Was your child near the marathon bombings? He might need his ears checked.
We've been reading in the news about all the people who have had hearing loss from the bombs at the Boston Marathon. Some of them didn't go to the doctor until days later, when they realized that they just weren't hearing right.
The thing is, kids might not realize that.
That's what the ear specialists at Boston Children's Hospital, where I work, are worried about. Children, especially small children, may not understand what's going on when they lose hearing. And they may not be able to explain what it is they are experiencing.
So--if your child was within about 300 feet of either blast (especially if not shielded by a building), if your child was with you and either of you needed any medical care afterward or if your child has any signs of a hearing problem, talk to your doctor about getting an ear and hearing check.
Signs of a problem could include:
- Ear pain (and obviously any bleeding or fluid coming out of the ear)
- Ringing in the ears (a younger child may complain of hearing something)
- Not responding normally when spoken to
- Asking people to repeat what they say
- Turning up the volume on things like the TV
Really young children might be more clingy or irritable than usual, and be less interactive.
Some ear problems from the blast may get better by themselves--but some may need treatment, and if there is a permanent hearing loss, the sooner you know, the better. So talk to your doctor if you have any worries at all. The Audiology department at Boston Children's offers hearing tests in Boston and Waltham--you can call 617-355-6461 for more information.
FAQ: What causes warts--and what can you do about them?
- Salicylic acid. This is the most common treatment, and it's widely available in different forms (liquid, discs or a solid stick like a glue stick) without a prescription. I suggest to parents that they rub the wart gently with a nail file before using the medication (soaking it in warm water can help too). It still can take weeks or months for them to go away--like I said, these things don't go away quickly.
- Freezing. Warts don't like being frozen, and this can help them go away a bit sooner (again, not quickly). There are freezing treatments you can buy without a prescription, and they are certainly worth a shot--but for more effective freezing treatments, you'll need to see your doctor or a dermatologist.
- Duct tape. If you stick the tape over the wart and change it every few days, it may help by taking off the top layer of the wart. The cool colors of duct tape now available may make this a more appealing option to kids--and not only does it cover it from view (although they may have to explain why they have duct tape on them), by covering it, you can help prevent the spread.
- Other home remedies. I've heard about people using all sorts of stuff on warts, like garlic, vitamin E, aloe and even carrots. I don't think there are any good studies to know if any of these actually work--I would try the other remedies first--but I don't think they can hurt.
The Slacker's Guide to Screen-Free Week
Finding autism early: 6 important questions about your toddler
- Does your child take an interest in other children?
- Does your child ever use his finger to point at or ask for something?
- Does your child ever bring objects over to you to show you something?
- Does your child imitate you?
- Does your child respond to his name when you call?
- If you point at a toy across the room, does your child look at it?
Watching for stress: suggestions and resources for parents this week
- Be watchful of, and patient with, your child's behavior. Stress could play out as worry and clinginess, but it could also show up as irritability or defiance. Children may seem sad for no reason, have difficulty concentrating, not want to be alone or even regress. This is all normal after a traumatic event--but it's not normal if it's really interfering with daily life, if you think your child may hurt himself, or if the changes last more than a week or two. Call your doctor if you have any concerns.
- Be more proactive about conversations. Just because your child hasn't told you that she heard something at school that upset her doesn't mean she hasn't. Ask questions. Make yourself available to your child--try to have some undivided attention time, some hanging out time, so that your child can talk to you. Answer your child's questions simply and honestly.
- Keep in touch with the school. If your child is having a tough time, let the teacher know. Even if your child seems okay, it's a good idea to talk to the teacher and principal about what is happening at school--in the classroom and on the playground. Working together is always best.
- Continue to reassure your child that you, and many other people, are working hard to keep them safe. The fact that the suspects were caught in four days is a good example. Talk about that, and about the firefighters and the police and other people whose job it is to help us be safe, as well as about all the people who care about them and watch out for them every single day.
- Keep hugging them. I just can't say that enough, I think.
Moving forward after the Boston Marathon bombings: advice for parents
"When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.' To this day, especially in times of disaster, I remember my mother's words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers--so many caring people in this world."
After the Boston Marathon explosions, what parents should do first
If you believe in vaccines, can you speak up?
My Touchscreen Generation Kid
Fifteen e's in please--clearly, he's serious.
It's easy to roll your eyes at this kind of thing. Kids these days--they just want the latest, coolest technology. They should go outside and play instead. Or read books.
