Helping breastfed babies to thrive in day care

I am a daycare provider. How can I help babies (and their mothers) to continue breastfeeding and still be able to give them what they need?

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Constipation: the poop on poop

I get many questions from parents about managing constipation. Left untreated, constipation can lead to long term difficulties with passing bowel movements. A child may even develop encopresis, the involuntary leakage of bowel movements. Fortunately, treating constipation in preschoolers can prevent problems later on! here's a plan that will help most children:

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Withholding bowel movements: information for health care providers

Early recognition and treatment of patterns of withholding and retaining bowel movements can prevent persistent problems, including encopresis.

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Our two year old won't poop in the potty--he held it for three days!

Our two year old is toilet trained for peeing but he’ll only poop in his diaper. We tried not giving him one, but he held on for three days and we gave in (he then had a huge bowel movement). What can we do?

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Our three year old is rough with our new baby. How can we stop him and protect her?

We need some ideas for handling our almost three year old Nicky and our new baby. He seems delighted with her, but he's so enthusiastic

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The Breath of Life

From the time we become parents, we do our best to protect our children . . .

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Our baby won't nap!

Our baby won't nap! He does fine at night, but naps are always a struggle . . . .

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What is a good bedtime routine for a toddler?

What is a good bedtime routine for a toddler? I keep hearing that our almost two year old should have a routinge, but it seems like every night winds up being different . . .

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Our 5 year old is wetting his pants at school!

Every fall, after school has been in session for a few weeks, I start to get calls from parents about their children coming home with wet underwear. Here is what they say . . .

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Hank Streitfeld, M.D., someone to remember

Sometimes we remember people because their names make a big public splash.  Others are remembered as much for their good work as by their names.  The work, like the ripples of a pebble, continues, even if the moment of first impact isn't registered.

Hank Streitfeld, M.D., died on April 26, 2011.  He was a beloved Berkeley Obstetrician/Gynecologist who pioneered ideas that many parents in the Bay Area and across the country now take for granted.  It’s hard to imagine that there was a time when prenatal education, nutritional counseling, and preparation for breastfeeding were not part of standard medical care for pregnant women.  Hank’s practice was one of the first to include classes for parents and extended visits with nurse practitioners as routine. When midwives were considered outside the norm of medical practice, Hank collaborated with them and provided back up. Since not every parent-to-be was in his practice, he shared his wisdom by writing a monthly column in Parents’ Press for many years--long before well written information about pregnancy was available to everyone online. Yes, there was a time before Berkeley Parents' Network didn't offer advice and recommendations.

I knew Hank Streitfeld as a colleague, a friend, and as the man who handed me my first born son after a very long labor.  Hank was sweet, funny, smart, a great doctor and a mensch. He will be missed.