Pediatric medicine is primarily about prevention. We spend the majority of our day doing well checks to be sure our patients are growing and developing as expected. We give vaccines to prevent infectious diseases and we give anticipatory guidance on preventing injury. Regular well visits allows us to diagnosis developmental difficulties early. Early intervention with targeted therapy is key to helping these patients catch up as much as they can. Therapies available include occupational, speech, and physical therapy, along with other behavioral and educational interventions. In this post, I’m g ..read more

After a year of mostly staying home, inside, with very little physical activity, letting your kids loose at camp sounds like a perfect summer plan. Camp provides many benefits to children of all ages, this year especially. They make friendships, create bonds over silly games, spend time outdoors in nature, and get lots of physical activity. Overnight camp provides even more opportunity for children to learn independence. For many, overnight camp is a place where lifetime friendships are made. While the social, emotional and physical benefits of camp are even greater in 2021, there are still sa ..read more

It’s July 2020. We’ve been experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic for 4 months. With schools scheduled to open in 6-8 weeks, it’s a tragedy that we haven’t gotten this virus under control, at least enough control to consider schools to be safe. Recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics released this statement on why they believe in-person school is more beneficial to children than distance learning, and offers suggestions for making it safe. In a risk v benefit scenario, for most children, the benefit of in-person learning, services provided, socialization and nutritional support outweighs the ..read more

In addition to screen time impacting teen mental health and sleep, a recent study found that teens who watch more TV also consume more sugar and caffeine. The 2019 study found that teens who spend an additional hour watching TV daily, exceed the recommended sugar and caffeine intake by roughly 30%. Additionally, every hour of phone or social media use resulted in a higher caffeine and sugar consumption (Bradbury, 2019). These rates are alarming considering teens spend an average of 7 hours per day using screens (Media Use by Teens and Tweens, 2019).  Screen time habits can have a domino e ..read more

Pursuant to California Health and Safety Code sections 101040, 120175, and 120175.5 (b) the Health Officer of the County of San Diego (Health Officer) amends the Health Officer Order dated March 12, 2020 as of 12:00 a.m. on Tuesday March 17, 2020. The Health Officer ORDERS AS FOLLOWS: READ THE FULL ORDER The post Order of the Health Officer and Emergency Regulations appeared first on Children's Physicians Medical Group ..read more

San Diego County Scripps Hospital System Various Locations (888) 261-8431 *Anyone who calls the line will be connected to a nurse at the COVID-19 call center who will ask a series of questions designed to evaluate the caller’s potential risk for coronavirus infection. If Person meets criteria, they will be scheduled at a nearby facility to be tested.   Riverside County United Urgent Care 31150 Temecula Parkway, Suite 101, Temecula, CA 951-383-2618 *PT must meet criteria to be tested and may need tele visit triage with United Urgent Care Provider to obtain testing at their outside testing ten ..read more

Nearly all toddlers and majority of babies eat too much added sugar in US. Nearly all babies and toddlers in the U.S. consume added sugars in their diet, much of which comes from foods thought to be healthy, like yogurt and even snacks marketed toward babies like puffs, applesauce, and crackers. Early added sugar intake could lead to poor nutrition and health later on in childhood and adolescence.  Consuming added sugars is a risk for infants and toddlers because it can influence their taste and future food preferences. “The consumption of added sugars among children has been associated with n ..read more

During the winter months it can feel like cold and flu symptoms are never ending when you have young kids. Sometimes it can be challenging to differentiate between a cold and the flu making it hard to know when to make an appointment with the pediatrician. The Common Cold According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, kids can experience up to 10 colds in the first 2 years alone, with even more once kids begin daycare or preschool. Colds spread easily among young children and especially in school and daycare settings. Colds can spread through coughing or sneezing into the air or onto the han ..read more

Every year the winter holidays descend upon us with thoughts of family, friends, food, decorations and gifts. For parents, the winter holidays also present safety hazards. Navigating parties and celebrations with little children can be stressful enough without considering safety, but it’s important to do so. Here are some reminders to keep your kids safe while you are in the holiday spirit. General health and wellness First and foremost, keep you kids on a (relatively) normal sleep schedule. Sleep is an important part of health so keeping naps, bedtime and wake up time consistent is very impor ..read more

Fewer schools are offering  p.e. everyday so as parents it’s more important than ever to ensure kids have adequate opportunities for physical activity throughout the week. The recommended guideline for daily activity for children is 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity per day, however fewer than 1 in 4 kids actually meet that guideline (CDC, 2018). The hour of physical activity can be broken down into shorter spurts, for instance time playing at recess, walking home from school, plus playing at the park or at soccer practice. Physical activity is crucial to growth, development, and hea ..read more