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Kids and Cars: Teen Driver Safety

News of teen car crash victims invariably get me choked up, but I have recently found myself thinking even more than usual about teenage drivers. I’m sure this is in large part due to the fact that my oldest child has now started talking about what car she hopes to drive in the not-too-distant future. I’m pretty sure it’s also because of the recent news detailing the incredibly sad local story about teenage sisters involved in a fatal crash.

But to be honest, this time of year always makes me think about the risks involved in newly licensed teens getting behind the wheel. I’m not sure why the time of year should make a difference – since the premature death of a teenager is without exception an horribly sad occasion in any season. But there’s apparently something even more devastatingly newsworthy about covering the senseless loss of life when it happens on prom night or just after graduation when teens should be excitedly preparing to embark on their future, not being laid to rest.

Needless to say, my heart always goes out to the families and friends of the more than 3000 teens who die in motor vehicle crashes each year. At the same time, my thoughts also turn immediately towards helping make sure you and every other parent (myself included) know what parents can do to protect our own children from such a tragedy.

It’s important to start by being aware of just how common it is for teenagers to be involved in motor vehicle crashes. Not only do car crashes continue to rank as the number one cause of death for teens, but 16 to 19 year olds are four times more likely to be fatally injured than 25 to 69 year olds.

Having said that, I feel the need to assure you (and my own teenagers, if they happen to read this) that my goal here isn’t to convince you that you should take away the car keys until your child reaches the age of 25. Rather, it’s to tell you that there is good evidence to support the notion that what you do as a parent, including the limits you set when it comes to your teen’s introduction to driving, is exceedingly important.

So what can you do to limit your teen’s crash risk? The good news is there’s actually a lot you can do.

  • Practice, practice, practice. Be aware that a teen’s greatest lifetime risk of crashing is in the first 6 months after getting a driver’s license – a risk that is in large part attributed to inexperience. In fact, seventy-five percent of all serious crashes involving teens have been related to three main critical errors of inexperience – lack of scanning for (and responding to) hazards, going too fast for road conditions, and distractions. Based on what we now know, however, the number of supervised hours that teens get behind the wheel before getting their driver’s licenses makes a big difference.
  • Set limits. It should come as no surprise that parents who set appropriate boundaries –– both on and off the road – have been shown to have a big impact on their children’s health and well being. Teen drivers are no exception. According to a study published in Pediatrics, teen drivers whose parents set and enforced rules were more likely to wear seat belts and less likely to speed, get in crashes, drink and drive, or use cell phones.
  • Help your teen avoid distractions. While it’s a good idea to avoid any and all distractions that stand to interfere with your teen’s undivided attention, there are 2 driving distractions in particular that have been proven to kill teens: cell phones and other teen passengers. In fact, nearly two out of three teen crash deaths for 16-year-old new drivers involve additional teen passengers.
  • Know the rules. Every state is different when it comes to laws about teen driving and learner’s permits. A majority of states – Nebraska included – place restrictions on new drivers in the first 6 to 12 months of driving. Referred to as a Graduated Driver’s License (GDL), such limits as nighttime and passenger restrictions have been proven to reduce crash risk. Nebraska’s GDL restrictions include no driving between midnight and six a.m. until the age of 17, and no passengers other than family members for the first 6 months of driving.
  • Agree upon the rules of the road. This is easiest done by printing out a Parent-Teen Driving Agreement (such as the one from the CDC or Checkpoints) and making sure you and your teen both take it seriously
  • Drive by example. Just as with every other aspect of parenthood, your teen driver will be watching you. Logging lots of supervised practice hours is definitely important for your teen’s future driving safety, but so is serving as a role model by making sure you always wear your seatbelt and put down your cell phone while driving.

For more very valuable information on teen driver safety, I recommend the following sites:

Originally posted on Omaha World Herald’s Live Well Nebraska

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The Problem with Childhood Vaccines

To get right to the point, I find that the problem with vaccines (or at least writing about them) is that more people are likely to read what I’m about to write if I imply there’s a problem with them then if I were to simply state that vaccines happen to be one of the single most life-saving accomplishments of the twentieth century – appropriately credited with literally transforming the landscape of medicine. That’s not to say that a majority of the general public doesn’t take vaccines seriously. But in this day and age – when we all reap their benefits – we perhaps run the risk of taking vaccines a bit too much for granted. Continue reading “The Problem with Childhood Vaccines”

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Is Your Child Ready for Summer Camp…and is Summer Camp Ready for Your Child?

