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Allergy Medication Adjustments for Winter

Once winter rolls around, allergy season usually winds down in our house. Personally, I don’t love the winter because cold air hurts my face (why do I live somewhere where the air hurts my face?!), but there are some perks – playing in the snow and the lack of pollen!

Safe Use of Humidifiers and Vapor Rubs in Children

Cold season has a special talent for humbling parents. One minute, you are confident and well rested. The next, you are standing in your kitchen at 2 a.m. holding a humidifier manual, trying to understand the English language with only one eye open.  As a parent, I will fully

Constipation Prevention and Treatment After Holiday Travel or Diet Changes

My children’s holiday meals usually consist of half a roll, 14 cookies, and whatever soda or juice they manage to con out of a nice unsuspecting relative. If we’re traveling for the holidays, that one holiday meal becomes 6 to 9 meals… leading to constipation. Constipation in children,

Safe Medication Options for Motion Sickness During Travel

It’s family road trip season! If you have ever packed snacks, water bottles, entertainment, and extra clothes only to realize halfway into the trip that you forgot the barf bags, you are not alone. Kids’ motion sickness has a way of announcing itself loudly, and it will leave parents

Holiday Food Safety for Children with Allergies or Special Diets

The holidays create extra challenges for children with food allergies or special diets. Ensuring holiday party food safety requires planning, careful cooking, proper food preparation practices, and clear communication with your kids, other caregivers, and any adults who may offer them food.  This quick guide outlines steps parents can take

Updates for Nirsevimab Effectiveness in RSV Prevention

I'll never forget when I first started working in a pediatric hospital (too many years ago now), the ICU and medical floors were filled with kids sick with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). It was a little shocking to me; we didn't learn much about it in

Sleep Aids and Melatonin Safety for Children

Before I became a parent, I envisioned sweet, loving bedtime moments and chubby little toddlers sleeping peacefully through the night. In my imagination, I'd snuggle with my baby and tell my older kids stories as they drifted off to sleep - all with my dog lying by my

Preventing Dehydration in Kids During Illness or Activities

Does anyone else spend a good part of their day chasing their kids with water bottles, telling them, "Don't forget to drink this!" or gathering six nearly full water bottles rattling around on the car floor? Or is it just me? We all know we need

Preventing and Managing Fall Asthma Flare-Ups in Cooler Weather

As a mom, I notice a pattern every fall. My kids develop lingering coughs and sniffles. Strep throat and earaches begin to sneak into my home. It inevitably spreads to my husband or me. I fall asleep every night to the “ode to winter” soundtrack – cough, cough, sniffle, sniffle, hack,

Managing Medication Schedules During After-School Activities and Sports

In my house, the time before 3 PM, Monday through Friday, is also known as the calm before the chaos. At 3 o'clock, when the bus rolls by, the afternoon marathon begins! We’re off to piano lessons, soccer practice, ballet, basketball tryouts, art class, and more. Usually

Safe Storage of Medications During Holiday Candy Season

Every holiday season, my house turns into a candy crazed place of chaos. Between Halloween leftovers, goodie bags, classroom parties, and Christmas stockings, my kids somehow manage to hide treats in every corner of the house. Despite my best efforts, I’ve found candy canes mushed into couch cushions, Halloween

FDA Safety Communication on Withdrawal Itch from Cetirizine and Levocetirizine

If your child uses or has been using the antihistamines cetirizine (Zyrtec) or levocetirizine (Xyzal) as a maintenance therapy, this one’s for you — and yes, this includes you grown‑ups too! The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued a safety alert about a rather unexpected outcome:

Time Change Effects on Children’s Routines and Medications

Twice a year, most of the country sets its clocks forward or back, and parents everywhere groan. Fall is especially tough. The rest of the country gets an extra hour of sleep, but parents of young kids somehow lose three. I don’t understand how that math maths, but it’

How to Organize Medications for School and Sports

Every school year seems to start with a pile of forms, 16 different color-coded folders, a long and oddly specific school supply list (Ticonderoga brand pencils only?!), and at least one mystery permission slip that arrives two weeks late. If your house is anything like mine, this mess of school