine, and Ruben Battley, MD joins ParentingU to talk about what adolescent medicine is and how it can help families. Dr. Battley shares his insights from seeing patients at the Adolescent Medicine Clinic in Baton Rouge. He offers practical tips for how parents can be positive role models for teens, plus how to openly discuss topics teens need to hear about. This episode will give parents of teens and tweens hope and clari ..read more

As children grow up, they gain more independence and autonomy in every aspect of their life, including healthcare. Nicholas George, MD, pediatrics and internal medicine physician with Our Lady of Lourdes Health, shares the advice he gives parents to help ease the transition from pediatric to adult primary care. Dr. George emphasizes that it’s normal and natural for adolescents to want more privacy during medical appointments. We hope this  episode of ParentingU gives you some ideas for supporting your tweens and teens as they continue the journey through adolescence. Questions Answered on ..read more

Teenagers and tweens start asking about it early—first with colas and sodas, but soon after with coffee and energy drinks. It’s all about caffeine. While adults might worry about caffeine hyping kids up and disrupting sleep, teens often seek out caffeine for the same reasons adults do. Caffeine is a stimulant, make no mistake about that, but some of the things people believe about caffeine might not be fact-based. On this episode of ParentingU, Kali Broussard, MD joins host Stephanie to get the straight story about caffeine for teens and tweens. How much caffeine is too much? Does caffeine stu ..read more

It’s a teenager milestone that fills some parents with fear and dread: teen driving. How can parents help teens learn how to be safe and responsible drivers without causing family strife? Grant Clinkingbeard, MD, pediatrician with Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Health who practices on the Northshore, shares ways parents can help their teens develop safe driving habits. Dr. Clinkingbeard brings the facts—and shares many actionable tips—to help make this stage of the parenting journey as productive and peaceful as possible. More Helpful Teen Driving Resources - Read our blog post all about driv ..read more

Is your teen getting enough sleep? Or are they trying to “catch up” on the weekend? Or do you worry they’re sleeping too much, staying in bed as much as they can? Teens and tweens have different sleep needs than toddlers or young adults. Natalie Derouen, MD joins host Stephanie on the Season 4 premiere of ParentingU podcast to talk about sleep for teenagers. Sleep habits and sleep routines can be forged in the teen years, and may help (or hinder!) young people in these important years. Dr. Derouen shares tips and tricks for helping teens get quality sleep, and provides helpful facts about slee ..read more

As temps fall, we all experience the instinct to bundle up. Not so fast for our littlest passengers. Rachel Dewey, DO, family medicine physician with Our Lady of the Lake Physician Group, shares why parents should remember to remove children’s coats before buckling them into a car seat in this ParentingU Extra Credit episode. Read more about car seat safety on our blog: https://health.fmolhs.org/body/childrens-health/winter-wonders-coats-off-for-car-seat-safety/ We’ll be back with more full-length ParentingU episode soon. You can hear all episodes of ParentingU on our website&nb ..read more