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

In today’s episode I’m talking to Susie Allison, the woman behind Busy Toddler. As a former teacher and mom of 3 kids, she is an advocate for early childhood education and made it her mission to bring hands-on learning and play back to childhood, support others in their parenting journey, and help everyone make it to nap time. We discussed the following: Why it’s okay not to love playtime Why you don’t need to play with kids all day long  Not all kids are great at independent play from the start How to use playtime/awake time to complete chores Find out more about Susie Allison on her website Busytoddler.com or via Instagram @busytoddler For more watch Dr. Mona's "Open Ended Toys: Best Kids Toys and Why" video on YouTube. Check out my weekly videos on child health & development by ⁠⁠subscribing to PedsDocTalk on YouTube⁠⁠. Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! And don’t forget to follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@pedsdoctalkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the ⁠⁠⁠⁠PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships⁠⁠⁠⁠ page of the website.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this episode of Monday Mornings with Dr. Mona, a mom calls in because her 22 months old daughter has started to wake up at night screaming and she is unsure if this is separation anxiety, a nightmare, or a sleep terror. I’ll explain the difference between a common sleep regression, nightmares and night terrors, what causes them to happen to toddlers, and how to support them. Check out all the PedsDocTalk Courses for more guidance, tips, and support during parenthood. The Toddler Courses will help you through the toddler stage! Check out my weekly videos on child health & development by ⁠⁠subscribing to PedsDocTalk on YouTube⁠⁠. Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! And don’t forget to follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@pedsdoctalkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the ⁠⁠⁠⁠PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships⁠⁠⁠⁠ page of the website.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode I am talking to Jenna Helwig, the food director at ‘Real Simple’ magazine, the mom of a 1 one year old and author of 3 fantastic cookbooks. Besides others she wrote the number one bestseller ‘Baby Led Feeding’ and that is the main reason I’m so excited to talk to her about: What is baby-led weaning? The biggest mistakes while baby led weaning How to make the process more simple and enjoyable How to simplify food preparation The difference between meal prepping and meal planning  Favorite supermarket shortcuts  How to minimize food waste Find Jenna Helwig online at jennahelwig.com or get her amazing cook books Bare Minimum Dinner and Baby-Led Feeding. Check out my weekly videos on child health & development by ⁠⁠subscribing to PedsDocTalk on YouTube⁠⁠. Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! And don’t forget to follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@pedsdoctalkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the ⁠⁠⁠⁠PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships⁠⁠⁠⁠ page of the website.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This may be my favorite Finding Joy episode for you: 5 ways (values) we can bring ourselves more joy and peace as a mom. This episode tackles our emotions and values, the way we view ourselves, and the way we view struggle to give ourselves more grace and peace through our parenting journey.  Check out my weekly videos on child health & development by ⁠⁠subscribing to PedsDocTalk on YouTube⁠⁠. Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! And don’t forget to follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@pedsdoctalkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the ⁠⁠⁠⁠PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships⁠⁠⁠⁠ page of the website.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this episode of Monday Mornings with Dr. Mona, a mother of a 2 year old calls in about how to make brushing a toddler's teeth happen without a fight I normalize this common phase in kids and explain ways to approach this with Five Tips to Making Brushing Teeth Fun and not a Fight. Check out all the PedsDocTalk Courses for more guidance, tips, and support during parenthood. Check out my weekly videos on child health & development by ⁠⁠subscribing to PedsDocTalk on YouTube⁠⁠. Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! And don’t forget to follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@pedsdoctalkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the ⁠⁠⁠⁠PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships⁠⁠⁠⁠ page of the website.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this episode I welcome Dr. Jessica Steier, a public-health expert, and Dr. Andrea Love, an immunology expert. They are the hosts of Unbiased Science, a podcast devoted to objective, critical appraisal of available evidence on health-related topics relevant to listeners’ daily lives. We discuss the following:  What could have been done differently in this pandemic The difference between misinformation and disinformation What’s next in this pandemic Why debunking information is so difficult as science-educators What it means when a pandemic becomes endemic  Follow them at @unbiasedscipod on Instagram and visit www.unbiasedscipod.com where they offer a searchable database. Listen to the Unbiased Science podcast wherever you listen to podcasts.  Check out my weekly videos on child health & development by ⁠⁠subscribing to PedsDocTalk on YouTube⁠⁠. Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! And don’t forget to follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@pedsdoctalkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the ⁠⁠⁠⁠PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships⁠⁠⁠⁠ page of the website.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this episode of Monday Mornings with Dr. Mona, a mother of a 1 year old calls in to ask bout the impact her postpartum depression can have on the development of her child.  I discuss why maternal (and parental mental) health matters and what we see for the developmental impact for kids. A few resources: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2724169/ https://www.rikidscount.org/Portals/0/Uploads/Documents/Issue%20Briefs/3.18%20Maternal%20Depression%20Update.pdf https://www.ncsl.org/research/human-services/from-pregnancy-to-postpartum-the-effects-of-maternal-depression-on-mothers-infants-and-toddlers.aspx Check out my weekly videos on child health & development by ⁠⁠subscribing to PedsDocTalk on YouTube⁠⁠. Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! And don’t forget to follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@pedsdoctalkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the ⁠⁠⁠⁠PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships⁠⁠⁠⁠ page of the website.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In December 2019, we gave birth to our beautiful son. It was under the most difficult of circumstances where both he and I were in the ICU. Over the last 1.5 years, we thought our story would be different but we realized we had secondary infertility from the delivery and complications.  In this episode of The Finding Joy Series, I share our story: How we found out we had secondary infertility, the ups and downs of that process, our decision to start IVF, and how Im navigating this emotionally and physically draining process.  If you are struggling with anything that is robbing your joy or causing you guilt as a parent, make sure to call it into the podcast at 954 526 2641 and I may discuss it on a future episode! For more watch Dr. Mona's "My IVF Journey" playlist on YouTube. Check out my weekly videos on child health & development by ⁠⁠subscribing to PedsDocTalk on YouTube⁠⁠. Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! And don’t forget to follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@pedsdoctalkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the ⁠⁠⁠⁠PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships⁠⁠⁠⁠ page of the website.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this episode of Monday Mornings with Dr. Mona, a mother of a 2.5 year old calls in to ask if it's normal that her son doesn't want anybody looking at his genitalia during bath time/diaper changes. I discuss how to balance body autonomy with the need for parental monitoring/intervention. I also discuss why body autonomy is important AND why we should be teaching children from a young age about normal anatomical names for genitalia.   Check out all the PedsDocTalk Courses for more guidance, tips, and support during parenthood. For more watch Dr. Mona's "Why Early Conversations about Sex are Crucial" video on YouTube. Check out my weekly videos on child health & development by ⁠⁠subscribing to PedsDocTalk on YouTube⁠⁠. Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! And don’t forget to follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@pedsdoctalkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the ⁠⁠⁠⁠PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships⁠⁠⁠⁠ page of the website.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I'm sharing a parenting principle of mine that has been a game-changer in creating independence, fostering autonomy, building confidence, and also reaffirming to our children that we are there for them when they need us. It's called the Independence/Intervention Principle and it will change the way you approach multiple parenting situations from infancy and beyond! Tune in as I explain this principle, why it matters, and examples from the newborn months to school-age on how it works.  Check out my weekly videos on child health & development by ⁠⁠subscribing to PedsDocTalk on YouTube⁠⁠. Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! And don’t forget to follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@pedsdoctalkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the ⁠⁠⁠⁠PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships⁠⁠⁠⁠ page of the website.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices