Posts tagged: Baby + Kid's Health

Addressing race and racism with children can be a daunting task and easy to avoid, but research shows that the earlier and more often we normalize our differences, the better we can raise racially conscious children.We called on our resident pediatrician, Dr. Payal Adhikari, M.D. to weigh in on the first steps we as parents can take with our children. 

Chicago-based pediatrician and mom Dr. Payal Adhikari (@mommypmd) addresses more of your coronavirus (COVID-19) questions and concerns. Below she addresses questions on multiple topics, from pregnancy and deliveries to ordering takeout.As things continue to evolve daily, Dr. Payal’s favorite websites for accurate information are the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA). Read on to discover her helpful tips and be sure to tune into Monica + Andy’s Instagram live story every Monday and Thursday at 12on...

Chicago-based pediatrician and mom Dr. Payal Adhikari weighs in on all things coronavirus, from entertaining kiddos at home to knowing when to visit your doctor. Read on to discover her helpful tips and be sure to tune into Monica + Andy’s Instagram live story every Monday and Thursday at 12on CST as Dr. Payal Adhikari will be back to answer your questions live and share her perspective on COVID-19 updates. *Recorded via IGTV on March 19, 2020. Please note facts and recommendations are evolving daily. Background on Coronvirus (COVID-19) It’s...

You're touching your belly around the clock, your partner is cooing in your baby's general direction, and family members (and, let's be honest, perfect strangers) are asking to feel your little one kick. But have you tried playing your babe music?Exposing an unborn baby to a variety of sounds isn't exactly a new idea (see: this product, which allows you to place headphones directly on your bump for Baby's listening pleasure) — but it there any benefit to it? We caught up with ob-gyn Kecia Gaither, MD, MPH, FACOG, director...

Bouncing off the walls. It’s pretty much the only way to describe the frenetic energy you might notice in your kiddo after the second, or third, slice of cake at a birthday party. But get this: studies show that there’s actually no link between sugar and hyperactivity in kids, says Chicago-based registered dietician Amanda Baker Lemein, MS, RD. Surprised? You're not alone—most parents assume extra sugar provides kids a quick dose of kooky, but a number of double blind, placebo-controlled studies (the best kind) done over the years haven’t found...

Feeling wiped? Mom-of-three Anna Rodney hasn’t slept through the night since 2009—the year she started breastfeeding. (Her youngest, two years old, is still nursing and has yet to stop.) We caught up with the Founder of Chicago Family Doulas for an honest take on what it’s like to nurse a five-year-old (in public, to boot), how nursing on demand impacts her daily life, and why she's still making milk, nine years in. Can you take us through a timeline of your breastfeeding journey? I started breastfeeding in 2009 after my...

Most babies make it easy on you—they’ll fuss when they’re uncomfortable, says Payal Adhikari, MD, a pediatrician with Child & Adolescent Health Associates in Chicago. It’s normal for your baby's hands and feet to feel a little cold (or even look slightly purple those first few weeks of life as their circulation adjusts to working on its own) but the core of baby’s body (her stomach and back) should feel warm like yours does—not super hot or frigid cold. So what does that mean when it comes to getting dressed?...

Gearing up to give your little their first bite of real (pureed) food—or running into questions as you transition into bigger bites? Consider this your ultimate cheat sheet. Our go-to pediatrician Payal Adhikari, MD, with Child and Adolescent Health Associates in Chicago, is sharing her ten best tips for teaching your baby the art of a good chow. 4-6 months is a good time to start solids “I like to start closer to six months, or when your baby shows an interest in food and has good head and trunk...

You’ve probably heard about those naturally great sleepers—the baby who snoozes through the night at six weeks, or the six-month-old who exclusively takes two-hour naps. But for a good majority of parents, getting baby to sleep well takes work. (Sometimes, hours of it—at 3 a.m.) And that’s where sleep training comes into play: it’s the process of teaching baby to self-soothe, so he or she can fall asleep on their own, minus the song and dance (ie: 45 minutes of rocking and sneaking quietly out the door) from Mom or...

It's one of the first big decisions you'll make as a new mom: help that baby to latch, or pop open a tiny formula bottle? (For some women, there is no choice— their body or baby makes the decision.) But how exactly does nature's milk differ from the store-bought stuff, and what does it mean for you and your little? We spoke with family physician Rallie McAllister, MD, MPH, coauthor of The Mommy MD Guide to Your Baby’s First Year (and a mom of three who fed her babies a...