Every spring, I find myself joining countless other Omaha parents in the search for some sort of organized summer activity(ies) for my children that will be fun, interesting, and hopefully even…dare I say it (lest my children actually read my blog)….educational. Of course in my case, this wasn’t such a problem in years past – if only because my husband and I chose to overcome the “what full-time opportunities are there for kids in the summertime” dilemma by simply building ourselves a childcare center and making sure it offered a high-quality full-time summer camp. While I am well aware that this isn’t the most common solution, what is exceedingly common is for kids – on the order of 11 million of them – to attend summer camps catering to a huge range of ages and activities, and a vast array of interests.

Given that summer is rapidly approaching, I’m willing to bet that a majority of you are currently in search of a summer camp and understandably focusing your search on such criteria as the fun factor, logistical considerations such as hours of operation and transportation requirements, and cost. Based on my review of the recently released policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics entitled Creating Health Camp Environments, however, I am reminded that we should all, as responsible parents, be looking past the fun and games and asking some additional, very important health- and safety-related considerations before sending our kids off to camp this summer. They include:

Don’t get overly ambitious. Be sure to take into account your child’s interests and skill level, not to mention his/her emotional readiness. This means making sure your child is not only enthused about the camp you’ve chosen, but will realistically be able to meet the associated physical and emotional expectations. 

Schedule an annual checkup. This is the perfect time to schedule a complete annual physical exam and overall health review. While you’re there, remember to discuss with your child’s doctor any specific physical requirements of the camp that may require medical consideration and/or clearance, as well as any plans for prescriptions and/or medication administration that will be needed while your child is at camp. 

Make sure your children’s immunizations are up-to-date. Not only do vaccines help limit the spread of vaccine-preventable infections in the camp environment (not to mention in general), but it’s also worth noting that children attending camps in other states (or even other countries) may have additional immunization requirements. 

Recognize that separation anxiety is not just for the very young. I’ve seen plenty of otherwise calm, cool and collected kids experience significant pangs of homesickness – especially if they’re heading off to camp for the first time. Minimize the likelihood by first making plans that aren’t overly ambitious (no sleepaway camp for kids who’ve never spent a night away from home before, for example), and also making sure to discuss with, prepare, and involve your child.

In addition to considering whether your child is ready for camp, you’ll also want to make sure the camp is ready for your child. Make sure the camp you are considering:

  • Is adequately staffed with appropriately trained staff. Training should not only be tailored for the types of activities offered (horse back riding or tennis, for example), but also in more general skills such as basic first aid and CPR.
  • Has “what if?” policies in place in the form of written health and safety policies and protocols. This helps insure that the camp is adequately prepared to handle and treat common illnesses and injuries
  • Insures good basic hygiene – both in the form of routine hand-washing (something that proved to be exceedingly important during the recent H1N1 flu season), but also in food preparation and service, etc.
  • Is ready, willing and adequately prepared to correctly and reliably document and administer any medications your child may need while at camp.

And finally – keep in mind that if you choose wisely, summer camp can provide your child with the perfect opportunity for building self-esteem and a sense of independence, making new friends, and spending lots of time being physically active and enjoying the great outdoors.

Originally posted on Omaha World Herald’s Live Well Nebraska

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Important Parenting Perspective: The Real “Problem” with Vaccines

To get right to the point, I find that the problem with vaccines (or at least writing about them) is that more people are likely to read what I’m about to write if I imply there’s a problem with them then if I were to simply state that vaccines happen to be one of the single most life-saving accomplishments of the twentieth century – appropriately credited with literally transforming the landscape of medicine.

That’s not to say that a majority of the general public doesn’t take vaccines seriously. But in this day and age – when we all reap their benefits – we perhaps run the risk of taking vaccines a bit too much for granted. After all, most parents who choose to vaccinate their children (and in many instances, even the health care providers who routinely give these life-saving immunizations) have never had to witness the devastation that vaccine-preventable diseases can and still do cause.

