Holistic Pediatricians

Dr. Chheda –

Let’s talk about a universal truth of adolescence: the “invincibility complex.” Every teenager goes through this phase where they believe nothing bad can happen to them.

You’ll hear thoughts like: “I don’t need a seatbelt” “It won’t happen to me” “I’m not going to get hurt”

For parents, this can be terrifying. But here’s what you can do:

Keep repeating safety messages

Consistently model good behavior

Understand that some mistakes are part of growing up

The goal isn’t to prevent every mistake – that’s impossible.

Instead, focus on preventing those permanent, life-altering ones.

That’s every parent’s real concern.

Dr. Chheda – A compassionate look at why teens might resist personal care:

Body changes and self-consciousness

Common hygiene resistance patterns

Why forcing habits often backfires

Natural motivation development

Tips for patient parenting

💬 It’s important to give back. Absolutely! I cannot agree with that statement more. I think sometimes as adults we are part of organizations and we find fun things to do, whether be a 5K run for a fundraiser, whether it be donating hours, food bank, soup kitchen, that type of things. Even getting the kids’ old shoes and clothes are things like that – it gives back.

Don’t miss those opportunities with your children as well. Don’t just do it – show them how to do it. I think giving back is a wonderful opportunity to build confidence and to show them how to be good to your community and to those who are less fortunate. I think it’s a good reality check for some of our children. Humbles them.

Teaches them gratitude. And your child is never too young. I remember I used to take my son to a soup kitchen when he was 1, and he would scribble on the brown paper bags that we would put food in, and then go and deliver it to people in need. So your child is never too young. Don’t forget to give back.

Dr. Chheda – 💧 You start feeding water to your infant after 6 months of age. Before 6 months of age, they’re getting plenty of hydration with either breast milk or with formula. You don’t need to feed them any extra water.

What will end up happening if you give them water is that they will fill up on the water. Now they won’t eat because their stomach is full, and then they’re not gonna get the nutrition or the calories that they need.

So no, you don’t need to give your infant water until after 6 months of age. And then at that point, they can take about 4 ounces of water a day, just tiny sips at a time, especially after they eat. And that’ll help clean all the food out of their mouth. So don’t introduce water before 6 months of age.

Dr. Chheda – How do you get your toddler to eat more vegetables? There’s lots of different ways. I’ll just tell you what I did.

I would blend up whatever vegetables we had, cooked them, blended them, added some spices to them, and then made a vegetable soup. And I gave it to them in a bowl with a straw, so all they had to do was suck them. That was fun!

And every week I would make vegetable soup, and I would put in different vegetables. Whatever we had would go into the vegetable soup. And they’ll be like, “Well, this tastes a little different this week, mom.” “Yes it does, but that’s okay you can eat it.”

You can put some goldfish on top of them, you know, make it a little fun. But at least they’re getting their vegetables.

What things have you done with your toddler to help them eat their vegetables? Put them in a pressure cooker.

Dr. Chheda – Let’s talk about a common concern: toddler eating habits between 18 months and 3½ years. During this phase, something interesting happens – children become grazers!

Here’s what’s normal: Your toddler might take a bite, run off to play, come back for another bite, and repeat this pattern all day. This isn’t a problem – it’s actually developmentally appropriate!

Restaurant tip: This might not be the best age for dining out, as sitting still just isn’t in their nature right now. Important points to remember:

This age group doesn’t need many calories, but they do need nutrition

Focus on offering fruits and vegetables throughout the day

Avoid the “clean your plate” rule, which can create unhealthy habits

Grazing is a perfectly safe and healthy eating pattern for toddlers

Is your child having difficulty sleeping? It’s a common concern that we address during well visits, and there are some tips and tricks that you can do to help your child sleep better.

The first one is no screen time an hour before you sleep. So really that should be unwinding time. That should be meditation, maybe journaling, drawing, reading, yoga – absolutely.

The second is to make sure that you are physically active earlier in the day. When your body is physically tired, it will help you sleep better, but don’t exercise right before you sleep in that one hour. The third, for our older kids, they could drink a little bit of chamomile tea, and that will help kind of calm them. They can also take magnesium. Teenagers can take 200 mg of magnesium to help them sleep. And side note: it also helps with some anxiety.

Lastly, make sure that the temperature is just right – not too cold, not too hot.

Hope your child sleeps better tonight!

Dr. Chheda – I actually do like the use of pacifiers. Babies will learn to self soothe, and whether they use their fingers, their thumb, or a pacifier, they will find something to soothe themselves with. And I would rather a pacifier because I can get rid of a pacifier. I can’t really get rid of a thumb or finger.

At 18 months of age, what you want to do is cut the tip of the pacifier, give it back to the child. They will immediately look at it, say “broken” and throw it away. Within two to three days, your child will not ask for the pacifier anymore. It’s a very easy way to get rid of it. And around 18 months is when most babies are ready to get rid of their pacifier, or their finger and thumb. But you want to make sure that if it is a finger or a thumb, you talk to your pediatrician about how you might have your child stop that habit.

But I do like pacifiers because they are so easy to get rid of.

Dr. Chheda – 🥦 Okay so I come from an Indian background. To me, boiled vegetables without any flavour is just nasty. And so if you’re trying to feed your child, regardless of what age they are, just boiled vegetables or steamed vegetables and they say they don’t like them? Flavour it up!

Put in whatever flavouring you think that they would like. You know, Mrs. Dash makes lots of flavourings without any added sodium. Sprinkle Mrs. Dash on them. If you want a little bit of Indian flavour, some curry powder. If you want a little bit of Chinese flavour, the Chinese five spice recipe – whatever!

But flavour it up, and then you’ll notice that they’re actually eating it. Why do you think toddlers dip their vegetables in ranch? To give it a little bit of flavour.

Steamed boiled vegetables without any flavour? Hmm, not so interesting.

Dr. Chheda – 🏥 Understanding Medical Advice: A Doctor’s Perspective

The role of medical advice:

Based on education, experience & evidence

Patient decides whether to follow

Trust and understanding are key

Open dialogue is essential