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| Happy Fall! We hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful (unseasonable) weather lately. We wish everyone a safe and fun Halloween!
In this month's newsletter, we invite all new mom's to our free mom support group. The group will be held every Tuesday in November - be sure to RSVP to reserve your spot! We also provide information on the health benefits of proper hand washing and how to easily fight germs. To prepare for Halloween fun, we offer suggestions for allergy-safe trick or treating. In addition, we share a fun, healthy Halloween snack idea! The Pediatric Center recognizes Breast Cancer Awareness month and supports this wonderful cause.
Our goal is to further develop our relationship with our patients and create an open forum. We welcome your comments and ideas. If you would like to see something included in this newsletter, please email us at
[email protected]
with ideas only, please no medical requests.
As always, we welcome you to share your experience with our practitioners with an online review.
Sincerely,
The Pediatric Center Staff
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| Mom Support Group At The Pediatric Center |
Fight Germs - With One Simple Step
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Author: Dr. Kathleen Chin
Did you know that handwashing is like a "do-it-yourself" vaccine? It only involves
 five simple and effective steps: Wet, Lather, Scrub, Rinse, Dry.
Regular hand washing, particularly before and after certain activities, is one of the best ways to remove germs, avoid getting sick, and prevent the spread of germs to others. It can also help reduce the spread of diarrhea and respiratory illness so you can stay healthy. It's quick, it's simple, and it can keep us all from getting sick. Hand washing is a win for everyone, except for the germs.
Many diseases and conditions are spread by not washing hands with soap and clean, running water. If soap and water are unavailable, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol to clean hands.
When To Wash Your Hands:
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Before, during, and after preparing food
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Before eating food
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Before and after caring for someone who is sick
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Before and after treating a cut or wound
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After using the toilet
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After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet
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After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
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After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste
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After handling pet food or pet treats
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After touching garbage
How To Wash Your Hands:
- Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap.
- Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Be sure to lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
- Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the "Happy Birthday" song from beginning to end twice.
- Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.
- Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.
How To Wash Without Soap & Water:
Although washing hands with soap and water is the best way to reduce the number of germs on them in most situations. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can quickly reduce the number of germs on hands in some situations,
but sanitizers do not eliminate all types of germs, like Norovirus
. So if there is an outbreak of diarrhea going around, skip the hand sanitizer and use soap and water
Hand sanitizers are also not as effective when hands are visibly dirty or greasy.
How do you use hand sanitizers?
Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are OK for children and adolescents, especially when soap and water aren't available. However, be sure to supervise young children using alcohol-based hand sanitizers. Remind your child to make sure the sanitizer completely dries before he or she touches anything. Store the container safely away after use.
Keeping your hands clean can help keep you and everyone around you healthy!
References: CDC.org - Handwashing- Clean Hands Save Lives
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| Keep Allergy Aware This Halloween |
Halloween can be a very tricky day for children with food allergies. While the excitement of gathering treats and candy house to house fills the air, even small amounts of an ingredient can cause a potentially life threatening reaction.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) provides simple, yet valuable information for allergy safety on Halloween.
Read Before Eating
- Always read the ingredient label on any treat your child receives. Many popular Halloween candies contain some of the most common allergens, such as peanuts or tree nuts, milk, egg, soy or wheat.
- If the ingredients aren't listed, arrange for a treat "exchange" with classmates or friends. Or, bag up the goodies your child can't eat because of an allergy and leave them with a note asking the "Treat Fairy" to swap them for a prize.
- Be aware that even if they are not listed on the ingredient label, candies (both chocolate and non-chocolate) are at high risk of containing trace amounts of common allergy triggers, because factories often produce many different products. Also, "fun size" or miniature candies may have different ingredients or be made on different equipment than the regular size candies, meaning that brands your child previously ate without problems could cause a reaction.
- Teach your child to politely turn down home-baked items such as cupcakes and brownies, and never to taste or share another child's food.
Food-Free Fun
- Offer non-edible goodies to trick-or-treaters and classmates. Food Allergy Research & Education's Teal Pumpkin Project, which promotes safe trick-or-treating options for food-allergic children, suggests items such as glow sticks, spider rings, vampire fangs, pencils, bubbles, bouncy balls, finger puppets, whistles, bookmarks, stickers and stencils. Consider supplying some to neighbors whose homes your child will visit.
- Plan alternatives to trick-or-treating, such as slumber parties or get-togethers to watch age-appropriate creepy movies.
- Center parties around festive activities such as costume parades, pumpkin decorating contests, Halloween themed games, crafts and scavenger hunts or spooky storybooks.
Keep Others Out Of The Dark
- Inform teachers and other adults with your child about the food allergy and how to react to an emergency. See How to Use an Epinephrine Auto-Injector.
- Don't let your child trick-or-treat alone, and make sure they have an epinephrine auto-injector with them. Anyone with a cell phone should fully charge it before heading out.
- Explain symptoms of anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction, such as shortness of breath, difficulty swallowing, hoarseness, swelling of lips or tongue and dizziness.
- Even if epinephrine is administered right away and anaphylaxis symptoms seem to stop, the child treated always should be taken to the emergency room.
We wish everyone a festive and fun Halloween!
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We loved this healthy Halloween snack idea from EverydayHealth.com
You'll need: veggie dip or yogurt, celery sticks, baby carrots, sliced mushrooms, cucumbers cut into rounds, pea pods, a few lettuce leaves, olives, and red bell pepper.
Directions: Scoop veggie dip into a small bowl and place at the top of a long platter. Begin to build the skeleton by arranging veggies: a celery stick for the neck, baby carrots for the arms, mushrooms for the hands, cucumbers for the spine, red pepper slices as the ribs, mushrooms for the hips, celery for the legs, and pea pods for the feet.
Give your skeleton hair with lettuce leaves, eyes with olives, and a mouth with a sliver of red pepper. Eat away!
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The Pediatric Center joins the crusade for breast cancer awareness. It's always heart-warming to see the support, energy and community behind this incredible cause.
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| On-Site Lactation Support Center |
The Pediatric Center's on-site Lactation Support Center led by our own Director of Lactation Support, Clare Cardo McKegney, DNP, APN, CPNP, is here to support you in breastfeeding your child. Dr. McKegney is a board certified pediatric nurse practitioner and certified breastfeeding counselor with over 18 years of advanced practice in pediatrics.
Our modern and private on-site lactation suite provides a warm and relaxed environment for the mother and infant to enjoy a positive breastfeeding experience.
To schedule your lactation consultation, attend our free prenatal class or make an appointment please call us at 908-508-0400.
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The Pediatric Center's patient portal provides personal access
to your family's
medical records.
You can access information such as immunization records, visit summaries, request appointments, view dates for upcoming appointments and pay your bill.
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| Do You Need A Pediatric Specialist? |
If you are in search of a pediatric specialist, please know we are here to guide you.
We have a wide network of doctors we can refer to ensure you are in good hands.
We specialize in developmental & behavioral health and focus on positive parenting practices. We can offer guidance on depression, eating disorders, developmental concerns and many other issues.
You are not alone.
Please call to make an appointment to meet with one of our physicians:
908-508-0400.
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| The Pediatric Center Online Bill Pay |
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Online Bill Payment
The Pediatric Center offers the ease and convenience of online bill
 payment.
Payments Over The Phone
If you prefer, you can still make a payment over the phone by calling The Pediatric Center's billing department, HealthCare Billing, Inc:
Toll Free: 877-852-9092 or
Local: 908-237-9092
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| Did you know our website includes a Vaccine Education Center where you can find the immunization schedule for your child? Reminder - we are offering the new meningitis vaccine Trumenba in our office. Insurance companies have started to cover this vaccine. It is recommended it be administered to all students starting college as part of their pre-college physical. View all the details here. |
Your feedback is very important to us! We would love to hear about your positive experience with our doctors and nurse practitioners.
Did you know you can write and post a review right on our website? Click here.
You can use this page to provide feedback, kudos, or just share thoughts.
Thank you for your kind words!
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Free Prenatal Class
We offer a free prenatal class on the 3rd Thursday of every month with our own
Dr. McKegney!
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It's A Partnership
Resources for breastfeeding, immunization schedules, what to do if your child is sick, online references & much more!
Click here.
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Read Our Blog!
Check out our blog to read about news and current events. Topics are relevant to our practice and patients.
Click here.
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Keep up to date with pertinent news information and important announcements  on Facebook including time sensitive topics and office closings, etc.
Simply like us by clicking on the icon to the right!
Announcements will also be posted on the home page of our website under "What's New".
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The Pediatric Center
556 Central Avenue, New Providence, NJ 07974
908-508-0400
www.PedCenter.com
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