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12 Calming Exercises to Teach Your Child This article was originally written in April 2020. Updated in December 2023. Just like adults, it’s easy for kids to get lost in troubling thoughts, and overwhelmed by the physical sensations that accompany stress. But kids can learn to calm themselves by focusing on what’s

Leveraging Medicaid to Promote Children’s Health By Paul Dworkin, MD: As our country continues to grapple with how best to achieve meaningful healthcare reform, we have an auspicious opportunity to enhance opportunities for leveraging Medicaid to transform child health services to promote children’s optimal health, development, and well-being

Obesity: Reducing Weight Bias, Stigma and Discrimination By Nancy Trout, MD: By: Nancy Trout, MD, MPH The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently released the Clinical Practice Guideline for the Evaluation and Treatment of Children and Adolescents with Obesity, describing the condition for the first time as a common, complex, and chronic disease

Highlighting World Breastfeeding Week: The Vital Importance of Breastfeeding By Nancy Trout, MD: This World Breastfeeding Week, it’s essential to reaffirm the profound benefits of breastfeeding for infants, mothers, and the environment. Breastfeeding is universally endorsed by the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, who recommend

Child Health Providers Should Focus on Child Well-Being By Lisa Honigfeld, PhD: By: Lisa Honigfeld, PhD I was honored to be invited to share my thoughts on the transformation of pediatric health care for the 2020 Paul H. Dworkin, MD Lecture. This lecture, given annually as a Pediatric Grand Rounds session at Connecticut Children’s, is named for Dr. Dworkin

6 Tips to Help Kids Deal With Peer Pressure By Lauren K. Ayr-Volta, PhD: TikTok dares. Drug and alcohol abuse. Bullying. Peer pressure can lead to a lot of difficult and dangerous situations for kids and teens. It’s hard for your child to know how to handle that, especially in the moment. But you can help them understand what to watch out for, and

Honoring a Trailblazer in Fight Against HIV and AIDS Danielle Warren-Dias is a passionate advocate for women and children who are living with HIV and AIDS. In honor of World AIDS Day 2021, the Connecticut World AIDS Day Committee presented Warren-Dias with the 2021 Trailblazer Award during the virtual 2021 Connecticut World AIDS

Worried About Having the Back-to-School Talk With Your Child? 8 Steps to Prepare By Robert D. Keder, MD: Getting your child ready for this school year includes big decisions – like whether they’ll be learning at home or in the classroom – and new rules due to COVID-19. Before you sit down to talk all it over with your child, pause to check in with yourself. (When you’re ready, here

Getting Back to School Sleep Schedules Back on Track By Lynelle Schneeberg, PsyD: 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

Care Coordination: Empowering Families to Support Kids Ashley Burkman and her husband, Matt Chella, were thrilled to welcome their sons Calvin and Carter into the world in May 2019. The pregnancy showed no signs of anything abnormal for the twins. However, shortly after the boys’ birth at 38 weeks, Carter’s parents and doctors became

5 Healthy Habits to Prevent Childhood Obesity By Christine Finck, MD, FACS: This blog was originally published in September 2022 and last updated in March 2024. Date has been changed. 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 and heart disease. These

CDC Updates Childhood Vaccine Schedule: What Parents Need to Know By Ian C. Michelow, MD, FCPaed: This update recommends fewer routine vaccines (11) for some children than in past years (17). News like this can raise questions and worries for parents and caregivers. Pediatric infectious diseases expert, Ian C. Michelow, MD, explains what the change means, what has not changed

Youth Suicide is 100% Preventable: 4 Things Parents Need to Know By Steven C. Rogers, MD, MS: Not too long ago, an 11-year-old girl in Connecticut Children’s Emergency Department was asked questions by her doctor, including one that seemed unrelated to why she was there: In the past few weeks, had she thought about killing herself? To her mother’s shock, the child said

Peer-to-Peer Road Safety By Amy Watkins, MPH: By: Amy Watkins, MPH Watch for Me CT, a partnership between the Connecticut Department of Transportation’s Highway Safety Office and Connecticut Children’s Injury Prevention Center, is wrapping up an exciting youth-led bicycle and pedestrian safety program, held over the summer

Fitness Challenges to Keep Kids, Teens and Athletes Active By Allison E. Crepeau, MD: This article was last revised in April 2025 to reflect current times. It’s important for all kids to get at least 60 minutes of physical activity per day for their heart health – and it’s important for athletes to stay active in order to prevent injury . So how about a fitness