Health & Milestones

How to Remove a Tick From a Child

If you have found a tick on your child, take a breath. This is one of those parenting moments that feels scarier than it needs to be, especially when it is happening in real time with a wiggly kid and a rising sense of panic. The good news is that most tick bites are handled safely at home, and the...

Pityriasis Alba in Kids: Pale Patches on the Face and Arms

If you have ever looked at your child’s face in bright summer light and thought, Wait, why are there pale patches all of a sudden? you are in very good company. I saw this constantly as a pediatric triage nurse, and I have had the same double-take with my own kids after a week of sunscreen,...

Tourette Syndrome in Kids

If your child has tics, it can feel like you are living in two worlds at once. In one world, everything is fine. In the other, your kid is blinking, sniffing, humming, or jerking their shoulders and you’re wondering if you should call the pediatrician, email the teacher, or both. As a pediatric...

Long COVID in Kids and Teens

If your child had COVID and never really “snapped back,” you are not imagining it. In clinic, I’ve talked with plenty of families whose kids look fine on the outside but are wiped out by lunchtime, can’t focus the way they used to, or feel dizzy and sick after PE. That long tail after an...

Spina Bifida in Babies

If you have just heard the words spina bifida , you are probably doing what every loving parent does in a scary moment: searching for answers and trying to picture your baby’s future. Take a breath with me. Spina bifida can look very different from one child to the next, and many babies grow into...

PFAPA Syndrome in Kids

If your child keeps spiking high fevers that seem to arrive on a schedule, you are not imagining the pattern. PFAPA syndrome is a common cause of recurrent, highly regular fevers in young kids, and it can be deeply unsettling because it looks like “another infection” every few weeks. As a...

Sepsis Warning Signs in Babies and Toddlers

If you have ever stared at a thermometer at 2 AM thinking, Is this just a virus, or is something really wrong? you are not alone. Many fevers in babies and toddlers are caused by viral infections and get better with time, fluids, and a lot of cuddles. But some infections, viral or bacterial, can...

C. Diff in Kids: Watery Diarrhea After Antibiotics

If your child started having watery diarrhea during or after a course of antibiotics, it is normal to feel alarmed. You may have heard about C. diff (short for Clostridioides difficile ) and wondered if this is “the scary one.” Take a breath. Most antibiotic-related diarrhea in kids is not C....

Signs of Hearing Loss in Toddlers and Preschoolers

If your toddler seems to ignore you, asks “what?” a hundred times a day, or turns the TV up loud enough to rattle the windows, it is easy to wonder: Are they being a toddler, or are they not hearing well? As a pediatric nurse and a mom who has personally misread more than one “selective...

Baby Walkers, Jumpers, and Activity Centers: Safety Risks and Safer Play

At about the same time your baby discovers that legs are useful, the internet starts whispering: “Get the walker.” I get it. You want a safe place to set your baby down. You want them happy. And you would love, just once, to drink your coffee while it is still warm. But here is my calm, nurse-y...

Chigger Bites in Kids

If your child comes in from playing in grass and suddenly cannot stop scratching, chiggers jump to the top of the suspect list. The good news is that chigger bites are miserable but usually manageable at home. The tricky part is that they can look like other rashes, and mixing up chiggers with...

Sucking Blisters on Baby Lips

If you’ve spotted a little bubble or peeled spot on your baby’s lip, take a breath. In clinic, this was one of the most common “Is this normal?” questions I heard from brand-new parents. Most of the time, what you’re seeing is a sucking blister , a small friction blister from enthusiastic...

Lochia After Birth: What’s Normal and When to Get Help

If you’re reading this in the dim glow of your phone while feeding a newborn, hear this first: postpartum bleeding can look intense, and most of the time it’s completely normal. It’s also one of those topics nobody explains well until you’re standing in your bathroom thinking, “Is this...

Raynaud’s of the Nipple While Breastfeeding

If your nipple pain feels like a deep, burning, pins-and-needles zing that hits after a feed, and your nipple turns white , then blue/purple , then red , you are not being dramatic. You might be dealing with Raynaud’s of the nipple , also called nipple vasospasm . In triage, this is one of those...

Natal Teeth: Baby Born With Teeth

If your newborn opens wide and you spot a tiny tooth, you are not imagining things. Some babies really are born with teeth. As a pediatric nurse and a mom, I can tell you this is one of those “rare but usually okay” surprises that can make an already emotional first week feel extra intense. The...

Diastasis Recti After Pregnancy

If you have looked down postpartum and thought, “Why does my belly still look pregnant?” you are in very good company. One common reason is diastasis recti , which is a separation of the abdominal muscles that can happen during pregnancy. The internet can make it sound scary or permanent. In...

Postpartum Night Sweats: How Long They Last and Warning Signs

If you are waking up drenched, you are not alone. Postpartum night sweats are one of those “why did nobody mention this?” symptoms. As a pediatric nurse, I spent years talking families through baby concerns, but after I had my own kids I learned quickly that moms’ bodies do some truly wild...

Baby’s First Cold: Home Care, Fever Guidance, and Red Flags

If you are reading this with one hand while holding a stuffy, cranky baby with the other, I see you. A first cold can feel bigger than it is because your baby is little, their nose is tiny, and their opinion about saline drops is loud. The good news: most colds are annoying, not dangerous. The key...

Newborn Sneezing: Normal vs Sick

If your newborn sneezes like they are trying to set a world record, take a breath. In the clinic, I reassured parents about this all the time. Most newborn sneezing is normal and surprisingly useful. It is one of the ways babies clear their small, easily irritated nasal passages. That said,...

Labial Adhesions in Young Girls

If you are reading this late at night after noticing that your little girl’s vaginal opening looks different than usual, take a breath. Labial adhesions are a common childhood finding, and in many cases they are painless, harmless, and treatable. They also tend to sound much scarier than they...