Article
Grow Energetic: Guthrie’s Story Guthrie Martin, age 7, is the oldest of three brothers, an aspiring zookeeper, and a big fan of jumping –onto, off of, and over just about anything. “I like to jump over my little brothers,” says Guthrie. “And on my bed. And the ottoman and chairs. Also off the couch, the big
Article
Emergency Room or Urgent Care? When Your Child Needs Care, Here's Where to Go It’s stressful enough when you or your child is sick or injured. It’s even more stressful if you’re not sure where to go – the emergency room, urgent care center or your doctor. Here’s a list to break it down.
Article
“He Has His Life Back”: Ben’s Story Last summer, Ben Kline couldn’t make it from the kitchen to his bedroom without hugging the wall. He was having trouble balancing. He had a constant headache. He was so sensitive to light, he had to stop playing video games. He was so sensitive to sound, his younger sister
Article
More than 60 Children Screened for Heart Abnormalities at “Check Your Beat: Kids EKG” Event in Westport Westport, CT (February 8, 2025) – Connecticut Children’s and the Hearts in Harmony Foundation hosted a successful Check Your Beat: Kids EKG event today at the Westport Specialty Care Center. This community event raised awareness about Long QT Syndrome (LQTS), a life-threatening Article
Prevention Starts With Connection: Supporting Student Mental Health By Isabella Baldino: Young people between the ages of 10 and 34 are at a heightened risk for suicide , making adolescence and early adulthood a critical time for prevention, early intervention and connection to support. For many students, the college years fall within the late stages of adolescence
Article
How Social Media Impacts Mental Health and Changes Brain Activity, and What to Do By Melissa Santos, PhD: This article was originally written in January 2023 and has been updated as of February 4, 2025. Studies have shown that there is a possible link between social media and brain changes in young adolescents. MRI brain scans showed that teens who frequently check social media had
Article
Are You Disinfecting Your Baby’s Gear Correctly? By Patricia Garcia, MD, MPH: This article was originally published in March 2020. Updated in November 2023. As parents who dread peak illness season, we're all trying to do a better job disinfecting items and surfaces that get a lot of contact. That goes for baby gear, too. Of course, cleaning baby gear is
Article
Grow Caring: Claire’s Story Seven-year-old Claire is never one to drag her feet. “She doesn’t walk, she bounces,” says mom Tracy. And that was true even before she was born, when at 33 weeks pregnant, doctors announced that baby Claire was on her way – seven weeks early.
Article
At the Forefront of Newborn Screening By Debbie Ellis, RN, BSN: By: Debbie Ellis, RN, BSN It’s a tiny prick on a newborn baby’s heel, but it can have a huge impact on the rest of their life. In 2011, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared newborn screening one of the 10 greatest public health achievements of the 21st century
Article
Common Sleep Issues, Age by Age By Haviva Veler, MD, FAASM: This article was originally published in February 2024 and has been updated in June 2025. Good sleep is important for children’s physical, emotional and cognitive development. The challenge? Getting good, consistent sleep isn’t always easy for growing kids. Haviva Veler, MD
Article
Innovating with Purpose: Semantic Saturation By Jacquelyn M. Rose, MPH: This is the first in a series of blogs describing Connecticut Children’s Office for Community Child Health’s journey to cultivate and nurture a culture of social innovation. Over the course of the last fiscal year, a small, multi-disciplinary team from Connecticut Children’s Article
"My Friend Has Cancer:" Helping Adolescents and Young Adults Cope By Mary Laliberte: Normally, adolescents and young adults first experience cancer from older relatives who have been diagnosed. But what happens when a peer gets diagnosed with cancer? Mary Laliberte, Licensed Clinical Social Worker at Connecticut Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders
Article
Childhood Conversations: Together We Will By Jacquelyn M. Rose, MPH: Earlier this month, Childhood Prosperity Lab had the opportunity to present at the 2024 Childhood Conversations: Together We Will Conference. The Childhood Conversations Conference started in 2007 as a strategy to give parents access to the same information and content that
Article
The World’s Smallest Mechanical Heart Valve: Ellis’ Story To solve a life-threatening heart defect, Ellis Schwartz-Mosca’s care team at Connecticut Children’s had to think big – by thinking small. On Oct. 27, Connecticut Children’s pediatric cardiac surgeons successfully implanted the world’s tiniest mechanical heart valve into Ellis’