As a pediatrician who trained in the 1990’s, I myself have never had to care for a child with measles, witness the devastation caused by polio infection, or even watch a child struggle to breathe due to a once-common infection now easily prevented by routine Hib vaccination. With all that said, the “out of sight, out of mind” principle makes it all the more compelling and worthwhile for me to take the time to reinforce some of the most important aspects of vaccines, while also addressing some of parents’ biggest questions and concerns.

Are vaccines safe? Just like any medication, vaccines do come with their own potential side effects – each of which is clearly written out and explained on the Vaccine Information Statements (VIS) you receive every time your child is due for a shot. What’s important to remember, however, is that the serious risks of the diseases themselves (also explained on the VIS sheet) outweigh the potential side effects, and that vaccines are held to the highest standard of safety. Approving a vaccine for use in the United States can take ten or more years of testing, and even once a vaccine is made available to the general public, it is closely monitored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for any adverse effects. While nothing in life is 100% effective or safe, vaccines are the very best thing we have to protect ourselves and our children from some pretty devastating diseases.

Do vaccines cause autism? While the concern that autism may in some way be caused by MMR vaccination was certainly more understandable back in the late 1990’s in the years immediately following the publication of Dr. Andrew Wakefield’s now infamous (and subsequently discredited and retracted) 1998 Lancet article, we now have evidence from several studies that simply don’t support the association between autism and vaccines. Not only that, but the Institute of Medicine’s thorough and rigorous scientific review reinforced that “the evidence favors rejection of a causal relationship between thimerosal containing vaccines and autism” – a finding that was reinforced by both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the CDC.

Should you space out your child’s vaccines? As much as I understand the temptation to space out vaccines, there’s simply no evidence to support doing it. At the same time, parents and pediatricians alike need to understand that the currently recommended vaccine schedule published by the CDC each year isn’t simply made up out of thin air, but rather represents the best knowledge, science and evidence we have about what is the most effective way to protect our children. In this day and age of modern and evidence-based medicine, deciding to space out vaccines simply because it sounds like a good idea is not only bad science, but potentially puts children at risk.

Where can I find out more, accurate information about vaccines? Let me just say that the operative word in the preceding question is the word “accurate.” Almost more than any other topic I can think of, the amount of misinformation about vaccines available on the internet is all but guaranteed to invoke doubt (if not fear) amongst parents trying to inform themselves about childhood immunizations. Instead of addressing the myriad of other vaccine questions and concerns that parents have, I will instead keep this blog from turning into a novel by simply recommending the following resources for good, useful, and evidence-based information that will hopefully help you better understand vaccines and better protect your children against vaccine-preventable diseases.

Originally posted on Omaha World Herald’s Live Well Nebraska

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New and Improved 2011 Car Seat Recommendations

Given that today is the day that the American Academy of Pediatrics releases its 2011 Policy Statement on Child Passenger Safety, it seems to me a particularly good time to not only review these important car seat recommendations, but also take a quick look back to share just how far we’ve come in our efforts to keep children safe in cars.

Let me start by saying that for as long as I remember, motor vehicle crashes have been, and continue to be the leading cause of death in children. A few years after completing my pediatric training, I was tasked with writing about child passenger safety and car seats for a nationwide public education campaign. Yet despite having only just completed my pediatric training a few years prior, this was not a subject in which I was well-versed. While this may sound surprising to you given the extent to which pediatricians today are responsible for educating parents on car seats, the fact of the matter was that in the late 1990‘s, the science of injury prevention and child passenger safety was only just taking hold. At that time, it still took some convincing to keep kids properly restrained in car seats up until the age of four, while the first U.S. booster seat law (which only required extra protection for children between 40 to 60 pounds) wouldn’t go into effect for several years in Washington State in 2002.

Fast forward less than ten years, and today just about every state in the country, as well as the District of Columbia all have some form of booster seat law in place. Over the same time period, what was initially a relatively small group of trained child passenger safety professionals (I believe there were only approximately 1000 formally certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians when I got my certification ten years ago) now numbers in the tens of thousands. Not only that, but we have far more data and insight into what keeps children of all ages safest when it comes to riding in motor vehicles. Fortunately, we also have many new and improved car seats that offer the features we need to do so.

