Tune into today’s episode to learn about all things childproofing! Childproofing is so important and can help you relax as a parent and get to enjoy spending time with your curious infants and toddlers. Join us as we take you room to room and review the highest yield tips for creating a safe home. Some of the main ways to prevent accidental injury in the home include anchoring heavy furniture, covering door knobs, and using baby gates. The episode also discusses water safety and other important items such as keeping medications and cleaning supplies out of reach.

This episode was written by Dr. Lena van der List, Dr. Dean Blumberg and Abby Michalak.

Photo from SBchildproofing

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by social communication difficulties and restrictive repetitive behaviors. The presentation is highly variable from child to child. ASD is very common, with 1 in 44 children in the US now qualifying as having an autism spectrum disorder. During this 2 part series we are joined by Dr. Sarah Dufek, a clinical psychologist at the UC Davis M.I.N.D institute.

In today’s podcast we review screening for autism in the outpatient setting with a tool called the MCHAT, we discuss how early can autism be diagnosed, signs to look out for and how families go about getting an official autism diagnosis.  We also discuss the most evidence based treatments for autism and how to transition teenage individuals with autism to further education, careers and independent living. 

This episode was written by Sarah Dufek, Lena van der List, Dean Blumberg, and Neha Valluri.

We would like to thank Dr. Dufek, a clinical psychologist at the UC Davis MIND institute for joining us for this episode, although Drs. Lena and Dr. Blumberg  take full responsibility for any errors or misinformation. 

 Supplemental information:

photo from AdysArmy.org

In today’s episode, we discuss the wonderful world of snacks! It is common for kids, and especially younger kids, to eat more frequently — about 3 meals and 2 snacks a day. Snacks are a great way to help your child eat more fruits, veggies, and other important things like fiber. However, excessive snacking of non-nutritious foods can also lead to obesity and disinterest in meal time. The best options for snacks are fresh fruits and veggies or whole-grain crackers and cereals. As kids get older, it is important to make sure that they have nutritious snacks and are properly hydrated before a sports game or practice. Join us for a review of snacking and how to get the most out of snack time. Pro tip — planning ahead and having healthy snacks on hand can help with a busy schedule! 

This episode was written by Drs. Dean Blumberg, Dr. Lena van der List  and Abby Michalak. 

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Photo from Children's Hospital Colorado

Is your child a perfectionist? Maybe the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree? In today’s episode we discuss perfectionism.

More than 1 in 4 adolescents in the United States identify as being a perfectionist. Perfectionists set high and unrealistic expectations for themselves in everything they do. While children with this trait may have many desirable characteristics such as school and extracurricular successes, it can also lead to significant mental health and self-esteem issues if not addressed. In today’s podcast we review this common trait, what is, how it can develop and how to mitigate the toxic effects of perfectionism.

This episode was written by Drs. Dean Blumberg and Kylie Abeson

Supplemental Resources:

Photo from glogster.com

Join us for part 3 from the Milestones Matter Series! Today’s topic focuses on social-emotional milestones.

We are joined by Dr. Ruchi Punatar, a fellow in developmental and behavioral pediatrics at the UC Davis MIND Institute, to discuss social-emotional milestones. Throughout your child’s wellness checks, your pediatrician will conduct developmental screening and surveillance in order to monitor your child’s development and check in with you regarding any concerns or questions you may have. Today, we discuss typical social development patterns such as social smiling, first laughs, imitation of others, and cooperative play. We review red flags, as well as screenings for disorders of social-emotional development such as Autism. We also discuss useful resources you can utilize to help track your child’s development. Always be sure to talk to your pediatrician with any concerns or questions you have - remember every child’s development timeline is different!

This episode was written by Drs. Ruchi Punatar, Lena van der List, Dean Blumberg & Abby Michalak.

Resources:

zero to three - social emotional development

Healthy Children- Boost Your Babys Development at Home

CDC - Act Early

CDC milestones app

Help me grow Sacramento

First 5 Sacramento

Photo from thelovedchild.net

 Milestones: Language Development

We’ll be continuing our discussion from our most recent podcast on milestones, but in today’s episode, we’re joined by Dr. Stephanie Tangsombatvisit, a fellow in developmental and behavioral pediatrics, to discuss language development. More specifically, we’ll be taking a closer look at why developmental screening is important during earlier stages of childhood, how we define language development- including receptive language (how your child understands language), and expressive language (how your child uses language). We will also discuss ways to promote language development and factors which may contribute to speech delay and when to seek additional evaluation.

This episode was written by Dr. Stephanie Tangsombatvisit, Dr. Lena van der List, Dr. Dean Blumberg and Neha Valluri.

We thank Stephanie Tangsombatvisit, a fellow in developmental and behavioral pediatrics at the MIND Institute at UC Davis Children's Hospital for joining us for this episode, although Drs. Lena and Dean take responsibility for any errors or misinformation.

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Photo from Association for Psychological Science

  Motor Milestones

We are joined by pediatric developmental and behavioral specialist Dr. Van Ma to discuss gross and fine motor development.  Pediatricians screen for motor skills to make sure that kids are on track for routine behavior such as head control, crawling, rolling over, pulling to a stand, walking, feeding and more.  We discuss when these skills normally develop, how to help children advance, how to make sure that the home environment is safe as children become more mobile and curious, and more!  Plus, we are not shy telling you what we think about baby walkers.

This episode written by Drs. Van Ma, Lesley Desmond, Lena van der List and Dean Blumberg.

We thank Dr. Van Ma, a pediatric developmental and behavioral specialist at the MIND Institute, and Dr. Lesley Desmond a pediatrician at UC Davis Children's Hospital for joining us for this episode, although Drs. Lena and Dean take responsibility for any errors or misinformation.

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Photo from First 5 California

  Pediatric Growth Curves

We learn about pediatric growth curves in this episode! We discuss why they are used in pediatric offices, how they track healthy growth, what is considered a normal variation in growth, and the two different types of growth curves:  from the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Also remember, while growth curves track healthy growth, they should always be viewed in the context of an individual.

This episode written by Dr. Lena van der List, Dr. Dean Blumberg and Abby Michalak.

We thank Dr. Lindsey Loomba-Albrecht, a pediatric endocrinologist at UC Davis Children's Hospital for reviewing this episode, although Drs. Lena and Dean take responsibility for any errors or misinformation.

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Photo from Healthy Driven

Navigating Contraceptives

 A great majority of teen pregnancies are often unplanned and more common amongst teens of racial and ethnic groups facing large disparities. Comprehensive sexual health counseling and access to reliable information regarding contraceptive methods is essential to minimizing occurrences of unplanned pregnancy and reducing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. In this episode we’ll be discussing methods of birth control, effectiveness of each of these contraceptives and the confidentiality in gaining access to various contraceptives.

 This episode written by Dr. Lena van der List, Dr. Dean Blumberg and Neha Valluri.

 We thank Dr. Ravi Nakrani, Obstetrician and Gynecologist at UC Davis Medical Center for reviewing this episode, although Drs. Lena and Dean take responsibility for any errors or misinformation.

 Supplemental information:

 Photo from MedicineNet.

Insects Be Gone

 Children enjoy spending time outdoors, especially during the summer months. At the same time, they’re also more likely to be more frequently exposed to insects. In this episode, we discuss the differences between bee, mosquito and spider bites in how they cause irritation, their common immediate symptoms, and their treatment. We’ll also be talking about how to distinguish an insect bite from severe allergic reactions.

 This episode written by Dr. Lena van der List, Dr. Dean Blumberg and Neha Valluri.

  Supplemental information:

 Photo from The Environmental Working Group