Holistic Pediatricians

Dr. Chheda – Your baby can see when they’re first born. They can see colors – you don’t have to keep everything black and white. But their vision is really only about 12 inches, only about a foot, only about from your face to where you’re holding the baby in your arms when you’re feeding. That’s really what they can focus on.

Over time their focus will get better and they will start seeing further and further away. Around 6 months of age, they can start seeing across the room.

So if you have bright colors on, just kind of move around. Wear your bright colors and move around ’cause they will follow the bright colors. They will follow younger siblings. They will follow your pets running all around the house.

The one thing that they really love staring at is a ceiling fan, ’cause really when they’re lying on their back, that’s really all they can see. So your baby can see, your baby can see in colors. If you have any concern about your baby’s vision, please talk to your pediatrician.

Dr. Chheda – The typical symptoms of a cold you might notice is a runny nose, but what really is happening with all the other symptoms? So initially you get a little drip, postnatal drip down the back of your throat, so your throat might feel a little scratchy. So your kids may not wanna eat as much, or they might say my throat hurts. It’s not so much that you can really tell, but you feel eager that scratchiness first.

And then the next day you produce enough mucus that you actually see the runny nose. And then when that running mucus increases, you’ll not only see from the outside, but you get more mucus draining down, and kids will automatically cough to try to keep all that mucus out of their lungs.

We don’t wanna stop the cough. We stop the cough the mucus will drain into the lungs and can turn into a pneumonia. So we want them to cough. Now kids are not great at coughing out, so they cough up and then they swallow the mucus into their stomach.

Now their stomach is full of mucus, so they don’t wanna eat because they’re full of mucus, and they might throw up because mucus is very irritating. So they’ll throw up some mucus, or they might have diarrhea cause all that mucus is gotta come out somehow. So you have more slimy poops.

So yes, you can get vomiting and diarrhea with a cold, and it’s all related to the mucus. Once you stop the mucus, the runny nose stops, the post nasal drip and the sore throat stops, the cough stops, the vomiting stops, the diarrhea stops. Mucus is the issue. So those wanna deal with the mucus part of it, not the other symptoms. All the symptoms will go away once you stop the mucus.

Dr. Chheda – A lot of teenage girls come in and say, “Oh, I’ve got cramps.” Cramps are normal, everybody gets cramps with their periods. Wrong! You are not supposed to get cramps with your period.

Please, if you’re getting cramps, there are things that we can do about it. We don’t want you to be in pain. I definitely don’t want you to be in pain.

So if you’re getting cramps with your periods, please talk to your pediatrician about it because you should not be getting cramps from period. We’re not supposed to normalize pain, so please try not to do it. There are ways around it.

💬 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 have a newborn. You wanna love your newborn. You’ve been waiting for your newborn. You have been planning, you have been buying, you’ve been preparing, you have nested, and now you have a newborn.

And it looks like a wrinkled mess, and you don’t really know if you like it or not cause it’s crying all the time, and it’s really demanding, and you don’t know what to do.

That’s okay. Yes, you will love your baby. Yes, it may not be instant love the minute you meet them, and that’s okay. You didn’t fall instantly in love with your partner the minute you met them – it took time.

You have to get to learn the baby. You have to get to learn the baby’s personality, and you will love the baby. You also have a lot of hormones going through you right now. You have a lot of healing you need to get done.

It’s okay, you will love the baby. It may not be an immediate reaction. If it is, that’s perfectly fine, but if you feel like “I don’t know,” it’s okay – just wait. Give it time. You will love your baby.

Dr. Chheda – A common question parents ask: “Should I send my child to school if they’re sick?” The short answer? No! ❌

💡 In an ideal world, kids would stay home when sick—to recover faster and prevent others from getting sick. But in reality, we know that’s not always possible.

🚨 If your child has a fever, keep them home!

1️⃣ They won’t be able to focus at school.

2️⃣ Their body needs rest to heal.

3️⃣ Exertion will prolong their illness.

🤧 Even with mild symptoms like a runny nose or cough, it’s best to keep them home to avoid spreading germs.

🛡️ How to prevent frequent sickness?

✅ Teach kids to wash hands often ✋

✅ Have them eat fruits & veggies 🍎🥦

✅ Encourage proper rest & hygiene 💤

A strong immune system keeps them healthy! 💪

Dr. Chheda – Ever wonder why teens sometimes feel faint when they stand up too quickly? 🤔 It’s all about gravity! 🌍

Young kids jump up and down all the time with no issues, but during the teen years, growth spurts change how the body regulates blood flow. When lying down, blood pools in the brain. Standing up too fast causes it to drop suddenly, leading to dizziness or even fainting. This is called syncope or a vasovagal response—and it’s completely normal.

🧠 Over time, we learn to sit up first, then stand slowly to prevent fainting. If your teen starts experiencing this, remind them to take it slow—simple as that!

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 –

At 15 months old, toddlers are all about in and out, open and close! 🚪🔄 They’ll empty cabinets, laundry baskets, and even put things in the trash (including your car keys! 😅).

✨ Encourage their curiosity by providing activities that match their love for movement. And yes, their favorite toy? The TV remote—until they realize you took the batteries out! 😂

Dr. Chheda – Can substance abuse hurt someone? That’s a great question! There are many types of substances and addictions, and all of them can have serious effects.

🚨 Types of Substance Abuse:

❌ Illegal substances – Cocaine, marijuana (illegal in some states), crystal meth

❌ Legal substances – Alcohol, tobacco, prescription opioids

❌ Behavioral addictions – Video gaming, gambling

📌 How does addiction work?

All of these substances or activities increase dopamine, the brain’s “feel-good” chemical. You take it → dopamine rises → you feel happy. But over time, your brain needs more and more to feel the same way.

💔 What happens next?

⚠️ You may stop eating, sleeping, or taking care of yourself.

⚠️ You may focus only on getting more of that substance.

⚠️ Your health, relationships, and even your future may suffer. For children and teens, substance abuse can damage brain development and cause lifelong health issues. It can affect:

🧠 Brain growth

🩺 Organ function (like your liver)

⚡ Overall health and well-being

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, reach out for help. You deserve support! 💙