Health & Milestones

Toddler Swallowed a Magnet? Why It Can Be an Emergency

If you are reading this with a sinking feeling because your toddler just swallowed a magnet, take a breath and stay with me. I have triaged this exact call more times than I can count, and the reason we take it so seriously is simple: magnets can hurt from the inside in a way that looks deceptively...

Newborn and Infant Constipation: What’s Normal and What’s Not

There are few things that can send a loving parent into a 2 a.m. panic faster than a baby who has not pooped in a day or three. I get it. In the pediatric clinic, “constipation” was one of our most common calls, and at home I have personally stared at diapers like they were going to reveal the...

Eosinophilic Esophagitis in Kids

Some kids are picky. Some kids have reflux. And some kids are picky because swallowing hurts, food feels stuck, or their esophagus is inflamed in a way that looks like reflux at first. That last category is where eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) often lives. If you have been bouncing between...

OCD in School-Age Kids

Some kids are rule-followers. Some kids love routines. Some kids worry a lot. And then there is OCD, when the worry gets sticky, loud, and bossy, and a child feels like they have to do certain things to make the fear go away. As a pediatric nurse and a mom, I want to start with this: OCD is not a...

Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome in Children

If your child has episodes of intense vomiting that seem to come out of nowhere, follow a pattern, then completely disappear in between, you are not imagining it and you are not alone. Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome (CVS) can look dramatic and scary, but it is also a recognized condition with real...

Periorbital Cellulitis in Children: When a Swollen Eyelid Is More Than Pinkeye

If your child wakes up with a puffy, red eyelid, it’s easy to assume it’s pinkeye, a bug bite, or just a rough night of sleep. Sometimes it is. But when the eyelid itself is red, swollen, and tender , especially with fever or a child who looks unwell, we start thinking about periorbital...

Fifth Disease and Pregnancy

If you are pregnant and someone says the words “fifth disease” , your brain tends to jump straight to worst-case scenarios. I get it. In triage, I took calls like this every spring: a preschool classroom outbreak, a sibling with rosy cheeks, a teacher who just found out she is 12 weeks along....

Celiac Diagnosis in Kids: Blood Tests, Biopsy, and the Gluten Challenge

If you are in the testing stage for celiac disease, you are probably living in limbo. Your child is uncomfortable, you are trying to do the right thing, and every instinct is screaming, “Let’s just cut gluten and see if it helps.” I get it. I used to be the triage nurse on the phone telling...

Craniosynostosis vs. Positional Flat Spots

If you have found yourself staring at your baby’s head from every angle under the living room lamp, welcome to one of the most common parent spirals. I saw it constantly as a pediatric triage nurse, and I have absolutely done it with my own three kids. Many head shape changes in infancy are...

Toddler Buckle Fracture After a Fall: Wrist Pain With Little Swelling

If your toddler took a seemingly small tumble and now refuses to use their hand, you are not overreacting. One common injury after a low-energy fall is a buckle fracture (also called a torus fracture ) of the wrist. It can be sneaky because swelling may be minimal and your child might not point to...

BRUE in Infants: What It Means and When to Follow Up

If you have ever watched your baby suddenly go quiet, change color, or seem “not quite there” for a few seconds, you already know this truth: a short event can feel like an eternity. In pediatrics, one label you might hear after a scary episode that resolves quickly is BRUE , short for Brief...

Breast Milk Jaundice in Newborns

If your newborn still looks a little yellow and you are breastfeeding, it can feel like the internet has two settings: “totally normal” or “go to the ER right now.” Let’s turn the volume down. There are two common breastfeeding-adjacent reasons jaundice can linger, and they sound...

Perioral Dermatitis in Kids

If your child has a cluster of tiny red bumps around their mouth (sometimes around the nose or eyes, too) and it keeps coming back no matter how much “eczema cream” you use (especially steroid creams), you are not imagining things. There is a common, very frustrating rash called perioral...

CMV in Newborns: Screening, Breast Milk, and Next Steps

If you have just heard the words cytomegalovirus or CMV next to your newborn’s name, take a breath. CMV is common, and most babies who are exposed after birth (including through close contact or breast milk) do very well. And even with congenital CMV (infection during pregnancy), most babies are...

Newborn Hearing Screening “Refer”: What It Means and What Happens Next

If your newborn’s hearing screen came back as “refer” , I want you to take one slow breath. In the hospital world, “refer” is a frustrating word because it sounds like “failed,” but it really means: your baby needs a repeat screen or a more detailed follow-up test . It is not a...

Group B Strep in Pregnancy

If your prenatal lab results just came back with “GBS positive,” take a breath. I know it can sound scary in the middle of an already intense season of life. In pediatric triage, I saw a lot of parents spiral after reading late-night internet horror stories. The truth is this: Group B Strep is...

Postpartum Preeclampsia: High Blood Pressure After Birth

Most parents expect the tough stuff to happen during pregnancy and delivery. Then the baby arrives, you go home, and everyone assumes the danger zone is over. But there is one postpartum complication I always want families to have on their radar: postpartum preeclampsia . It can show up after...

Infantile Spasms: Subtle “Jackknife” Movements and When to Get Help

If you have ever watched your baby do a quick little crunch, a head bob, or a sudden “folding” at the waist and thought, Was that… a seizure? you are not alone. Some seizure types are obvious. Infantile spasms often are not. They can look like tiny movements that come and go in clusters,...

Breast Abscess While Breastfeeding

When you are breastfeeding, it is normal to wonder, Is this just mastitis… or is something more going on? Most breast infections improve with the right plan. But sometimes a pocket of infection forms that antibiotics alone often cannot fix. That is called a breast abscess , and it deserves quick,...

Flu in Babies Under 12 Months: Red Flags and When to Call the Doctor

If you are reading this with one hand while the other holds a warm, fussy baby, I see you. Flu season can feel extra scary in the first year of life, not because you are doing anything wrong, but because babies have tiny airways, less ability to compensate when sick, and they dehydrate faster than...