But if you watch Liam play with my iPad, it's easy to see why he loves it. He bangs out songs on drums or piano keys, does puzzles, draws pictures, plays spelling games, flies airplanes...he moves in and out of the different apps, completely captivated.
Yeah, I want him to read books and play outside--which is why I make sure he does both. But I like that he has touchscreen time. It is giving him something that my older, non-touchscreen generation kids didn't have.
For Liam, everything is 3D. Content has depth; whether it's just links, or that it can be manipulated, picked up and looked at different way, he sees the page and the word and the world in a way that is fascinating to me. Nothing is just there; there is always more you can do with it, always a different way you can think about it. I think that it makes him more creative, more willing to look at things differently, more empowered.
And for Liam, every day (sometimes every moment) is full of questions that can and should be answered. He doesn't understand why anyone would let a question linger, when there is an iPad or a smartphone nearby. "Look it up!" he'll demand, and we do--and we read and look at pictures and videos. Which inevitably leads to more questions and things to look up--and then to trips to museums and battleships and ponds. For Liam, life is about exploring and learning.
These are the gifts of growing up with the Internet and touch screens. Yes, we need to be careful and thoughtful and monitor what our kids do (the Common Sense Media website is a great resource), as we should do with all aspects of our kids' lives, not just media. But these are tremendous tools for our children, with so many possibilities.
I don't know that Liam will get an iPad just yet, though. But maybe if he asks Santa Claus instead of the Easter Bunny...
To help prevent obesity, give your kid a smaller plate
Make your plate look like the plate at choosemyplate.gov: half fruits and vegetables, a quarter whole grains, and a quarter protein (like meat, fish or eggs). Those are the proportions that make up the healthiest diet.- Don't make kids finish everything on their plates. The Clean Plate Club (a phrase my parents used often) is a really bad idea. It's way better to let kids listen to their own hunger cues, and stop eating when they are full. Make sure they eat at least some of the fruits or vegetables on the plate (in our house, the rule is three bites), but if they leave food on their plate, that's fine. One big caveat, though: resist the temptation to let them raid the cupboard when they don't finish their meal. If you want to reinforce good eating habits, they should wait until the next scheduled (healthy) meal or snack.
It's Autism Awareness Month: how aware are you?
- not talking, or saying very few words
- not responding to their name by 12 months
- not making eye contact
- preferring to be alone, not wanting to be held
- getting upset with any change in routine
- not playing "pretend" with toys by 18 months
- repetitive movements, like hand-flapping or rocking
Medicalizing normal: why patients (and doctors) need to ask questions
FAQ: when should my child be potty trained?
- Your child shows an interest (follows people into the bathroom, takes off diaper, wants to sit on the potty, etc)
- Your child has words or some other way to communicate with you that he wants to use the potty
- Your child can pull his pants up and down and get on and off the potty (or toilet) by himself.
Starting solids too early: a communication problem?
Why is it that 40 percent of mothers in a study gave solid foods to their baby before doctors say they should?
- "My baby was old enough." (88.9 percent)
- "My baby seemed hungry" (71.4 percent)
- "My baby wanted to eat the food I ate, or in other ways showed an interest in solid food" (66.8 percent)
When to call the doctor
Same-sex marriage: why supporting it is good for children
On middle school dances, parenthood--and hope
Quiz: How smart are you about salmonella?
How about explaining THESE toys?
Last week I read about how Mattel (the toy company) flew in some "influential mommy bloggers" to talk to them about toy cars. Apparently sales are down--and since moms buy toys, they figured they should talk directly to them--especially since moms, being girls and all, might not "get" the whole playing with cars thing. So they talked to them about just how cool cars are, and about how playing with Hot Wheels can improve hand-eye coordination.
Really?
The Mouthy Housewives had an absolutely hilarious response (don't read it somewhere you have to be quiet--I laughed out loud), explaining to moms how to play with other Boy Toys such as balls, sticks, Thomas trains, action figures and play tools. But as I thought about it, I think that Mattel's approach has some merit.
I'm good with cars. I like little toy cars. Rewarding my son Liam with them is what clinched potty training for him. We have hundreds of them. Well, maybe not hundreds, although it seems that way sometimes when we are cleaning the toy room. We have a mat that has roads on it and it's fun to play with the cars on that, or on racetracks (although we always seem to lose pieces crucial to holding the tracks together).
