What is Infant Mental Health? Infant Mental Health can also be called Early Childhood and Infant Mental Health (ECIMH) and generally refers to a child’s social and emotional development from ages birth to three. This development happens inside a child’s brain with over 1 million new neural … [Read more...]
Helping Your Child or Teen Take Medicine
When taking any medication, it is important to follow a doctor’s instructions and take the right amount of medication at the right time. Taking medication correctly is one of the best ways to help fight an illness or manage a medical condition. Many people have trouble with taking medication … [Read more...]
Fostering Resilience among Parents and Children
During these trying times when we are all sheltered at home, everyone is interested in what psychologists call resilience – which means doing okay in the face of difficult times. These days, parents all over the world are concerned about how they can build resilience in their own children. This … [Read more...]
Helping Kids Stay Motivated for Learning During Social Distancing
It is 11:00am on a school day and an estimated 55 million children in the United States are not in class today[1] Instead, over 90% of school-aged youth are hunkered down at home while their caregivers ask themselves, “Can I do this?” Right now, over 120,000 U.S. schools are closed—many for the … [Read more...]
Parents and COVID 19: Helping Your Children
COVID-19 (Coronavirus-19) now has spread across the world. This fast spread means information is also rapidly changing. Affected communities are going into isolation. Schools (including colleges) are closing, sports events are canceled, and other changes are happening at lightning speed. So, how … [Read more...]
Empowering Children to Approach Life with Bravery
Hannah, an eight-year old, had her ears pierced two months prior, and now had a bright red infection on her left earlobe. After taking out the earring and fully cleaning the mildly painful area, she anxiously and adamantly stated, “I am done with earrings. I don’t want them anymore!” This is a kid … [Read more...]
What’s a Parent to Do? My Child has a Food Allergy
You may not have known many children with food allergy a generation ago, but today as many as 5 million American children have a food allergy, which translates to about 2 children in every elementary school classroom! There are 9 foods responsible for the majority of food allergies: peanut, tree … [Read more...]
Call me, maybe? What to consider before buying your child a cellphone
When we – as parents – think about getting a cell phone for our son or daughter, it’s no longer a question of just getting them a phone – we are getting them a handheld computer/camera capable of just about anything. It’s a major decision that comes with major responsibilities for kids and … [Read more...]
Rewriting the Stories of Chronically Bullied Children
Mom: “Friends are supposed to make you feel good...Your only connection to these kids is they like to pound on you.” Alex: "If you say these people aren’t my friends, then what friends do I have?" —Scene from the documentary Bully (2012) Despite the attention given each year to bullying … [Read more...]
The alarming trend of e-cigarettes and vaping among youth: What parents need to know.
Almost 2 in 3 kids (12 and older) say they have used some type of substance in the past month. Alcohol and tobacco are the two main substances being used. However, use of other substances is on the rise, such as the use of e-cigarette products. In the U.S., youth are more likely to use e-cigarettes … [Read more...]