Your child cries out in the middle of the night that his leg hurts. You ask the doctor the next day, and she says it's probably growing pains. Growing pains aren't just a concept; they're a physical symptom, and they can be quite painful.

In the September issue of Wondertime magazine, Dr. Jack Maypole, a Boston pediatrician, offers these tips on growing pains:

 --Growing pains commonly diagnosed as pains or aches that come and go, usually in the muscles of the calves and thighs or behind the knees, Maypole says.

--They occur in about 25 to 40 percent of all children, peaking at ages 3 to 5 and 8 to 12.

 --Pain can be mildly irritating or severe and can last for minutes to several hours.

--Maypole recommends having the child stretch and/or rubbing his legs after periods of intense activity to avoid these pains. If they come anyway, a pain reliever (acetaminophen or ibuprofen)  can be given. But if your child needs it for several nights in a row, it's probably time to visit the doctor.

--A heating pad can help, but use it carefully.

--Another technique Maypole says often works: Help your child use visualization techniques, such as imaging his pain "hurtling into outer space," or thinking about a place or activity he likes.

--The good news: Maypole says that for most children, growing pains begin to go away as adolescence begins.

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 1:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

The Maryland Science Center kicks off its Egg Drop, Price Drop Saturdays this weekend through Dec. 27. If you come before 11:30 a.m., you'll get an egg to drop from the atrium. Your challenge is to keep it from breaking by wrapping it in a host of available materials. (You'll also get $5 off admission.)

We've always had a good time taking part in this activity...until, despite our best cushioning efforts, our carefully packaged eggs go splat on the ground. Help out your fellow parents and share your secrets for getting the eggs to land safely. What packing material do you use?

Meanwhile, here are a few more events to consider over the next few days:

Thursday, Sept. 4:

--Remember the Titanic: Kids 6-12 can learn about the Titanic from 3:30 p.m. - 5 p.m. at the Herring Run Branch of the Enoch Pratt Library. Free.

And more...

Continue reading "Things to do with the family this weekend" »

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 9:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
                    

Spirited discussions continue all over the country about Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's work-family balancing act as she runs for vice-president with five children and a grandchild on the way. Here are some related links I thought might interest you:

--This ABC News piece has interesting stats on what working mothers themselves think about whether it's ideal for high-powered moms to be gone from home as much as they are.

--The Los Angeles Times' health blog examines the issue of genetic testing, highlighted by the fact that Palin's infant son, Trig, has Down Syndrome.

--Here at The Baltimore Sun, we're looking at the state of teen pregnancy.

--For lots of different views from female bloggers, here's the Palin link at BlogHer.

No matter where you stand, John McCain's choice of a running mate has definitely renewed discussion of what many of us see as a hidden, daily struggle -- how women can live up to their own expectations (let alone society's) as both mothers and individuals.

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 10:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (21)
                    

Now that it's September, it feels like time for more serious dinners, somehow, even though autumn is officially a couple of weeks off.

Pork chops are an easy way to get there. This recipe from a recent Weight Watchers cookbook comes together quickly. And if the wine sauce scares you for the kids, just leave it off for them.

I did, and my kids took to these pretty well...

(Photo by me)

Continue reading "Pork Chops with Rosemary-Wine Sauce" »

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 6:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Among the many conversations about Republican presidential nominee John McCain's vice-presidential pick, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, is the one summed up in this New York Times piece today. Moms and dads are debating how a woman who gave birth just five months ago to a child with Down Syndrome can subject herself to the punishing rigors of this campaign.

This Washington Post story offers a clue: The baby's with her in the office, even being discreetly nursed during a meeting.

On one hand, it's a bit of a sexist argument: Would anyone ask these questions if the candidate were the father of a new baby? Palin's husband is reportedly on leave from his job and prepared, at least for the moment, to be a full-time dad.

On the other, at least one woman in the Times story says Palin's willingness to spend long hours on the trail doesn't jibe with her notion of putting a new baby first.

What do you think?

(Photo by Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 11:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (48)
                    

Occasional Guest Dad Andrew Ratner is back with an account of his brief glimpse into the Facebook world of his daughter, who just left for college: 

"After reading Jill Rosen's piece in the You & Your Digital World section last Tuesday about 6 1/2 reasons you're not too old to join Facebook, I didn't leap to join just yet. But I was thrilled when my younger son, after calling up his Facebook page, showed me several photos that my daughter had posted to her page of her first few days away at college.

