Parentelligence Blog

Many parents don’t realize how much eating meals together as a family helps their children’s development and well-being in addition to being known to reduce the risk of obesity and improve the nutrition of children. Eating meals together is a valuable lesson and practice in sharing. By eating the same foods, hearing about someone else’s day, and telling stories, kids learn to compromise and show respect. Sitting around the table with the family is a great setting for children to see how they are a part of something bigger than just themselves.

When you have young children, it is a key time to start eating meals as a family and develop this lifetime habit. Even babies old enough to sit in a high chair but not old enough to eat everything everyone else is eating will benefit from joining the family at the table.

Here are some tips to make mealtimes more pleasant with young ones:

Have you noticed that your child walks with his or her feet rotated inward instead of pointing straight ahead? This could be described as intoeing and is sometimes referred to as being “pigeon toed.”

As a parent, you may raise concerns with your child’s physician about how your child is walking or running, or perhaps a concern was raised by the child’s grandparents who may have known a child years ago who was treated with a brace or special shoes for a similar issue. Intoeing gait is a common reason for referral of your child to a pediatric orthopedic surgeon.

Intoeing stems from one of, or a combination of, three areas: the foot, the lower leg and the hip. Which area is contributing determines the likelihood that it will resolve over time and determines up until what age one may expect improvement.

The most frequent case of intoeing in infants and young toddlers arises ...

Surgery can be a stress and anxiety producing event for anyone, let alone a child. At Swedish, Child Life Specialists help children and families cope with the surgery process. Child Life Specialists are available to help educate and prepare children and families prior to surgery in our outpatient surgery center.

There are some things you can do as a parent to help better prepare yourself and your child for surgery before coming to the hospital:

• Talk to your healthcare provider to educate yourself about the surgery process and what to expect.
• Talk to your child in advance about their surgery in an honest, matter-of-fact manner. Younger children need to start hearing about their upcoming surgery 2-3 days prior to their visit. School age and teenage children can handle talking about their surgery a few weeks in advance. Using books and similar resources can be helpful in talking to your child about their surgery.
• Offer children some control wherever possible. Have your child ....

“It takes a village to raise a child” but as a new or expectant parent or “village member,” preparing for a new baby can be daunting. From siblings, to grandparents, to aunts, uncles, cousins, and family friends, all of these people feel the ripple effect of having a baby. However, unlike parents, this larger social network may not have had the chance, motivation, or tailored resources to prepare for this change. So how can new or expectant parents help prepare non-parents for the birth of a child? Though the answer depends on the person’s age and their relationship to baby, here are some general tips to prepare your “village.”

• Involve friends and family in preparing for the baby: Depending on your comfort level and your audience, involve your loved ones in preparations from going to doctor’s appointments, to packing your bag for the hospital, to deciding on a layout or paint color for the nursery. Inviting people to help you prepare...

Croup is a common childhood illness that can be very frightening to a parent or child. It often starts with the symptoms of a mild cold, such as a runny nose, or sore throat. The child goes to bed as usual and then wakes suddenly in the middle of the night with a barking cough. Often they gasp in between the coughs and make a high-pitched noise called stridor when they breathe in.

Thankfully, croup is rarely dangerous. Most children can be treated at home. But it can be a scary illness for both the parent and the child.

It is important to know how to treat croup at home and when to seek help from your doctor or the emergency room....

Kids of all generations from all walks of life have one thing in common and that is the love of play and imagination. Play structures, a couch turned to a fort, or their sworn innate ability to fly can take a sour turn. As much as we would like to wrap our little Spider Mans, Incredible Hulks and Wonder Women in bubble wrap, unfortunately life’s little incidences are inevitable.

If ever the time comes where your Super Hero suffers from an injury and needs a cast, it is time to put on your Super Parent costume.

Here are some helpful tips on cast care for the Super Parent:

• Bathing: Absolutely no showers. We ask parents to give kids a bath instead, keeping the casted limb outside of the tub. In addition, we suggest wrapping the cast with a towel and covering with a newspaper bag or bread bag and closing it off with a rubber band at the top for added protection.
• Itching: The golden rule of having a cast is DO NOT STICK ANYTHING IN THE CAST! Scratching an itch with an object can cause the skin to break underneath the cast, leaving room for infection. If your child has itching, tapping on the outside of the cast or using a hair dryer set on cool can help.
• If a cast...

“Cough, cough!” “Achooooo!” “Wheeeeeeze!” The sounds of spring are all around us and the woes of allergy season are plaguing many of us. With the weather warming, you and your loved ones are likely spending a lot of time outside. Though the stuffy nose, dry throat and scratchy eyes may seem like a seasonal nuisance you and your family just have to get through, there are solutions. Here are some tips to keep you from suffering through this beautiful but allergy-ridden time of year (to watch the video click here).

Seasonal allergies, often called hay fever or allergic rhinitis (swelling of the nasal passages) vary season to season but can be brought on by pollens, grasses, molds and dust. Right now, in Western Washington the culprit is likely pollen from the trees that have exploded with fresh foliage. Of course, there are many other allergens and the only true way to know what is causing your, your partner’s or your children’s sniffles and sneezes is to talk to a health-care provider. However, if hay fever is getting the best of you this spring, you may find some relief from the following: