Stephanie A. Pediatric Nurse Practitioner

05/16/2024

05/15/2024

Is it allergies or a viral infection? 🤔

With this change of weather and allergies acting up it can be confusing with our little ones

These are the differences:

- Allergies may cause clear, watery nasal discharge
- Itching of the eyes, ears, nose, or mouth 🤧

Viral infection we may see:

-Fever 🤒
-Nasal secretions are usually thicker than in allergy and can be discolored (as compared with the clear, watery discharge of allergies).
-Sore throat and a cough and slightly elevated temperature 😷

Both can cause:

Ear or sinus infections and this is when antibiotics can be helpful!

I hope this helps and thank you for your hard work!

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/allergies-asthma/Pages/Is-It-Allergies-or-a-Cold-How-to-Tell-the-Difference.aspx?_gl=1*uxawdb*_ga*MTM5NjUyMzIwMy4xNzE1Mzg0ODYz*_ga_FD9D3XZVQQ*MTcxNTgwMjkxNC4yLjAuMTcxNTgwMjkxNC4wLjAuMA..

It’s sometimes difficult to know whether the problem is hay fever or a common cold (upper respiratory infection). The diagnosis is often made when parents seek their pediatrician’s advice for a lingering “cold” that their child can’t shake.

12/25/2023

Merry Christmas! May your Christmas be full of joy and blessings!

01/15/2023

SIDs a parents worst nightmare.

It is amazing the research that has gone to studying SIDs. I wanted to share an article that I found interesting and is still being studied. In this article they are studying an enzyme that appears to be lower in infants that died in the first year of SIDs versus those that died from other causes, versus those who did not die.

The research found that the enzyme butryrylcholinesterase (BChE) was significantly decreased in infants that died from SIDs. While this new research may provide answers much more studies need to be evaluated. The most important is to continue with safe sleep practices which include:

Always back to sleep- naps and at night

Firm flat sleep surface

Never sleep with your baby

Sharing the room with your baby

Keep soft objects & loose bedding out of your baby's sleep area

Don't let your baby get overheated

Feed your baby breast milk

Don't smoke or use ni****ne during pregnancy or after your baby is born

Get regular prenatal care & avoid substance use during pregnancy

Make sure your baby has tummy time while awake every day

Swaddle your baby if you like

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/sleep/Pages/a-parents-guide-to-safe-sleep.aspx?_ga=2.223661139.970137379.1673816298-1747539337.1672880833&_gl=1*1ja5ab4*_ga*MTc0NzUzOTMzNy4xNjcyODgwODMz*_ga_FD9D3XZVQQ*MTY3MzgxNjI5Ny4zLjEuMTY3MzgxNjgzNy4wLjAuMA..

https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/family-resources-education/700childrens/2022/08/new-sids-research

No one knows exactly what causes SIDS, so there's no guaranteed way to prevent it. However, creating a safe sleep environment can help reduce your baby's risk of SIDS. On the other hand, we do know what causes accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed. This means parents can help prevent the.....

12/16/2022

Christmas is almost here 🎄and so is the cold weather. With the cold weather we are seeing more and more illnesses viral and bacterial.
This can include:
Strep throat, RSV, flu, ear infections, and other illnesses.
I wanted to share a guide on common pediatric illnesses and how we treat them. Viruses 🦠 do NOT require antibiotics and bacterias do therefore, it is important to know how to identify them.

Feel free to look at this article:

​All children deserve high-quality medical care. As a parent, it is important to be aware of the most up-to-date treatment guidelines so you can be sure your child is getting the best care possible.

09/07/2022

With this recent back to school we may see more colds 🤧 and other sickness so how can we help our little ones?

Couple tips:

Encourage good sleep hygiene and healthy diet. This can include a balanced diet as well as fruits and vegetables.

It is not necessary to add “extra vitamin C” In fact Megadoses of vitamins—for example, large amounts of vitamins A, C, or D—can produce toxic symptoms.
They can range from nausea to rashes or even headaches!

Teach your child to sneeze or cough away from others- this can include sneezing into their elbow/shoulder or even using a tissue and disposing of it immediately.

Hand washing with soap and water or alcohol-hand sanitizer.

A normal cold can range from 7-10 days and it is important to get plenty of sleep and increase fluids.

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/nutrition/Pages/Where-We-Stand-Vitamins.aspx?_ga=2.53015144.1357374059.1662515724-50653155.1662515724&_gl=1*161m3kb*_ga*NTA2NTMxNTUuMTY2MjUxNTcyNA..*_ga_FD9D3XZVQQ*MTY2MjUxNTcyMy4xLjEuMTY2MjUxNjkxOS4wLjAuMA..

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/ear-nose-throat/Pages/Children-and-Colds.aspx?_ga=2.5815923.1357374059.1662515724-50653155.1662515724&_gl=1*of91lp*_ga*NTA2NTMxNTUuMTY2MjUxNTcyNA..*_ga_FD9D3XZVQQ*MTY2MjUxNTcyMy4xLjEuMTY2MjUxNjAxNC4wLjAuMA..

Healthy children receiving a normal, well-balanced diet do not need vitamin supplementation over and above the recommended dietary allowances.

07/24/2022

Outdoor tips ☀️
With this heat 🥵 here are a couple ways to keep our kiddos safe.
Use SPF 15 or greater and apply every 2 hours or after swimming or sweating.
Babies under 6 months should be kept out of direct sun.
Zinc oxide- a protective sunscreen can be used on the top of the shoulders, nose, ears or cheeks.
Avoid bright colors/perfumes when going out as this attracts bugs 🐛.
Use insect repellent containing DEET.
The current AAP and CDC recommendation for children older than 2 months of age is to use 10% to 30% DEET. Do not use on children younger than 2 months of age.

For more information feel free to read this article:

​Keep your family safe this summer by following these tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

06/27/2022

Hello everyone and welcome to my page!

I am a practicing pediatric nurse practitioner serving our pediatric population and families. I am a mother of a 3 year old and completely understand and can relate to many of our concerns as caregivers.

I am here to share some of my knowledge and expertise.

So lets talk about COVID. This has been a major topic for the past 2 years. We have made major advances with treatment, diagnosis, and prevention. We first had the vaccine available for adults, then teenagers and children. Well, now we have it available for our little ones. Yes you heard right! It is now available for 6 months to under 5 years old.

What should you know:

We can now vaccinate with Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines.

This is recommended for all children as well as those who have already had COVID-19.

(Pfizer) is a 3 dose vaccine which showed more efficacy rather than the 2 doses tested

(Moderna) is using 2 doses

So which one is better? The AAP does not have preference.

I hope I have provided you with some insight! If you need more information feel free to read this article.

​Babies and young kids can get a COVID shot now that the vaccine is recommended for age 6 months to under 5 years old. There are two COVID vaccine products and both are proven to be safe and effective. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC...