The PedsDocTalk Podcast: Child Health, Development & Parenting—From a Pediatrician Mom

One of my favorite things about this podcast is meeting and talking to other experts in the field of pediatrics.  There is no better expert than a mom.  I started this series: "A mother's message" to invite mothers to share their stories.  Our stories can help others and I am so excited to welcome @abbyrosegreen in honor of World Down syndrome Day.  We discuss her family's journey when they found...

March 21st is World Down Syndrome Day. A day to recognize and spread awareness of those with Down syndrome.  THIS EPISODE IS PART 1 OF 2 EPISODES: MAKE SURE TO LISTEN TO EPISODE 58: A MOTHER'S MESSAGE-DOWN SYNDROME AWARENESS.  In honor of this, I welcome Dr. Sajel Lala (@Lalagenetics on Instagram). We discuss Down syndrome statistics, risk factors, how the diagnosis can be made, what is monitored...

It is the year anniversary of this pandemic being declared by the WHO. We have seen many lives lost, many families impacted, and are always being required to stay flexible with changing guidance, research, and data. When it comes to kids, many parents have felt like guidance has been lacking.  We know kids are not severely affected with complications as much as older adults, but they are at risk o...

Am I giving my child a well-rounded diet? How much salt and seasonings is okay? What is the deal with marketing for kid's foods and why is it a problem? How can we balance "convenience" foods and healthy foods? These are all common questions I get asked as a Pediatrician and on my Instagram @pedsdoctalk. I welcome Monica Auslander (@eatlikemonica on Instagram). She is a Registered Dietician and fo...

As an OB and Pediatrician, a common assumption of us two doctor moms is that we have it all figured out.  Not. Always.  I welcome my friend Dr. Marta Perez (on Instragram as @dr.martaperez), who is an OB and new mom. We chat about motherhood and everything that got us here today.  We share a heart-to-heart about the assumptions that are made of us as physicians and doctor moms.  Did we fear pregna...

As parents, one of our hopes is to allow our children to live a long and healthy life. Part of this, is creating heart healthy habits for our children. I welcome Dr. Renee Rodriguez (Paro), who is a Pediatric Cardiologist and mom, to talk all about how we promote heart healthy habits for our patients and our own families. We discuss the importance of creating heart-healthy habits and offer simple...

Oh toddler sleep! This can be a struggle for many families. Perhaps you had an infant who was a 'great' sleeper and is now going through a regression OR you want to teach your toddler to fall asleep independently for the first time. Toddler sleep issues can be a struggle.  I welcome Victoria from Bella Luna Family, who is a sleep consultant and mother to a toddler. We discuss toddler sleep includi...

Child safety can be overwhelming. I find a lot of my families struggle with how to make sense of all this information. So, I welcome Holly Choi. She is a mother, CPR/first aid instructor, child burn educator, and child passenger safety technician to speak about 10 things she wishes every parents would know about child safety. How can we prevent burns in the home? What are the biggest safety tips a...

It is an honor to welcome Emily Oster who is an economist, mother, and author of the New York Times Bestselling book, Cribsheet, to the podcast today. Emily's book Cribsheet: A Data-Driven Guide to Better, More Relaxed Parenting, from Birth to Preschool breaks down so many topics and choices parents struggle with in parenthood. (paid link) From deciding to circumcise, sleep train, to introduce scr...

What is your parenting style? Have you really thought about what goes into finding your parenting style and WHY finding your unique parenting style is important for you? i welcome Mercedes Samudio, a licensed psychotherapist, parenting coach, and author of Shame Proof Parenting: Find your unique parenting voice, feel empowered, and raise whole, healthy children. I welcome her on the podcast to dis...

How many of you have heard the following myths in regards to your child?? "Wait for tummy time!" "Put alcohol on an umbilical cord to clean it." "Sleeping on your belly as a newborn is fine!" "Give your baby formula or oatmeal to make them sleep longer."  "Your baby needs a walker to help them learn how to walk." "Bouncing your baby on your legs will make them bowlegged."  "It's okay to give your...

Do you know what it really means to be a conscious parent? On today's episode I welcome Katherine Sellery, a 3x TEDx speaker, who has taught thousands of parents the Conscious Parenting Revolution  to help them raise resilient, considerate, centered and empowered kids who know their inner voice and honor it. We discuss what it means to be a conscious parent. Being a conscious parent requires us to...

