As a Mom of three, it seems that I always have questions about my kids whether it’s bout their health or their development. That’s why I love the site Bundoo, the ultimate parenting resource and the only place you need to visit for all of your questions about whatever situation comes up with your child. I’ve browsed the site for hours and bookmarked so many helpful articles and advice. Recently, I had the chance to interview Sara Connolly, a Bundoo Pediatrician about current parenting fads and which one to try and which ones to avoid!
I am pro-vaccine and always follow the recommended schedule for getting my children vaccinate. What do you think of this recent trend of parents not vaccinating their children and the outbreaks that are appearing over the country?
Honesty, this trend terrifies me. While the decision to vaccinate rests in the hands of the parent, a decision not to vaccinate has the potential to impact an entire community. These outbreaks are the tip of a very dangerous and very large iceberg, one that is just below the surface but ready to cause serious mayhem. Vaccines were created because the diseases they prevent are very contagious and often put the child at risk for not only an immediate illness but for lifelong complications as in the case of measles and polio. I read what is out there regarding the “vaccine controversy” and I understand that parents are just trying to do the best for their kids and that they are scared. I feel like pediatricians and health care professionals need to be as passionate as those anti-vaccine advocates you read on the internet. Our patients need to feel how deeply we support vaccination and, at the same time, feel like they can talk to us about their fears and what they have read. I recently had an amazing conversation with Dr. Paul Offit from The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia about this topic. He encouraged me to speak passionately with my families about my feelings on vaccination.
I have read a lot of conflicting information on screen time for children. If it’s a learning app or television show, what do you think the appropriate amount of time is?
When it comes to screen time, less is more! The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no screen time for children under the age of two. None! No Dora, no Sesame Street, nothing. In today’s world, this is not an easy task. For kids over two, the AAP recommends as little as possible, but certainly less than two hours total per day. The total is the part most of us forget. Screen time is TV, computer, video games and the like all added up. Currently, there is research going to studying the usefulness of learning apps, so these recommendations could change or become more specific as our knowledge changes.
Personally, I advise parents to monitor closely what their child is watching or playing. I ask them to stick with programs without commercials and free of violence as much as possible. When on the computer, it is of paramount importance that parents are beside the toddler or child when they are using the internet to ensure safety. I also explain that while a baby will seem interested in the TV screen, the stimulation is too much for their developing brain and overloads it with too much stimulation at once. Babies looking at screens are held hostage by the experience – those new infant seats with iPad holders drive me crazy!
It seems like there is a lot of focus on anti-bullying but it’s still happening and the kids are getting younger and younger. What can parents do to prevent this?
Parents need to have excellent communication with both their child and their child’s teachers. There are some amazing anti-bullying campaigns used by schools with great results. When a child feels bullied, first and foremost, a parent needs to listen with empathy but also remain calm. If a child feels like they upset you with their problems, they may decide to hold those feelings in instead of coming to you. If they feel dismissed, they will also hold those feelings in. We want our children to be able to speak with us and share any emotion with us knowing that we are present, loving and calm. Once we know what is going on, it’s our job to help our child navigate the situation. That may involve speaking with a teacher, a principle, a counselor etc. Having a good relationship with your child’s teachers beforehand, makes those conversations much easier.
To prevent our child becoming the bully, we need to reflect on what is going on in our home. Modeling kindness, empathy and accepting each family member for who they are is a great place to start.
At Bundoo.com we have an amazing psychologist, Dr. Raquel Anderson, who is available to answer questions regarding bullying through Ask Bundoo.
It seems like the latest craze is essential oils for everything from kids being sick to treating ADHD. Friends are so convincing, I’m almost ready to jump on this trend! What are your thoughts?
Like all vitamins and minerals, essential oils are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) which means they don’t have to prove efficacy or meet safety standards before being sold to consumers. As such, parents should use them cautiously. There is no way for your doctor to ensure that what you read on the label of a bottle is, in fact, what the product claims. Like almost anything, too much of any essential oil can be dangerous to children. Pure essential oils will irritate the skin if applied directly and diluted oils often contain chemicals that serve to dilute and preserve the scent of the plant (such as terpens). As a result, I recommend my patients stay away from anything that claims to be medicinal and from products that are placed on the skin of babies and children. Many parents enjoy essential oils as fragrance such as in Aromatherapy. If the scent is very mild and the child is comfortable, then they are probably fine but be on the look-out for signs of allergy such as watery eyes, sneezing or a rash and read the bottle to see what other ingredients it contains.
