Kids' Wellness Matters

In this episode, Sara Budowsky, LCSW, a Lurie Children's clinical social worker and psychotherapist in The Pritzker Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, shares insights on differentiating between shyness and social anxiety, the types of fears children experience and supportive strategies to build confidence in young people. She also dives into the importance of validating children's feelings, breaking down fears into manageable steps and the role parents play in fostering emotional resilience.

Dr. Craig Garfield and Dr. John James Parker (JJ) Parker discuss the often underappreciated significance of fathers in family health. They share insights from their experiences as both dads and doctors, which have informed their development of programs and research on the beneficial effects of fathers on child development and family well-being.

The infant and toddler years can be a challenging time for parents when it comes to navigating behavioral issues. Lurie Children's Little Ones program is the only program of its kind in Illinois that supports parents of young children directly by offering expert guidance, assessment, and intervention. Dr. Miller Shivers is a clinical psychologist in the Pritzker Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Lurie Children's Hospital. She's also the Director of the Lurie Children's Little Ones program. In this episode, she discusses strategies for managing issues many parents face at home such as infant anxiety, toddler tantrums, strengthening the parent-child bond and more.

In this summer bonus episode of Kids' Wellness Matters, Dr. Nina Alfieri and Dr. Rob Sanchez discuss water and swimming safety tips for families and give advice for multiple layers of protection to prevent drowning.

Hydration is essential all year long but is especially important during the hot summer months. In this episode of Kids' Wellness Matters, hosts Nina and Rob give practical tips and hacks to help kids get enough water and discuss ways to recognize the signs of dehydration and much more.

Keeping kids safe while enjoying the summer sun means stocking up on SPF, but the sunscreen aisle can be overwhelming, especially to new parents trying to prevent sunburns on young children. Kids' Wellness Matters hosts Nina and Rob share their tips on SPF and other sun safety tips in this summer bonus episode of the show.

Autism is one of the most commonly known developmental disorders in children, but its symptoms aren't always obvious. Usually beginning in early childhood, the signs of autism spectrum disorder can appear as difficulty in social communication but vary widely. In this episode, Dr. Joshua Ewen, a pediatric neurologist and neurodevelopmental pediatrician at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, brings years of expertise to answer questions about diagnosis, therapies, and research, expanding awareness of the diversity of autism in children.

More children are being prescribed eyeglasses and contact lenses than ever before to help correct myopia or nearsightedness, and this trend shows no signs of slowing down. In this episode, Drs. Noreen Shaikh and Magdalena Stec, pediatric optometrists and co-directors of the Myopia Clinic at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, talk about this issue and some innovative treatments and tips that could help prevent the condition from getting worse as children age.

ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood and may cause children to be overly active and have a tough time paying attention and controlling impulsive behaviors. But there are effective treatments and ways to manage symptoms and help children with the disorder thrive. In this episode, Dr. Andrea Spencer, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and physician scientist at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, offers helpful information and advice to help families navigate an ADHD diagnosis.

Food allergies are one of the most common chronic childhood diseases, and several studies have suggested that food allergies have increased dramatically over the past several decades. Dr. Ruchi Gupta is a Luire Children's physician, food allergy researcher, and food allergy mom, who has been at the forefront of improving childhood and adult allergic diseases for the past two decades. In this episode, she discusses the prevalence of food allergies in children across the U. S., the latest treatments and research, and things we can all do to keep children with food allergies safe.