Video

Dr. Chheda – Now that school is back in session, kids are not outside anymore, which means that they’re probably not getting enough sunshine to absorb vitamin D. Make sure your kids are on vitamin D. Even though it’s a vitamin, it has been noted that almost every cell in the body has a vitamin D receptor. Which means vitamin D works in multiple ways on multiple parts of the body. It’s not just for your bone health. Yes, it will make your bones stronger, but it also helps prevent signs of anxiety and depression. It can also help prevent asthma, and it can help prevent COVID infections. So make sure your child is taking the full amount of vitamin D that they need for their age. Transcriptions from AI and may not be 100% accurate

Dr. Chheda – First semester third grade is almost always when I see a lot of consults coming in for ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). Why is this? Well, there are a number of reasons. Essentially, in kindergarten, first, and second grade, kids are allowed to mature a little bit. The teachers kind of push them along. They’re learning more in a pod style, so there’s three or four kids at centers and they’re learning. Third grade – all of that changes. Third grade is all about individual work, and it’s more about long-term projects. So if there were any learning difficulties that either may not have been noticed or just kind of pushed along, now in 3rd grade, those kids can’t be pushed along anymore. And they will really show up. So be aware: first semester 3rd grade is usually when the teachers will start saying, “You need to have a talk with your pediatrician.” That’s just code – the teachers cannot diagnose. Come in, we’ll see what’s going on, if there truly is a diagnosis ability, or if there might be something else. But learning difficulties usually come to the attention of parents first semester 3rd grade. Transcriptions from AI and may not be 100% accurate

Dr. Chheda – With cold and flu season upon us, your child might start coughing quite a bit. I will tell you that Mucinex has done a great marketing job at saying that they can get rid of your cough. I will tell you that I do not like Mucinex. What Mucinex does is it thins out the mucus and allows you to cough up the mucus. Now kids below the age of 8 years can’t really hack up loogies. They can’t cough up the mucus in the first place. So with Mucinex, now they have double the amount of mucus. And mucus is thinner, they have more mucus now. The mucus is just going up and down and up and down, and they actually cough more. All my patients who come in on Mucinex never get better. So don’t buy it for your kids. Now, if you or an older child can hack up loogies, Mucinex is fine. That’s where it works. But if your child can’t hack up loogies to begin with, don’t buy it. Transcriptions from AI and may not be 100% accurate

Dr. Chheda – Okay, you’ve seen the food pyramid and MyPlate, but this is the graphic I like to show my kids and patients on true food balance. What you’re really looking at is more the ratio of what you’re eating. Yes, I want a variety of fruits and vegetables – more vegetables than fruits – but it’s overall the ratio. Half of your diet should be fruits and vegetables, 1/4 protein, 1/4 grains. Make sure that the grains are whole grain, not enriched flour grains. It’s the ratio that you’re looking at. So if you eat a sandwich, for example, you’ve got a lot of grains in that and maybe not as many fruits and vegetables. Maybe try having an open face sandwich – take away one slice of bread, or fold that one piece of bread in half. Now the ratio of carbs/grains to fruits and vegetables to protein is more what is depicted in this graphic. Transcriptions from AI and may not be 100% accurate

This fun challenge explores how closely twins can mirror each other’s movements. Will they be perfectly in sync, or will we spot some differences? We’ll guide our twin participants through a series of simple actions: Raise one hand Touch your belly Raise a foot Turn around Touch your head The Twin Challenge isn’t just entertaining—it offers a unique glimpse into twin similarities and how shared genetics might influence physical responses. Try this at home with your twins or any pair of siblings. You might be surprised by what you observe! Transcriptions from AI and may not be 100% accurate

Dr. Chheda – Everybody always has questions about the growth chart and the percentiles. But honestly, I don’t really care what percentile you are on the growth chart. Where you are on the growth chart, the percentile, is really determined by genetics. If both parents are only 5 feet tall, the child is never gonna hit 100 percentile. And if both parents are 6 feet tall, if the child is at the fifth percentile, that’s a problem. So where you fall on the chart, whatever your percentile is, is completely determined by genetics. What I really look for is to make sure you’re following a nice parallel curve with the lines. That means that you’re growing at a normal velocity for your age. Transcriptions from AI and may not be 100% accurate

Dr. Chheda – Yes, as a pediatrician, I ask, “Does your child eat vegetables?” You know, when you’re 6, you might say, “I don’t eat broccoli. I don’t like it.” And as a parent, you say, “You know, it’s really a challenge to get them to eat their vegetables.” The day-to-day struggle, everything that needs to get done, where are your priorities? But as a pediatrician, I’m really thinking about the long term. You know, does your child have chronic constipation because they’re not getting enough fiber in their diet? At the age of 35, will your child have a heart attack because instead of eating all that fiber, they ended up eating a lot of trans fat? At the age of 45, is your child going to be at risk for colon cancer because he didn’t have enough fiber in his diet? So I’m really thinking about the endgame and what pathways your child needs to take. So yes, I’m always gonna ask about vegetables. And everything else that I ask about, I’m always thinking about the long term, the endgame. A 10-year-old comes in and says no, I understand that. You know, to stay as healthy as possible, it’s important to consider these long-term effects. Transcriptions from AI and may not be 100% accurate

Dr. Chheda – Let’s talk about bug bites. Mosquitoes and ants cause lots of bites, and sometimes these bites can look very bad – very big and swollen. Kids are often itching all the time. The difference between a normal reaction and an allergic reaction is how far the swelling goes. The swelling is allowed to go from joint to joint, but it’s not allowed to cross the joint. For example, if I got bit on my arm, my joints are my elbow and my wrist. The swelling can spread all the way between these joints, and that is called a local reaction or normal reaction. Now, if the swelling crosses the joint – crosses my elbow or crosses my wrist into my hand – that’s considered an allergic reaction. On the body, where the joints are closer together, if I got bit right here, my two joints are right here, so it’s a small swelling. But on my arm and especially my legs, it can be a large swelling and that’s still normal. So it really depends on where the bite is located. Transcriptions from AI and may not be 100% accurate

Twin Telepathy Challenge – is it true mind-reading, mere coincidence or picking up of cues unconsciously

Dr. Chheda – In pediatrics, we talk a lot about developmental milestones. You know, when a child lifts their head, when they roll over, when they start walking. Now these are great. This is how we know a child develops physically, how their gross motor skills develop. I have a different set of milestones for my own kids. I loved it when they learned how to pour their own milk without spilling a drop, and being able to find something in the refrigerator behind the first row. That is definitely a milestone that even my husband hasn’t figured out yet. There’s all different kinds of milestones. Appreciate the ones that your kids have achieved, look forward to the ones that they’re going to achieve, and just enjoy every age that they’re at. Transcriptions from AI and may not be 100% accurate