I continue to be convinced that investing the time and effort in making sure your child is properly restrained each and every time he/she rides in a car is one of the single most important things you can do as a parent to insure your child’s safety. With that in mind, I thought I’d offer you the following quick summary and explanation of the AAP’s new car seat recommendations.

Rear-facing until the age of two.  That’s right, the age of two. Not almost one, not one, but two.  Now to be honest with you, this recommendation isn’t so much a change from what I (and other trained child passenger safety professionals) have been saying since the AAP’s last set of recommendations came out in 2002. For years now we have known that it is safest to keep children facing rear-facing as long as possible within the limits of their seat – a recommendation that for many children isn’t so different from saying up to the age of two.

However, in the past the recommendation also stated that children should ride rear-facing a minimum of at least one year and 20 pounds. Instead of taking this to mean a bare minimum, parents understandably focused on the part of the sentence that said one year and twenty pounds. Given that children between the ages of one and two are at five times less risk of death or serious injury when riding rear facing, the difference between emphasizing age one and age two (and making sure you have a car seat that has higher rear-facing height and weight limits) is potentially life-saving.

Forward-facing facts. After recommending that children be turned face-forward as late as possible, the new AAP Policy also adds much needed emphasis on the fact that using a forward-facing seat with 5-point harness straps is not only the safest option for newly forward-facing children, but for as long as possible until they reach the maximum height and/or weight limits for the harness straps. While there was a time when most forward-facing seats only allowed for harness strap use up to 40 pounds, there are now seats available with harness straps that accommodate children all the way up to 65 or even 80 pounds, making the switch to a belt-positioning booster seat unnecessary (and ill-advised) until far past forty pounds.

Booster Seats until age 12. Okay, technically the policy recommendation is for children to ride in booster seats up until they reach a height of 4 feet 9 inches, but the important emphasis here is that there has long been misleading emphasis on the age of 8, whereas the new policy says somewhere between the ages of 8 and 12 years. This perception problem is understandable, given that the ideal booster seat laws all reference the age of 8.

What you need to understand, however, is that only 1 out of 100 eight-year olds reach the right height to safely use a vehicle’s lap-shoulder belt without a booster seat. The average child doesn’t reach 4 foot 9 inches until somewhere between the age of 10 and 12. Foregoing a booster seat before the vehicle’s lap-shoulder belt fits them correctly puts children at significantly greater risk of severe injuries.

Big Kids in Back. I have long been asked by parents when they can allow their children to ride in the front passenger seat. The straightforward answer is now clearly stated as age 13. But I fear that just telling parents to have their pre-teens relegated to the back seat until age 13 doesn’t quite get across the importance of this recommendation – especially since it’s not likely to be received well by many pre-teens. The somewhat harsher but data-driven answer is “when you love them 40% to 70% less.” This attention-getting answer clearly gets across the fact until the age of 13, riding in the back seat significantly reduces the risk of injury (as well as the severity of injury) in both frontal and side-impact crashes.

With all that said, I am proud to report that literally hundreds of child passenger safety professionals from around the state of Nebraska will be attending tomorrow’s annual two-day conference which includes an update on the latest AAP recommendations. Our state is truly fortunate to have hundreds of dedicated technicians who are ready, willing, and able to serve as valuable and informed resources in helping insure safe travels for all of Nebraska’s children.

I also encourage all of you to visit the AAP’s website, HealthyChildren.org – not only to directly access the new 2011 Policy Report, but also to enter the Safe Ride Sweeps car-seat giveaway. Each day for the rest of the month of March, you can enter to win a Safety 1st car seat that can help you best follow the AAP’s latest safety recommendations, courtesy of Dorel (which, for full disclosure, is the car seat manufacturing company for whom I currently consult).

