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Dr. Chheda – Mom, I’m bored. You know this is kid talk for “please give me a screen”. Mom, don’t give into that. Kids are supposed to be bored. That is when their creative juices start flowing. Have them hang out in your bedroom closet and try on different clothes and act out a play. Give them paper and pencils. You don’t have to give them anything specifically, but let their creative juices flow. Kids need to be bored. This is when they learn. This is when they start thinking outside of the box. This is what the teachers want you to do – be spontaneous, think a little bit more creativity. Creativity, and this will help them get into the gifted and talented program, you never know. But when kids are bored, that’s when they play better. Let their creative juices flow, let them figure out what to do. Do not give them a screen. Transcriptions from AI and may not be 100% accurate

Dr. Chheda – A helmet is not a fashion accessory, it is for safety. So when your child is putting their helmet on, it’s not supposed to be like this – they’re not protecting this whole part of their brain. It does have to be like this – just make sure that they’re covering the part of their brain that needs to be covered and then they’re wearing it properly, buckling it in and making sure the straps are secure. But anytime your child is on anything with wheels – bicycle, skateboard, rollerblades, hoverboards – even if they’re inside the house or outside the house, they need to be wearing a helmet to protect their brain. Transcriptions from AI and may not be 100% accurate

Dr. Chheda – Summer fruit is excellent. Think about strawberries, watermelon, pears, papaya, apples, kiwis. There are so many fruits in season during the summer. They taste great – you got your plums, your peaches, your nectarines. They’re all coming out in season during the summer. When the kids are at home, introduce them to new fruits. If your kids like the sweeter fruits, you know which ones to go for. Most sweets are sweet. If your kids not a fruit fan, you’d be surprised. Aim for more of the tart fruits, like your kiwis, and then that citrusy, almost pineapple flavor they might enjoy. You can always sprinkle some black pepper, chili powder on your fruits. Jac masala is great. Even balsamic vinegar on watermelon – hmm it’s amazing. Try it out this summer. Transcriptions from AI and may not be 100% accurate

Dr. Chheda – Summer is a wonderful time to get your kids to enjoy reading. A lot of libraries and bookstores have summer reading programs, and it helps your child do better in school if they read more. One of the only indicators of a higher IQ is the number of vocabulary words you know, so encourage your kids to read, do the summer reading programs. You can use the same books for both programs, the library and the bookstore, and that way you only have to read half as much. If the kids are smart enough, they can get away with this and then still get their rewards. As you can see, I love reading. I’ve got tons and tons of books. I think reading is great, and enjoy your summer reading. Transcriptions from AI and may not be 100% accurate

Dr. Chheda – So how do you know if your child is ready for toilet training? Well essentially there’s three main steps. The first is to get your child to sit on the toilet. The second is to have your child do something in the toilet. And then the third is for them to tell you “Hey, I need to go to the bathroom” – that sensation of needing to go is the last step. Actually, don’t wait for that to happen. But kids are ready to start toilet training between 15 to 18 months. By 18 months you should be starting. They should be able to sit on a toilet without screaming their heads off. So start off with that process first and aim for that 15 to 18 month time range, and kids are ready to toilet train. Transcriptions from AI and may not be 100% accurate

Dr. Chheda – Sometimes I don’t know what to talk about and that’s okay. But I really wanna be able to answer your questions. So if you guys have any questions related to your children, children’s health developments growth, anything in the world of pediatrics, why don’t you just send me a comment on whichever platform you’re watching this on. And I will try to get to all those questions in the next few weeks. Transcriptions from AI and may not be 100% accurate

Dr. Chheda – A lot of dads get really upset when their sweet little girl who was always attached to dad, wanting to do things with dad, all of a sudden says no and doesn’t want to do anything with dad anymore, and only wants to hang out with her friends. This is completely normal. All adolescents have to go through this phase where they turn away from their family and they are attached more to their friends. It’s not that they’re saying no to dad, that’s how dads always feel, and it really really breaks their hearts when their little girl goes away. But it’s to help the adolescent become an independent person. They still love their dads and they will still come back to dads. So dads if you’re watching this, have heart, your girls still love you and they will come back, just give them a little bit of time. Transcriptions from AI and may not be 100% accurate

Dr. Chheda – Molluscum contagiosum, it’s got a really bad name – contagiosum, but it’s not really all that contagious. It’s essentially a virus that causes warts on the body. You can have these warts all over your body – you could have thousands from head to toe, or you could have five. But the body doesn’t care about them because they don’t actually do anything damaging to the body. After about a year, 18 months, the body finally says okay, and they leave absolutely no scars whatsoever. So if you leave molluscum contagiosum alone, it will go away without scarring. It’ll take a while, but they will go away. There are some new treatments that the FDA approved to help get rid of them faster. So if you want to get rid of them faster, go see your pediatrician. But really, it’s a cosmetic issue, and it’s not as bad as the body saying “I’m annoyed with you, let’s get rid of you.” Then the body will start blistering the little warts, and then they go away. Transcriptions from AI and may not be 100% accurate

At Harmony Pediatrics, we offer ear piercings for both patients and non-patients. The earrings we use are medical-grade plastic that do not cause any kind of allergic reaction. They are very easy to take care of and look magnificent – like little sparkling diamonds. In fact, I had my second ear piercing done with these earrings myself. These earrings look beautiful and sparkle with everything. I think they are stunning earring options, especially for children getting their ears pierced. If you’re interested in getting an ear piercing done, whether for yourself or your child, go to Harmonypeds.com. That’s Harmonypeds.com to learn more and schedule an appointment for this service at our pediatric practice. Transcriptions from AI and may not be 100% accurate

Dr. Chheda – A common question I get is when is the right age for your child to get a cell phone. It’s a complicated answer, but it really depends on what the cell phone is used for. Is it just for calling so you want to be able to communicate with your child? “Oh mom, I’m running late, can you pick me up at this time?” Are you using it for purposes like a camera or to access the internet? Are you using it for social media? And that’s the real concern that most parents have. The American Academy of Pediatrics says to wait until 8th grade for social media interaction. A lot of it really depends on how responsible your child is and how much you trust your child. Whenever you do give your child a phone, just make sure that you have access to the phone, access to all passwords, and that it is not being kept in their room overnight. If you can adhere to that, then you will go a long way in making sure that your child stays safe. Transcriptions from AI and may not be 100% accurate