All you want for Christmas is a picture-perfect photo of your child sitting on Santa’s lap to share with the world on social media, holiday cards and texts to grandparents. Unfortunately, your child won’t set foot near the bearded bearer…
For many, the scarier the better when it comes to celebrating Halloween. But for preschoolers or elementary age children, the decorations, costumes and often violent themes can be frightening and potentially disrupt sleep or cause social anxiety. That’s when parents…
The excitement for Halloween starts building early for most kids – costumes, candy and goosebumps. But for children with anxiety or sensory processing issues, Halloween presents a unique challenge for parents. Leaha Jones, LCPC, and manager of Mobile Crisis Response…
Back-to-school transitions can cause stress for your kids as they anticipate big changes from the summer schedule to a school routine. For most students of all ages, there can be a mix of excitement and anxiety about reuniting with friends…
A school physical is just one part of a child’s preparation ahead of kindergarten, and a physician-signed Certificate of Child Health Examination Form is required by the state of Illinois. Helping your future kindergartener know what to expect in a…
Measles: Just the Facts With the recent outbreak of measles across the United States, there has been a wealth of information published about the measles…and unfortunately some misinformation. What is important for you to know to protect your family…
Pay closer attention to your children’s cold symptoms this winter, especially if they are very young or immunocompromised. Hospitals are seeing high rates of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in young children right now. “RSV is a virus people can get…
Summer is in full swing, but now is the perfect time to schedule school physicals and sports physicals as back-to-school season fast approaches. Pediatrician Kara Shafer, DO, with Memorial Care on Koke Mill, notes the main purpose of a school…
The fresh air and sunshine is intoxicating this spring season, but all the growing things can lead to allergies in children as they rush to play outside in the warmer weather. Allergies most often begin to appear in children between…
As she prepared to give birth for the first time, Andrea Cardinal, 38, expected a challenge because of her age. But the Mt. Zion resident experienced a rare complication – a ruptured fibroid on her uterus – which led to…