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dr. mom

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What is Respiratory Syncytial Virus?

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is the most common cause of lower respiratory tract infections in young children under 1 year old.   What is RSV? Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a common virus that causes respiratory infections in young children.  In most healthy children, it causes an infection just like the common cold.  Symptoms of the common cold in babies include:

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Jaundice and Newborns

Some degree of jaundice occurs in a large majority of all newborn infants.  Jaundice is a condition where a newborn baby’s skin turns yellow.  This can happen with any race or colour of the skin.   Why Does Jaundice Occur So Frequently in Newborns? Jaundice occurs when a chemical called bilirubin builds up in a baby’s blood.  Everyone has

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Safety of Suspended Baby Jumpers

A common question I have been asked is about the safety of suspended baby jumpers like the Jolly Jumper. Personally, both of my kids loved the jolly jumper from the start and would giggle almost the entire time they are in it. Over the years, there have been discussions about the possible dangers of suspended

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Does Maternal Consumption of Highly Allergenic Foods, Like Peanuts, Reduce the Incidence of Childhood Peanut Allergies?

Peanut allergies are becoming more common among children.  It is estimated that  3.2% of children have peanut allergies.  In an effort to prevent this allergy, the Canadian Paediatric Society has recommended the introduction of peanuts and other allergenic foods around 6 months of age. Research has interestingly shown that what mothers eat during pregnancy may influence their child’s taste preferences later

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Nightmares in Toddlers

Two years ago for an entire week, Madi has woken up suddenly in the middle of the night from nightmares. She is in tears and terrified of the spooky monsters running around her room.  To calm her down, I would end up cuddling her and sleeping with her in her bed. This left me exhausted as

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Tips for flying with a toddler

Our family has started travelling again as restrictions have loosened and here are some tips I found useful on our most recent trip to Vancouver. Sanitizing – Once we arrive on the plane I wipe down our seats and the tray table with a sanitizing wipe and the kids hands. I also make sure to have

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How Much Sleep do Babies, Children, Teenagers and Adults Need?

Sleep is important for our overall health, it allows our body and mind to recharge. The amount of sleep that we need changes throughout our lifetime. The National Sleep Foundation has established guidelines for how much sleep babies, toddlers, adolescents and adults should sleep. These are the suggested total sleep requirements by the National Sleep Foundation:

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Baby Drool Rash

Drooling can be a sign of teething, but some babies like George drool more than others. The presence of saliva frequently on on a baby’s chin, neck and chest can cause red irritation of the skin and is often called a “drool rash.” George had a drool rash on his chin when he was 2-3 months

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