Originally posted on Omaha World Herald’s Live Well Nebraska

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Fighting fever phobia: The facts about fever for parents

This seems like an appropriate time to spend a few minutes focusing  on the subject of fever, in part because it’s one that effects (and therefore interests) just about every parent I know, and also because we happen to be right in the middle of cold and flu season – a time of year during which children inevitably experience far more than their fair share of fevers.  It’s also because fever phobia amongst parents is usually far more pervasive than it is warranted. That’s not to say that fever is inconsequential, but rather that we should all take the time to brush up on exactly what fever is, what it represents, when it does (or doesn’t) need to be treated, and how to do so appropriately. Fortunately,  the American Academy of Pediatrics just pulled together all of the latest expert thinking on the management of fever in children and released it in a clinical report entitled Fever and Antipyretic Use in Children.

Given the importance of the subject,  I figured it would be particularly helpful to review just what these latest fever recommendations tell us about fever.

A healthy respect for fever.  It’s important to understand that fever is not an illness, but rather a common and normal response to infection. While fevers can in some instances signify a more serious underlying infection, they are unlikely to endanger generally healthy children.

It’s a matter of degree – or is it?  According to the AAP’s report, the use of fever-reducing medications should be focused on making children more comfortable, rather than getting rid of fevers altogether. It’s certainly useful to own a thermometer and to know how to accurately measure your child’s temperature. But all too often, parents unnecessarily focus on using fever-reducing medications to fight their child’s temperature back down to normal and keep it there.

The benefits of fever. While I know it may be hard to recognize any benefits when you’re home caring for a sick child, the report reinforces that fever is actually thought to have a  beneficial effect when it comes to the body’s efforts to fight infection.

Fighting fever phobia. The most common fear that parents, caregivers and even health care providers often share is that high fevers, if left untreated, will result in seizures, brain damage, or worse. In fact there is no evidence to support this fever phobia, as there is no evidence that fever itself worsens the course of an illness or that it causes long-term neurologic complications.

Treat with care. Acetaminophen products (like Tylenol) and ibuprofen products (such as Motrin or Advil) are considered equally safe and effective for use in the treatment of fever for children 6 months of age and older. That said, it is especially important for these fever-reducing medications to be dosed accurately and given no more often than necessary or recommended (every 4-6 hours for acetaminophen and 6-8 hours for ibuprofen). As for giving them in combination or alternating them, as is often discussed, it may be effective but shouldn’t be done unless absolutely necessary since it increases the risk of making dosing errors.

Originally posted on Omaha World Herald’s Live Well Nebraska

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I have been convinced that fish would be a perfect blog topic ever since I returned from a recent trip to San Francisco. Let me assure you that my newfound determination to focus your attention on fish was not triggered by my proximity to Fisherman’s Wharf, but rather by what was discussed in the city by the bay at a meeting of pregnancy and newborn nutrition experts. The topic, which warranted a full day of discussion, was the fact that pregnant and breastfeeding women should be eating more fish.

That’s right – I didn’t say less fish. I said most pregnant and breastfeeding women should be eating more fish. And this recommendation not only comes from an esteemed group of experts in perinatal nutrition, but from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Now this recommendation in and of itself wouldn’t necessarily warrant a blog post, except for the fact that just about everyone seems to believe that pregnant women should avoid eating fish altogether because of the risk of mercury exposure. More than an isolated few also (mistakenly) believe that everyone should significantly limit their fish consumption. And therein lies the problem.

You see, back in 2004, the FDA released guidelines clearly stating that “fish and shellfish are an important part of a healthy diet. Fish and shellfish contain high-quality protein and other essential nutrients, are low in saturated fat, and contain omega-3 fatty acids. A well balanced diet that includes a variety of fish can contribute to heart health and children’s proper growth and development. So, women and young children in particular should include fish or shellfish in their diets due to the many nutritional benefits.” At the same, however, the FDA also offered some cautionary advice about how to limit the risk of mercury exposure from eating fish by simply recommending that pregnant and breastfeeding women consume no more than 12 ounces of fish per week. While the American public seemed to have no problem digesting the information that fish may contain methylmercury, far too many completely missed the part about the benefits of eating fish –for pregnant and breastfeeding women, for their babies, and for all of us.

