Advice to other parents

We will be posting more advice shortly but here are a few quick tips:

• Don't run with scissors
• Don't fry bacon naked

Well, aside from those basics would recommend the following, and will insist on them in the future.

Get a experienced and caring pediatrician, this is key to early diagnosis of potential illnesses.  Here are some specifics we would like to recommend.

• Do not simply rely on neighbor's opinions about how good a physician is.  Try and base this on real fact, and ask them why they feel their pediatrician is so good.  If possible ask doctors that you may know, where they take their children.  The closest or most popular physician in your area may not be the best.
• Is your pediatrician difficult to see because they are so busy?  This could be an indication that their practice has too many patients to dedicate the time that your child needs.
• Is your pediatrician more concerned about insurance covering procedures than actually running the tests because they feel it is vital?  Regardless of the cost, some tests should be performed, and a yearly blood test can shed light on many abnormalities.
• We recommend that you go see specialists in certain cases.  For example, if you child has indications of Allergies or Asthma, go see a Pulmonary specialist.  But, make sure that all the specialists submit their diagnosis to your pediatrician.  Then, follow up with your pediatrician to review all separate specialist reports.  You need someone that can see the "big picture" in case it is an indicator of a larger problem.
• Try to find a doctor that was a Attending at some point.  There is a hierarchy of doctors that goes like this:
  • Resident - rookies that have attended medical school.  There are many talented and nice residents, but they lack the overall experience to deal with many circumstances.
  • Fellow - doctors that have completed their residency and are specializing into a particular specialty.  They are not bottom of the food chain, but they are often on-call and are shadowed by an attending.
  • Attending - These are the most experienced and specialized doctors.  They generally have their pick of whom they want to work with and what they do.  This is who you want taking care of your kids.