Connecticut Children's Blog

In September 2019, Ellen and Jon Lindblom traveled to China to bring home the newest member of their family — Ayla, then a shy 6-year-old. They carried a letter from Connecticut Children’s Felice Heller, MD, urging the agency to expedite the adoption so Ayla could get immediate medical care. Not three months later, China shut […]

Kids come in different shapes, sizes and personalities! It is important to recognize, however, that there is an ongoing childhood obesity problem in this country—for many reasons. This means, unfortunately, children and adolescents with obesity struggle with teasing, bullying and social rejection because of weight stigma. Connecticut Children’s pediatric psychologist Dr. Vanessa Laurent explains what […]

When your teen is nearing the end of high school, they’ll suddenly need to take control of lots of aspects of their lives, from meal planning to healthcare. That includes finances. As adults, we sometimes assume that once a teen is a certain age, they’ll naturally know how to manage money. For some, that may […]

By: Saima N. Jafri, DO, Connecticut Children’s Care Network Maybe you’re a first-time parent or maybe this isn’t your first rodeo. Either way, many of us parents still “fear the fever.” Do we need to be worried when our kids spike a low- or high-grade fever? Dr. Saima Jafri, pediatrician with Connecticut Children’s Care Network, […]

By Christine Finck, MD, FACS, Surgeon-in-Chief and Michael Reiss, PsyD September is National Childhood Obesity Month—a time to raise awareness about this complex and challenging problem in our country. One in five kids in the U.S. is obese and childhood obesity can put kids at risk for conditions like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure […]

From September 15 to October 15, we celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month, which honors the history, culture and contributions of Americans with ancestry from Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Spain. Why does the celebration fall within two months? What’s the difference between “Hispanic” and “Latino?” How can we celebrate and honor our […]

Academic performance, behavior and mood are all dependent on good sleep. Kids need more sleep than we do (9-10 hours per night for children ages 5-12, and 8-9 hours per night for teens). Here are some helpful techniques to help get your child’s back-to-school sleep schedule back on track. Want more articles like this from […]

All newborn babies need special attention in the first few days of life to make sure they are healthy, but some need more care and monitoring, especially if they’re born early or with certain medical problems. That’s why many hospitals have specialized nurseries or neonatal intensive care units (NICUs).   Not all NICUs are the […]