She looked happy, like she had made several friends in her dorm and was fitting in.

I didn't feel like a voyeur. Quite the contrary, I was delighted to get a sense of her first week away at school in a way she probably couldn't communicate to me as well as she would to her friends on Facebook.

The photos were worth a thousand words. I'm still considering joining up, though I doubt she'd "friend" me onto her page anyway."

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 6:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
                    

Today’s question comes from Momof2, who asks:

"Ok, here’s one from a friend who is a stay-at-home dad: how to deal with taking a potty-training or preschool girl to the bathroom? When boys go in a public bathroom with mom, no problem because everyone is in a stall. In the men’s room, there are often men using urinals. Ignore it and take the girl to the men’s room? Ask a stranger to take the girl into the women’s room and help her? Keep her in diapers forever...?"

I asked Molly Brown Koch, a local parent coach for about 50 years and author of the recent book 27 Secrets to Raising Amazing Children, to respond. In an e-mail, she wrote:

"Taking a little girl into the men’s room could present a problem to her if she has not had such ‘exposure’ earlier. If the little girl is old enough to position herself on the toilet and take care of her hygiene, she might be able to handle the visit to the women’s room herself. Perhaps a cell phone left on, tucked in the child’s pocket, could reassure Dad that everything is fine.

"Boys and girls need explicit instructions as to what to do when they do go in alone. I remember seeing a little girl in the women’s room who was by herself and was well trained in what to do. This included not touching handles with her bare hands and washing her hands after using the toilet. If the child is too young to understand the rules, he/she may be too young to go in alone."

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 6:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
                    

Now that school is back in session, I thought you'd be interested in this MSNBC piece on the issue of whether parents who have their children vaccinated let them play with unvaccinated peers -- and vice versa. It's particularly timely in light of the unsettling news that measles cases have reached a 12-year high, causing a renewed push from the Centers for Disease Control for parents to have their children vaccinated.

The MSNBC story reports that there are worries on both sides about children with different vaccination histories playing together. Is this a question you ask of your fellow parents? If so, how do you go about it?

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 12:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
                    

Remember the Monday Consult on bike helmets? We were still left a bit in the dark about whether Kayris' toddler needed to ride a helmet while on a push toy.

Stephanie Yanovitz, statewide bicycle and pedestrian coordinator for the Maryland State Highway Administration, got back to me with this answer:

"Toddlers that are on rear hitches, tag-a-longs, or in the bike seats on bicycles are required to wear helmets. Other - play vehicles or toy - are not defined as 'vehicles'."

I asked her whether that meant that kids on play vehicles weren't required to wear helmets. She answered that that was technically so, but "you won't hear me say don't wear a helmet. It is still advised."

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 6:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

If you're taking advantage of the slight decline in gas prices and taking a family road trip this Labor Day weekend, here are some tips for surviving your time in the car:

--Momsminivan.com has lots of games and some interesting tips on how to relieve car-sickness. (And a good one in case you aren't able to relieve the sickness in time to prevent a mess; stow empty butter tubs and their lids in the car, so you can at least contain the mess until your next stop.)

--This site has more tips, including one we have used: leave in the pre-dawn, before-breakfast hours. If you get kids to sleep in their traveling clothes, you can "swoop" them into the car at the last minute, and with luck they'll sleep for a few more hours. Then you can stop for pancakes.

--This story from the Los Angeles Times suggests giving kids projects or games they can do as a team to cut down on back-seat bickering. For example, they can compose a song for Grandma together, or work together to count green cars, the story says.

--If you can plan ahead, have a grandparent record him or herself telling or reading long stories. Play the tapes or CDs on the long ride.

--And a couple of don'ts: You might be tempted to prop a portable DVD player between your kids' seats if you don't already have a system with two screens in your car, but beware: looking even a little to the side to watch the movie can cause vertigo (and car sickness) in some kids. It happened to us once on a trip to the Outer Banks. Reading can cause car-sickness even faster, so save the books for your destination.

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 12:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)