And that brings us to what has been referred to as “the fish paradox.” Once known as brain food because of its high levels of omega-3 fatty acids and other nutrients, fish has suffered an undeserved fall from grace. It is for this reason that I am committed to clarifying what we know about fish, its benefits, the issue of mercury, and what current dietary guidelines recommend when it comes to fish consumption. While you probably have heard of the mercury risk associated with eating seafood, I want to make sure to leave all of you – but especially those of you who are new or expectant moms – with a very healthy respect for the risks of not eating seafood and the following fish-food for thought.

Let them eat fish! Compelling evidence tells us that eating fish during pregnancy and while breastfeeding can improve brain development in babies, and even potentially decrease a woman’s risk of preterm labor and post-partum depression.

Simply avoid four types of fish. Instead of struggling to remember which fish contain less mercury, just make it a point to remember that there are only four higher-containing fish to avoid: Tilefish, Shark, Swordfish and King Mackerel.

Make fish a part of your weekly diet. The 2011 Dietary Guidelines reinforce the recommendation that pregnant and breastfeeding women should make an effort to eat 8 to 12 ounces of seafood a week – an amount currently being consumed by fewer than 20 percent of new and expectant mothers.

Fear not the fish. Unless you are pregnant, planning on becoming pregnant, or breastfeeding, then you should also know that the recommendation to limit seafood consumption doesn’t apply to you. What does apply to you is the fact that the 2011 Dietary Guidelines recommend we could all benefit nutritionally by increasing the amount of fish in our diets!

Originally posted on Omaha World Herald’s Live Well Nebraska

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The Benefits of Breastfeeding

There sure has been a lot of discussion about breastfeeding in Nebraska lately, and for that I’m glad. But I have to cringe every time it’s brought to my attention that Nebraska is one of only two states without legal protection for “the practice” of breast-feeding. To put it bluntly, as a pediatrician I find this quite embarrassing. Even more than embarrassing, I find it completely baffling. As much as I try to understand the opposition to LB 197 and the right to breast-feed in public, I simply can’t.

After all, you can’t convince me it’s based on concerns about over-exposed breasts. Not in this day in age. Not when Katy Perry flaunts her assets on Sesame Street, Lady Gaga’s outfits leave little to the imagination, and everything from billboards to Superbowl ads bombard us (and worse yet, our children) with nearly bare-all images of women’s breasts. Let me also point out that there’s a huge difference between the pervasive and highly sexualized imagery our society has discouragingly come to tolerate, and breast-feeding. Quite frankly, breast-feeding shouldn’t even be discussed in the same breath. Sure, it involves the breasts, but that’s as far as the connection goes.

I also think that anyone who opposes protecting the rights of women to breast-feed in public is missing the hugely important fact that promoting breast-feeding is one of the single best ways we know to improve the health and well-being of babies (and their mothers). It’s no coincidence that the U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Regina Benjamin, recently  launched a nationwide campaign to encourage breastfeeding by removing barriers that discourage it. I applaud well-respected pediatricians Dr. Laura Wilwerding (the American Academy of Pediatrics’ breast feeding coordinator for Nebraska) and Dr. Tom Tonniges (former Associate Director at the American Academy of Pediatrics and now Medical Director at Boys Town) for their recent and ongoing efforts to insure that Nebraskans don’t lose sight of just how important breastfeeding is.

I join them in closely watching what’s happening with LB 197 and hoping Nebraska will soon catch up with the rest of the country in better supporting every new mom’s noble efforts to successfully breast-feed her baby –in the hospital, at home, and yes…even in public.

On that note, I figured it would be most compelling to leave you with a few simple but powerful reminders of just why breast-feeding and LB 197 are so important.

  • Breast milk contains infection-fighting antibodies that provide babies with protection against everything from diarrhea and the common cold to ear infections and pneumonia
  • Breastfed babies are less likely to have asthma
  • Babies who are breastfed for at least six months are less likely to become obese
  • Breastfeeding reduces the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
  • Moms who breastfeed not only return to their pre-pregnancy weight faster, but experience less postpartum bleeding and are at reduced risk of breast and ovarian cancer.

Obstacles such as lack of support, instruction, and accommodation to breastfeed at work and in public all contribute to the fact that while 75% of moms in the U.S. start breastfeeding, only 43% are still doing so at the end of six months (and only 13% exclusively, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics).

