Providing researched based educational resources to meet the needs of Long Islanders
By Kathy Sinkin, RN, CDE Years ago, my daughter and her neighborhood friend came home with severe cases of head lice. I read everything I could about lice, and did everything that was suggested. This included washing bed linens and clothes in hot water, drying clothes and linens in the dryer for at least 30…
By Maxine Roeper Cohen, M.S. As parents, we are concerned about our children’s popularity with others. We want them to have friends and develop a social sensibility. Developmentally, peers (children who are the same age) become more important than adults as children grow, especially in the pre-teen and teen years. So-called “popular” children can be…
Rachel Lippmann-Turner, MS, RD The air is cold; squirrels are hoarding their acorns, and the wonders of winter are here. The dreaded cold and flu season has arrived as well. You hear that sniffle, sneeze, or cough from your little one, knowing all too well that the cold weather brings more inside time and more…
By Dinah Torres Castro At the start of the school year, most parents have great ideas for their child’s lunch box, thinking that this will be the year they will finally get it right! They have a mental list of everyday favorites (bagels and cream cheese), ones that are good old standbys (PB & J),…
By Nancy Olsen-Harbich, MA Winter weather that keeps kids cooped up inside presents a real challenge to parents. Without fresh air and opportunities for vigorous outdoor play, children can get that bored, restless feeling we call “cabin fever.” This leads them to behave in unacceptable ways: whining, fighting, acting out to get attention, or roughhousing…
By Dinah Torres Castro Many parents look ahead to the holidays and become anxious and worried. Not all of us have rosy fantasies of the perfect holiday. As I was driving to work the other day, a parody of the “Twelve Days of Christmas” was playing on the car radio, and it reminded me of…
By Dinah Torres Castro As the holidays approach, many parents become exhausted with all the details. So much planning goes into making the holidays successful that we often forget about the days afterwards. If you are like me, you’re probably fantasizing about finally getting to sleep late each morning, and hoping that the kids will…
By Nancy Olsen-Harbich, MA Watch a four year old having a melt-down in the middle of a family celebration and you know his circuits are on overload. If it happens to be your own child, you might even feel a bit stressed out yourself. There’s nothing like Cousin Cindy’s judgmental stare to bring out feelings…
By Maxine Roeper Cohen, M.S. Children have fun while playing. As adults, why not think of ourselves as “grown-up” children and allow ourselves some playtime too? Just as play is vital for children, it is just as important for adults. Research has shown that childlike play can help protect adults from serious diseases such as…
By Nancy Olsen-Harbich, MA What Parents Can Do to Help Children Adjust to Divorce Young children do not really understand what divorce is, but they quickly come to realize that their lives change when their parents separate and divorce. This almost always leads to stress due to changes they cannot control. What can parents do…