I am, however, fuzzy on the value of certain other toys--and I bet some of you guys are too. There have been so many times that I've wondered what exactly the manufacturer was thinking; wouldn't it be great to have the chance to ask? I could write for pages about toys that puzzle me. But in the interest of (your) time, I'll just give three examples:
What's up with the Lego kits? Whatever happened to, I don't know, using your imagination and building things? And why do the kits have to be so complicated? My son got two for Christmas, and we got in a collective family bad mood trying to keep all the bags properly sorted and follow the directions. - And those stuffed animals that walk or bark or do whatever--huh? Again, what happened to using your imagination? They always seem so cool, and my kids have asked for them over the years, but it turns out that not only are they boring (the one or two things they do get old pretty quickly) but the hardware that makes them do stuff ensures that they are Really Not Snuggly.
- And (sorry, as a pediatrician, have to get this one in): why do so many video games have to be violent? Even many rated "Everyone" (okay, that's 10+, but the reality is lots of younger kids play them) like Lego Lord of the Rings are reasonably violent. "They are not actually people," my first-grader likes to point out. "They don't die--they can be put back together." This is true, but why do we have to encourage play violence? Wouldn't it be great if the games discouraged violence?
I'm likely not influential enough, but I would love to be flown in by toy manufacturers and fed brunch and have this stuff explained to me. What about you? Which toys would you like explained?
It's of course possible that I'm missing the boat, or just getting old. When I asked my two youngest children (they are 12 and 7) if there were any toys they thought were bad or didn't make sense, their response was quick and simple: "No."
FAQ: when should I start my baby on solids?
It's a milestone that parents get both excited and scared about: starting solids. Making that transition from breast milk or formula (or both) to stuff that requires spoons is something that many parents in my practice have lots of questions about.
- Babies should start solids between 4 and 6 months.
- They shouldn't start before they are ready to take the food off a spoon (don't mix it in the bottle, please!). If Baby pushes his tongue back or otherwise doesn't seem to know what to do with the spoon, put it away and try again in a week or two.
- While exclusively breastfed babies really don't need solids before 6 months, recent research suggests that adding other foods improves iron levels (although breastfeeding alone doesn't leave babies without enough iron)
- A study just out suggests that starting cereals before 5.5 months (and fish before 9 months and egg before 11 months) can decrease the risk of asthma and allergies.
- No matter what anybody tells you, there is no Best First Food. Cereal (but not rice cereal, because of arsenic) mixed with breast milk or formula, or a pureed fruit or vegetable, is usually what I recommend. If you buy it, get a single ingredient food (the ones marketed for starting out); if you make it, make sure there are no lumps and don't add any salt or sugar or anything else.
- Give each new food a few days (at least three) before adding a new one. That makes it easier to pick up on any signs of an allergy or other problem (like diarrhea or constipation).
The effects of ADHD can last a lifetime--what parents need to do
- Regular contact with a mental health professional. This might be every week for some children. For other children it might be much less frequent--but all children should have it. It's not okay to just get a prescription for ADHD medication--good mental health care is way more than that.
- The school program they need. Each child is different, but kids with ADHD have different learning styles and needs than kids who don't have it. Far too many of them end up feeling stupid, or doing poorly when a different program could have helped them to succeed--and both have lifelong consequences, whether or not the ADHD hangs around. Know your child's rights--and fight for them. Ask for help if you need it--from your doctor, your teacher, an educational advocate.
- A doctor who is aware of, and screening for, ongoing ADHD and other mental health problems that may come with it. As teens become young adults and enter the adult health care system, it's especially important that they keep this in mind.
When (and how) to talk to your daughter about periods
In that list of awkward-parenting-moments-we-wish-we-could-avoid-but-can't, talking to daughters about periods is way up there. It's just hard to talk about. It's hard to know what to say, and it's tough because it has to do with sex--my experience is that most parents get a bit squirmy talking to their kids about anything related to sex.
FAQ: should kids have nutritional supplement drinks?
What your doctor is supposed to do for your child's earache
- Anybody with a severe infection
- Anybody with other health problems that put them at risk of complications
- Children under 6 months old
- Children 6-23 months who have infections in both ears
Why Snapchat is dangerous (it's not just because of sexting)
About the author
Claire McCarthy, M.D., is a pediatrician and Medical Communications Editor at Boston Children's Hospital . An assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and a senior editor for Harvard More »Recent blog posts
- Was your child near the marathon bombings? He might need his ears checked.
- FAQ: What causes warts--and what can you do about them?
- The Slacker's Guide to Screen-Free Week
- Finding autism early: 6 important questions about your toddler
- Watching for stress: suggestions and resources for parents this week
Blogroll
- Thriving: Children's Hospital Boston's pediatric health blog
- Huffpost parents
- Vector: Children's Hospital Boston's science and clinical innovation blog