Are there any parenting or behavior trends that are on the rise that you think parents should be following?
Parenting is really difficult and requires adaptation and the willingness to ask for help when things don’t go as expected. For babies and toddlers, I really like the RIE (resources for infant educarers) approach to parenting. I just finished, “Baby Knows Best” by Deborah Carlisle Solomon and thought it contained some great information on how to adapt to life as a new parent. I also love Conscious Discipline and have most of Dr. Becky Bailey’s books. I use “I Love You Rituals” by Dr. Bailey and recommend the Shubert books that are also on her website (www.consciousdisipline.com) for children. Both RIE and Conscious Discipline help parents stay calm and present which is hard when you are raising children and managing a household.
Thank you so much to pediatrician Sara Connolly from Bundoo – she sure has given me a lot to think about!
Make sure to check out Bundoo, a great parenting resource and my post about different features of Bundoo.com.
What parenting fads out there have you tried or do you avoid?
Disclosure: I am a Bundoo Ambassador and have been compensated. All thoughts and opinions are completely my own.
This is an awesome interview. I try not to pay attention to what other people are doing and just kind of do my own thing. It’s seemed to have worked so far.
Back when I was raising my daughters, we didn’t have any of these “fads”. Now that I have grandsons there are so many fads when it comes to parenting. I just tell my daughter to follow her heart and to do what she thinks is best for her boys, which in her eyes, and mine, vaccination is best.
Great article. I agree, good parenting is necessary and requires a lot of effort, but achieving it is fulfilling.
Parenting “trends” are tough. I have been getting lots of feedback about my daughter’s gluten-free diet. People have a tendancy to think I am following the fad or trying to be trendy. I think the only parenting trends you should follow are the ones that are a good fit for your kids. Oils, diets, supplements, etc. are all good things- but make sure you are educated about the products you are using. Great interview!
This is such a great interview filled with great advice and tips! I’m especially wary of essential oils after having a reaction to tea tree oil myself. Educating yourself is certainly a very important part of parenting!
Both my kids were fully vaccinated many years ago….the youngest is 12. I have since been into a more holistic lifestyle and I honestly am not sure what I would do now if I had another baby.
I am sorry, I hit post comment before I was finished: But I use essential oils to treat my son’s ADHD tendencies. Not because it is a trend or I am jumping on the bandwagon, but because I don’t trust anything the FDA says. The same drugs that they say are proven safe for you, are later discovered to be bad for you. Have you seen the recalls on drugs? Also the side effects of these mainstream drugs are far worse than the disease being treated. Who would take that chance with their kid’s health? These side effects are accepted as normal. If they are able to resolve the illness, why can’t they resolve the side effects. I strongly think that they have more to gain by keeping you sick. I make sure I research the oils I use and I use a reputable company with certified pure oils. I also eat healthy, because the right foods have the power to heal you. My husband died 10 years ago after we discovered he had stage 4 cancer. He lived less than a year after the diagnosis. He was “treated” with the most aggressive of chemo therapy and radiation. Looking back now, I can see the horrible effects the “medicines” had on him. Things a 32 year old man and his young family should not have gone through. The drugs totally depleted his body. My husband would have lived a lot longer if we hadn’t opted for chemo….or at the least the last year of his life would have been much better than the poison they were giving him. If I could go back in time, we would have chosen essential oils and a dramatic diet change. In case you haven’t noticed, I stay away from drugs at all cost. I try holistic first!
I am so sorry for your loss!
I chose to delay vax but they all were vaccinated. I did my research and thought this was a good option. I also allow my kids 1 hour computer time and 1 hour tv time and they used to get more, But since they’ve gotten less they are so much more happier.
My motto is… too each their own… except for the vaccines… that is a scary thing but to spread them out.. I understand why parents feel the need to do that. I am not anti TV before 2— there are so many great ‘baby’ shows w color that can really help ‘calm’ the child and actually teach the child.. Sometimes my 2 year old–before she was 2 would say something smart and I realized she got it from Dora or Elmo … or a Guppy 😉
Thank you for this interview. I try to minimize screen time with my 18 month old, but it is hard. I’m also trying to not watch adult shows when he is around!
All great suggestions on the pediatrician’s part. Many of these things are ones we follow. The screen time was a challenge, but we made it to 19 months before our son watched Sesame Street. I felt like that was a huge accomplishment. 🙂
Really great interview. Lots of good advice.
This was a great interview. I pretty much agree with her on everything, however I do recommend essential oils and use them with my family! The FDA isn’t reliable in my book anyways, but friends that use them and recommend them themselves are much more reliable!
Essential oils can be great, just remember their safety has never been tested on adults or children. Use them cautiously and with common sense and you should be just fine!
Great Q & A. I am not a parent yet, but it already scares me that I’d make the wrong decision regarding vaccinations.
This was a great interview! I enjoyed reading her perspective. I’m noticing a trend on the essential oils – mainly from Pinterest – and while I don’t judge my friends for wanting to sell things to me to earn money, I’m not convinced that these products are all that effective. It sounds like the doctor confirmed my suspicions 🙂 Thanks for sharing this!
I avoid fads. I think the interview sounds great and I agree with those tips.
Terrific interiew on a great subject. I’ve stuck with tried and true, no fads for us.
I really enjoyed this post. It is so hard to know exactly what is best sometimes when you hear such conflicting sides to these issues. I believe that the best thing to do is be as informed as I can as a parent and then do what I think is best for my own kids and not worry what other parents think or do.
We love our essential oils. Thank goodness they aren’t regulated by the FDA!
I’m not a parent, but I’m surprised at how many people just jump on a fad without first researching it and making sure it is really something that should be done!
While I don’t have children, I do work in the medical field. It makes me so nervous for the children of parents who won’t vaccinate. I see so many avoidable medical issues.
This is chock full of good stuff to think about. I’m not partial or prone to the trends, but I’m not adverse to some of them either.
What a comprehensive interview. It’s great to dispel parenting myths!
Not a parent yet but learning something from this! Great advice 🙂
A very interesting interview! I think as mom’s we are always nervious to know if we’re going it “right”.
Such smart, reasonable advice! I’m completely with her on the vaccines, especially.
I have not tried the essentials oils for my daughter but I have thought about it for her focus issues. I don’t want to go the medicated route and a good friend of mine lives by essential oils. She uses them for her sons and you can definitely tell a difference so it’s tempting.
I delayed vaccinations for my son, but eventually he got caught up. I’m not against vaccinations for kids, just the quantity of some of the doses. 4-5 shots in one visit is just WAY too many. Then, if your child has a reaction you have no idea which medication they are reacting to. One at a time is the way I decided to go – so that way, if anything went wrong, we’d know exactly where to pin-point it.
This is great! It’s always good for me to get more of a “professional” opinion on the health of my children. I’m one of the moms that gets terrified if they sneeze , our pediatrician knows me by name and has gotten used to the frequent phone calls. I’m just happy that she has patience with me.
Pediatricians know that parents are nervous and understandably so! That’s why we created Bundoo.com, so parents could read about common issues from the comfort of their own home or from their phone when on the go. You can even ask a Bundoo expert a question!
Honestly, when in doubt talk to your kids doctor. They are not going to steer you wrong.
What a great interview – though I do think that doctor’s have a tendency to not give ‘holistic’ approaches enough credit, overall I agree with her. I use essential oils now, but we still visit the doctor too. If I don’t feel like it’s working, or I’m afraid it may irritate my childs skin, we do something else. I did do vaccines for all my children, though some of the ‘newer’ ones I wish I wouldn’t of. I’d like to have a few more years of studies before I expose my kids to certain vaccines (such as the swine flu shot – lots and lots of people having issues with that)
My husband and I have been blessed with four healthy children and a wonderful pediatrician who has made our lives healthier and better
we do all vaccines here, but staggered. i don’t like to put that many things into the kids’ systems at once. we just space them every 2 weeks. it’s worked for us.
This is a great article and I am glad to see vaccines discussed first. People dont remember polio now…. there are few living survivors. I would hate to see an outbreak again occuring.