Newborn care

If you've been in a pediatrician's office in the fall, you've probably heard the acronym RSV thrown around a lot. It stands for Respiratory Syncytial Virus, and if you're a parent of a baby or young child, it's worth understanding — because this season, there are more tools than ever to protect your little one from it. Let's break it down the way I always do: Who, What, and Why. WHO is at risk? RSV can infect anyone, but it hits two groups the hardest: Babies, especially thos

If you've turned on the news lately, you've probably seen vaccines front and center again. It seems like every few months there's a new headline, a new controversy, or a new claim circulating online that makes parents pause and wonder, "Wait, are vaccines actually safe for my child?" So today on The Pediatric Checkup, we're going to walk through the who, what, when, and why of childhood vaccines, and tackle some of the most persistent misinformation I hear from families in cl

There have been a lot of news headlines recently about some parents declining the vitamin K dose that is given to newborns after birth. So, what's the big deal? And why are doctors worried about this? In today's blog of The Pediatric Checkup, we'll tackle the who's, what's, and why's of vitamin K, do some myth busting and hopefully address why this has become a controversial topic. So, let's dive in! What even is vitamin K? Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin and is a sub