"Daring to set boundaries is about having the courage to love ourselves, even when we risk disappointing others." -Brene Brown  Why is it so hard to set boundaries with our relatives? Why is it important to set these boundaries?  On today's episode I welcome Jenny Mehrer. She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (On Instagram as @jennywestmehrerlmft) who joins me to talk about boundary sett...

A healthy body image is one of the most important things I want to teach our children. How they look at their bodies, how they view food, and how they value themselves more than how they look is so important.  The medical community is guilty of causing issues with body image on how we sometimes report weight, percentiles, and BMI. The medical community doesn't take into consideration genetics and...

On this episode I welcome Allison, the owner and founder of The Potty Training Consultant (@pottytrainingconsultant on Inatagram), to discuss the basics of potty training.  She is a mother of two and her company has helped thousands of families around the world in their potty training journey.  We discuss:  The average age of potty training in America Signs of readiness A couple methods to conside...

Simply put, we can learn a lot from kids. They are the greatest teachers and I often find that when we are feeling the weight of the world on our shoulders, children can be the ones to make us feel like ourselves again. They are honest, they are full of love, and they are not afraid to be themselves! We can learn a lot more from kids!  In this episode, I share 15 ways we can be more like kids. Cha...

It’s 2020. Why is there still a stigma surrounding mental health?! Especially around maternal mental health?  Women are celebrated for doing it all. Society tells us we can juggle it all, when in reality it is IMPOSSIBLE to do it all without help. Postpartum is the most critical time in a mother’s life. A baby is born, but so is a mother. We still tend to forget about mom when the baby arrives. Ho...

There is nothing really basic about breastfeeding. Although it is something many women do, it is not easy by any means. Production, finding the right latch, and pain can all be common hurdles in establishing breastfeeding and enjoying the experience.  On this episode, I welcome Melissa Mancini (@more_than_milk on Instagram). She is a mother of two, registered nurse, and certified lactation consult...

In honor of teething week on my Instagram, I welcome Dr. Erin Isaac, Pediatric Dentist and @dr_erin on Instagram. We have a great discussion about Pediatric Dental Health. We discuss:  When should babies see the dentist? What is typically done at these early visits? When should a parent start brushing and flossing and how? Is fluoride okay? What if there is fluoride in drinking water? What are ris...

Kids. They are adorable. Until you give them a red crayon instead of a yellow one and all of a sudden that adorable kid is screaming in your face.  Childhood tantrums can be draining. So I invited Deena and Kristin (the masterminds behind the popular Instagram account, @BigLittleFeelings) to discuss all things toddler tantrums. Kristin is a mother of two and Deena is a licensed marriage and family...

On this episode, I welcome Alison and Layla. Two of the scientists and mothers behind Scimoms. Scimoms is an evidence-based platform that shares content for parents. From vaccines to food myths to the environment, they provide up-to-date scientific information on your most common concerns as a parent. Visit them at https://scimoms.com/ Follow them @scimoms on Instagram  Tweet them @scimoms on Twit...

In honor of National Immunization Awareness Month, I welcome Dr. Nicole Baldwin. She is a fellow general Pediatrician and mother and we have a heart to heart about vaccines. The myths we hear, how we approach vaccine hesitancy, the reason we vaccinate ourselves, our children, and why we promote vaccination for our patients. Tune in to get the REAL DEAL on vaccines from two mothers and two Pediatri...

Choosing an infant formula can be extremely confusing. There are so many to choose from that a new parent can be left confused in the middle of the aisle when deciding on which one is best.  I welcome Dr. Bridget Young, who has a PhD in nutrition and studies the composition of breastmilk and formula. She has an amazing website and Instagram account to educate parents on informed formula decisions....

Dogs are a part of many families and it's important we remember their needs as we raise our children alongside of them. On this episode, I welcome Michelle. She is a mother, certified professional dog trainer, and founder of Pooch Parenting. She helps families navigate many issues to create a healthy relationship between dogs and kids. Here are some of the questions we discuss:  What can families...

I welcome Labor and Delivery Nurse and Instagram phenom, @mommy.labornurse to discuss your common questions about labor, delivery, and postpartum. Liesel is also 36 weeks pregnant with her second child at the time of the recording. We discuss how she is approaching her delivery this time around, what she's looking forward to, how she's staying safe being pregnant in a pandemic, what we both wish w...