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Expert-Approved Books to Get Through Tough Stuff By Connecticut Children’s Child Life Specialists Books can be our greatest teachers, especially when families face a constantly changing world with ups, downs and challenges. This list of books, recommended by our Child Life team, will help kids of all ages and parents embrace

Native American Heritage Month: 5 Facts Beyond Imagination In November, we celebrate Native American Heritage Month, also known as American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month. What should we know about the culture, traditions, struggles and victories about these very diverse groups? We called upon Connecticut Children’s DEI team to

Beyond Imagination: How Life Support Saved Kaitlyn’s Lungs- And Life Last summer, 3-year-old Kaitlyn Duong caught a common virus. It should’ve amounted to nothing more than a typical childhood flu. She was prescribed rest and fluids; a dose of antibiotics when the doctor heard a touch of pneumonia. No major cause for concern. But then her

8 Ways to Celebrate Women’s History Month With Kids March is Women’s History Month. The month honors the achievements and contributions of women in the United States throughout our country’s history. It provides a great opportunity to teach children about the role women have played, and continue to play, in advancing art, science

Why Talking Openly About Cancer is Important By Kelly Muccino: When a family faces a cancer diagnosis, life changes. What does today look like? What about tomorrow? This begs another question for many parents and caregivers: how do you talk to kids about cancer? We called upon Connecticut Children’s Child Life team – experts in providing

Helping Kids Through a Sibling's Cancer Diagnosis By Kelly Muccino: When a child learns their sibling has cancer, they may have many questions, or want to know how to help. Connecticut Children's Child Life Specialist, Kelly Muccino, tackles challenges you might encounter, and ways to solve them, if you are ever in this position.

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.

Returning to Sports After a Break? Here's What to Know This article was last updated in December 2023. Getting back on the field (or rink, track, court or wherever) after months off comes with a risk of injury. Overuse injuries can occur in any sport – from “Little League Elbow” to back issues to ACL tears and ankle sprains. "

5 Reasons Not To Delay Your Child's Vaccines By Andrew Carlson, MD: This blog was originally published in 2022 and has been updated as of August 11, 2025 to reflect current times. To share an important reminder to parents, Andrew Carlson, MD, Division Head of Primary Care at Connecticut Children’s, joins the Growing Healthy blog.

Are Your Child’s Symptoms From RSV or Something Else? What to Know About This Common Illness By Juan C. Salazar, MD, MPH, FAAP: Did you know it’s peak season for respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV? On one hand, RSV is nothing new. If your child is over the age of 2, they’ve probably had it at least once. As an adult, you might get sick with it every few years. On the other hand, RSV can be serious for

Thriving Beyond a Swallowing Disorder: Amila’s Story Like many medical stories, Amila Watt’s begins with a mystery. For the first few years of her life, she struggled with one illness after another — usually, infections in her lungs or ears. Ear tube surgeries stopped the ear infections, but the respiratory illnesses kept coming

Is It Flu or RSV? How to Tell the Difference By Juan C. Salazar, MD, MPH, FAAP: This blog was originally published in 2023 and has been updated in February 2025. What is RSV? How is it different from the flu? When should I call my pediatrician or seek emergency care? Connecticut Children’s pediatric experts have the answers you need to get through

Experts You’ll Meet if You Have a High-Risk Pregnancy By David Sink, MD: Early in your pregnancy, your doctor will ask lots of questions about your health, and perform routine tests to check for risks to you or your developing baby. If they think your pregnancy could be at a higher-than-usual risk for complications, they’ll connect you with

Formula Recalls: What to Know Right Now By James E. Moore, MD, PhD: Updated October 17, 2022 for additional recall of certain lots of Abbott 2 fluid ounce/59 milliliter bottles of Ready-to-Feed liquid products for infants and children. (Originally published on February 22, 2022 and updated on March 1, 2022 and again on August 16, 2022) October 17

Is Your Child Scared to Get Their Vaccine? 13 Tips to Prevent Fear of Needles While vaccines keep us healthy, they’re linked to a genuine fear for one out of five people: “needlephobia.” And that can present some unique challenges when it’s time for annual immunizations. To help your child overcome any fear of needles — or better yet, prevent them from