Originally posted on Omaha World Herald’s Live Well Nebraska

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An alternative to Valentine’s Day chocolate: reasons to dance your heart out!

Valentine’s Day is undeniably all about love and sweethearts. It’s also defined by the heartfelt gifts of chocolates, sweets and (candy) hearts so plentiful this time of year. Now it’s not that I think we need to do away with all of these sweet gifts in lieu of a more heart-healthy approach to Valentine’s Day. But it has occurred to me that this holiday could mean so much more when it comes to finding ways for our loved ones to have happy hearts.

To get you one step closer to achieving this goal, I’d like to suggest that you, your kids, and your sweetheart all get up and dance. That’s right…dance! There are several reasons why you and your family should put your best foot forward and get up and start dancing.

It’s Fun. Regardless of age, who doesn’t like putting on some music and just letting loose? The good news is that regular physical activity throughout the day (which could easily include dancing), improves sleep, reduces stress, and overall makes people feel better about themselves. So just break out those dancing shoes (and your toddler’s skid-free socks and tutus) and start dancing. For some added fun – grab your video camera and capture the moment(s). No rules, just fun.

It’s Exercise. I imagine you don’t need me to tell you that we’re in the middle of a nationwide childhood (and adult) obesity epidemic. The beauty of dancing is that it’s not work, it doesn’t require committing to regular trips to the gym, and it doesn’t cost a thing to break a sweat. Yet don’t let this lack of requirements deceive you into thinking it’s not exercise. In fact, First Lady Michelle Obama’s national Let’s Move! Campaign actively promotes the need for kids to get 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous active play every day. After all, when they (and you) simply get moving (or dancing!), it all adds up to building and keeping healthy bones, muscles and joints and achieving a healthy body weight.

It’s Quality Family Time. Whether you opt for a daddy-daughter dance, a dance contest, or a more freestyle approach to your family’s dancing, it all adds up to the potential for quality family time. With the hectic pace of parenthood and often over-scheduled childhood that defines the times, I would argue that protected quality time with the family – at the dinner table, during conversations with your child in the car, and when sharing fun family activities like dancing together – is invaluable.

And now for my timely and heart-warming news. As many of you may already know, in addition to being a pediatrician, I also own an educational childcare center – Primrose School of Legacy – located in West Omaha. As one of over 200 franchised centers across the country, I am particularly proud to share with you that from February 1st through March 19th, all your heart-felt family dancing can be for a very worthy cause! That’s because Primrose Schools is hosting the 2nd Annual National Family Dance-off Contest. This fun family-oriented dance-contest is open to all families and benefits the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. By simply uploading a 30-second video of your family’s most creative, unique, or amusing dance moves at www.FamilyDanceoff.com and/or making sure that you and everyone you know votes each day for your favorite Omaha video, you could be one of 14 weekly contest winners who receive a flip video camera and up to $5000, while also winning Children’s Hospital and Medical Center a chance at receiving a $15,000, $20,000, or even $30,000 donation from Primrose Schools!

Simply put, I want to see Omaha families and children getting healthy by eating healthier, getting up and moving, and dancing. And through March 19th, I more specifically hope you all will be dancing to win, not only for yourselves, but for Omaha’s Children’s Hospital and Medical Center. I guarantee you it will do your body, your family, and your heart some good!

Originally posted on Omaha World Herald’s Live Well Nebraska

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An Alternative to Valentine’s Day Chocolate: Reasons to Dance Your Heart Out

Valentine’s Day is undeniably all about love and sweethearts. It’s also defined by the heartfelt gifts of chocolates, sweets and (candy) hearts so plentiful this time of year. Now it’s not that I think we need to do away with all of these sweet gifts in lieu of a more heart-healthy approach to Valentine’s Day. But it has occurred to me that this holiday could mean so much more when it comes to finding ways for our loved ones to have happy hearts. To get you one step closer to achieving this goal, I’d like to suggest that you, your kids, and your sweetheart all get up and dance. That’s right…dance! Continue reading “An Alternative to Valentine’s Day Chocolate: Reasons to Dance Your Heart Out”