Connecticut Children's Blog

You ask, we answer. In each edition of “Ask a Pediatrician,” Connecticut Children’s pediatric experts respond to a question from our social media community. To submit your own question for consideration, email socialmedia@connecticutchildrens.org. This week critical care pediatrician and asthma researcher Christopher Carroll, MD, MS, answers a question on a lot of parents’ minds. Q: Is […]

When it comes to sending your child back to school or keeping them home this fall, the question comes down to your family’s individual risks when it comes to COVID-19, benefits and comfort levels. Physician-in-Chief Juan Salazar, MD, MPH, returns to the blog to help you think it through. Here’s what to consider: Your child’s […]

Right now, we know there’s one question at the top of many parents’ minds: Is it safe to send my child back to school this fall? Physician-in-Chief Juan Salazar, MD, MPH, joins the blog to respond. Should I send my child back to school? I wish I could give a simple yes or no. The […]

If you’re considering sending your child back to the classroom this fall, safety is probably on your mind. Schools will be taking lots of precautions to keep kids safe from coronavirus. You can too – starting right now. Pediatrician Patricia Garcia, MD, MPH, who directs Connecticut Children’s Resident Education in Advocacy and Community Health (REACH) program, joins the […]

With schools scheduled to reopen in fall, and masks part of the new normal, it’s time to make sure your child is comfortable wearing theirs. So we’ve put together 16 activities to sneak mask practice into summer fun. Hint: Whatever activity you choose, try enthusiastically announcing to your child ahead of time that you’ll get […]

By Kelly Maynes, PsyD, and Lauren K. Ayr-Volta, PhD This pandemic has been uniquely tough for teenagers. Teens are wired for independence, but instead, they’ve been stuck at home. Their brains are primed for social connections, but in many ways, they’ve been cut off from friends. And just as they’re approaching big milestones – like prom […]

Summer camps are a favorite tradition for many kids, not to mention an important source of child care for working parents – but during the current pandemic, they come with a new set of safety questions. Pediatrician Patricia Garcia, MD, MPH, who directs Connecticut Children’s Resident Education in Advocacy and Community Health (REACH) program, joins […]

By: Scott R. Schoem, MD, MBA, FAAP, and Kevin Borrup, DrPH, JD, MPA With hand hygiene front and center during COVID-19, almost every family now has many individual small bottles or several bulk-size bottles of hand sanitizer sitting on counters, and easily accessible to toddlers and teens. The danger? Hand sanitizer is meant to be […]

Emilia Galarneau was born March 6 – exactly a week before the COVID-19 outbreak was declared a national emergency. “The world seemingly shut down as we drove her home from the hospital,” says mom Brittaney. Two days later, she and Emilia’s dad, Eric, made the decision to pull their sons – William, age 2, and […]

By Melissa Held, MD, and Nancy Trout, MD, MPH New cases of COVID-19 in Connecticut are continuing to decline, but with the reopening of public spaces, restaurants and entertainment venues, health experts are worried about an increased spread of the virus over the coming weeks and months. Melissa Held, MD, a pediatric infectious diseases expert, […]