Ah-choo! What's behind your child's sudden sinus issues?

It’s normal for kids to get stomach aches, but some kids have bad stomach pain all the time. 

If your child has abdominal pain, cramping, gas, bloating, diarrhea or constipation, you may be wondering if your child has inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), but do you know the difference?

While many of the symptoms are similar, IBD and IBS are very different. IBS can cause pain, but there is no inflammation of the intestine and it doesn’t lead to serious disease, as with IBD. 

It’s important to not diagnose either of these conditions yourself. If your child has these symptoms, you should take your child to a pediatrician, who can then refer your child to a pediatric gastroenterologist, if necessary.

The good news? Women can--and should--continue to enjoy tuna sandwiches during pregnancy. Decades of research show the benefits of omega-3s on developing brains when pregnant and breastfeeding women regularly consume a variety of seafood. 

The bad news? Many women are confused about how much seafood is safe to eat when they’re expecting or breastfeeding, or even how much seafood is safe to feed their toddlers and infants starting solids.

The fact is that omega-3 fatty acids—along with other nutrients like calcium, vitamin D, protein and iron—found in seafood are vital during pregnancy, breastfeeding and early childhood, and because of this, the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that expectant and breastfeeding moms and young children consume at least two weekly servings of seafood. 

Unfortunately, pregnant women in the U.S. consume less than one-quarter (only about 1.9 ounces) of the recommended amount of seafood each week.

Here are five things to keep in mind when considering seafood during these critical development periods.

The holidays and current events are a great opportunity to teach your child empathy and compassion.

Keep your child safe with these tips for autumn events.

Should your child watch 13 Reasons Why?

What are we teaching our children if we don’t know how to disagree?

Prevent the spread of infectious disease in your child's sports program.

You can be a cool parent by knowing what to do if your child wants a tattoo or piercing.

Do you know a little one who isn't as talkative as you'd expected?

Should you give your child juice?

Ask the important questions before sending your child on a playdate.

Find out how to get your child to talk about his school life and how you can help him finish his homework.

Find out why your child needs the HPV vaccine.

Back-to-school means school sports are back in gear. Find out what your coach should know, how to keep your child safe and how to encourage good sportsmanship.

As parents, we all pay a hefty price for the sweet routine the start of the school year brings: packing lunch. 

Complaints that top the list for this daily chore are lunches that don't get eaten, time-consuming prep, and balancing healthy choices. 

As the school year approaches, try the following tips to lessen the lunch-packing pressure.

Swimming is a family activity. Follow these tips to keep your family safe in the water.

Is it okay to share breast milk?

While the start of a new school year comes with excitement for kids, it also comes with stress. 

It’s common for kids to feel overwhelmed this time of year, especially as they navigate the challenges that crop up with a new school year. This stress can manifest itself in stomachaches, headaches, loss of appetite, and even depression. 

Here are five common top back to school stressors and how parents can help their kids to bust them.

What should you do now to get the kids ready for school?

Share a love of reading with your entire family.

Send the kids outside to play. Avoid and treat issues from pests, allergies and heat with these tips.

How do you know when it's just a tummy ache or when you should call the doctor?

Being prepared for summer trips will make adventures easier on your entire family.

Parents of children with frequent ear infections are familiar with the routine: sleepless nights and frequent visits to the doctor’s office, often accompanied by rounds of oral antibiotics. 

For some, the doctor will recommend ear tube placement surgery, which can bring a sense of relief, especially if they have already had a child who underwent tube placement. 

For others, although they are excited about the idea of something that can reduce the number of ear infections in their child, this can be a stressful time as well. 

Five out of six children will have at least one ear infection by their third birthday. These infections can be quite painful, but fortunately for most children, this doesn’t become a chronic problem. 

When ear infections or fluid in the middle ear become chronic problems (which may lead to hearing loss, speech problems, behavior problems, or difficulty in school), placement of ear tubes by an otolaryngologist may be considered as a treatment option.

Stay safe as you enjoy the sunshine with your family.

Should you give your child juice?

Ask the important questions before sending your child on a playdate.

Swimming is a family activity. Follow these tips to keep your family safe in the water.

Find out why your child needs the HPV vaccine.

Legalization of marijuana is changing, and fast. How do you talk to teens and families about the shift?

If you’re a parent, the world wide web can mean added stress.

A severe deterioration is happening in the collective health of our nation's children. But, drugs should be a last resort, not an automatic response.

Can a home remedy address your child's symptoms?

Should your child watch 13 Reasons Why?

Meet your breastfeeding goals with these expert tips.

Ah-choo! What's behind your child's sudden sinus issues?

Feeling distant in your relationship with your kids? It's time to reconnect.

Learn how to survive the dreaded temper tantrum.

Can a home remedy address your child's symptoms?

Legalization of marijuana is changing, and fast. How do you talk to teens and families about the shift?

Should you enroll your child in martial arts classes?

According to the National Institutes of Health, on any given day, one-third of children and 41 percent of teens eat from a fast-food restaurant. They also report that the restaurant meals often served to kids contain too many calories. 

The typical “kid food” being offered tends to usually include chicken nuggets, fries, macaroni and cheese, burgers, and pizza. The problem is that these meals often provide empty calories and don’t provide enough nutrition. They also keep the kids wanting the same types of foods at home, with parents often providing them. 

Dr. Nimali Fernando, aka Doctor Yum, says it’s time to ditch the “kid food” and start giving kids better options.

“Most food is kid-friendly. Kids just need to learn how to eat it,” says Dr. Fernando, a Fredericksburg, Virginia-based pediatrician who founded The Doctor Yum Project. “Kids who are taught healthy eating habits, which include eating a variety of healthy foods, will be far better off now and in the long run. They will be learning healthy habits that will last a lifetime.”

Here are six reasons to ditch the pizza and pouches and get your kids back to real food...

You child comes home with the dreaded note: the class has lice. What do you do?

Learn how to survive the dreaded temper tantrum.

ADHD is not a discipline problem. It is a medical condition that presents as a set of symptoms with a range of possible underlying causes unique to each child.

How should you deal with norovirus and prevent the rest of your family from getting it?

Being a mom has never been an easy job, but the increasing popularity of social media has put a new spin on motherhood.

Is your picky eater driving you crazy? Learn how to develop good eating habits and work through the selective eating without another fight.

As a pediatrician, I see and hear about all sorts of things parents are doing with their kids on a regular basis... the good and the bad. 

In response to this, I have compiled the following eight tips for parents on things any pediatrician would tell you to stop doing. 

1) Stop posting photos of your children on social media without their permission. Funny photos might make you laugh but are embarrassing to your child. Their egos are sensitive. Additionally, unless your posts are private, the whole world (including perpetrators) can see you and where your child is likely to be and when.

2) Stop requesting antibiotics when your child has a cold or other viral illness. This has lessened during the past decade, but we still get many phone requests for antibiotics.