Connecticut Children's Blog

By: Haley Duscha, RDN, CDN March is National Nutrition Month, and Connecticut Children’s pediatric dietitians are bringing your family the advice you need to eat well! Scroll to the bottom for more healthy eating resources. Here, we share three mealtime habits that are key to good nutrition. 1. Include foods from all five food groups […]

A good warm-up prior to exercise is one of the best ways for young athletes to prevent sports injury and perform at their best, when done properly. Plus, if a child learns how to properly stretch and warm up for sports at a young age, there is a greater chance that they’ll carry that habit […]

For young athletes to get the full physical, social and emotional benefits of their sport, they need support – at minimum, from their coach, teammates and family. But sometimes, kids could also benefit from a pediatric sports medicine expert, from doctors to physical therapists. Nicholas Giampetruzzi, PT, MSPT, Connecticut Children’s lead sports physical therapist, explains […]

If your child is an athlete, they’re probably excited to resume the sports activities they love this spring – at least, as much as COVID-19 restrictions allow. But returning to play after time off comes with the risk of injury. What should you and your young athlete watch for, now and every sports season? Connecticut […]

The longer an athlete is inactive, the longer it takes for them to come back to full activity — and during the COVID-19 pandemic, kids have been inactive for months and months. So with many sports now starting back up, our pediatric sports medicine experts have been hearing one question a lot: How can youth […]

Overuse injuries can occur at all ages. But because kids are still growing, they’re at a greater risk for these types of injuries, and may need a pediatric expert to ensure they heal properly. Leanne Kidd, MSPT, a Connecticut Children’s sports physical therapist, explains what parents and young athletes should know. What is a sports […]

Recently, an 11-year-old girl in Connecticut Children’s Emergency Department was asked screening 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 yes. She admitted that she had been thinking about suicide for […]

Connecticut Children’s Heart Center is with patients for life, starting from before they’re even born and continuing into adulthood. We’re also right around the corner, with six convenient locations throughout the state, and a team made up of leaders in pediatric heart care. That now includes pediatric cardiologist James Enos, MD – who joins the Growing […]

When our electronics act up, we can usually just unplug to reset them. If only our emotions were so simple. But during moments of stress, there are still some trusty methods for kids and teens – and parents – to calm themselves down. (With months still to go in the COVID-19 pandemic, we could all […]

Some youth sports are returning to schools and the community, which is good news for athletes. But 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 […]