A Dose of Dr. Gwenn

My kids’ spring school vacation this year fell during TV Turn Off Week. I figured this would be a snap with the change in routine and the excitement of exploring new locales. I anticipated happily tired kids falling asleep at the end of each day before they even remembered we had a TV in our hotel room. Even without an “official” no TV week, vacations are low TV times for us – we’re just too much on the go.

However, I quickly faced one huge hurdle I didn’t quite anticipate: we were visiting The Big Apple – the city that never sleeps and that has a screen of some sort on just about everywhere you go: hotel lobbies, elevators, restaurants, bars, museums, Times Square, and even taxi cabs. Talk about TV tube over load complete with an instant failure of our attempt at TV Turn Off Week. My only solace was that none of us actually hit the “on” for those bigger than life screens.

With TVs also now available in refrigerators and cars, we do honestly have to ask ourselves when this will end, especially knowing the plethora of studies citing the risks to our kids and our society for too much tube time. And, that is what we are talking about: too much.

Kids who watch too much tv are at risk for obesity, inattention and even behavioral issues. And, a recent study in Pediatrics actually showed that teens without TVs in their bedrooms were healthier. They moved more, ate healthier foods and spent more time with their families.

But it is not just kids that fare better with less TV and technology. Adults do, too. I recently learned of a very creative day called “Shutdown Day”. Such a brilliant concept: be plugged in less and get outside to interact with the world more.

We all should be doing that a great deal more - unplugging. I often wonder if we emailed less and talked more, would we be better off and I have a feeling the answer would be yes. And, I can say that without citing a study and just by looking a what my life was like pre and post the email craze.

It may take time to niche away at the societal issues of being overly plugged in and with TVs at every turn, but you can do something about your own family's little piece of the world. Since returning from NYC, I've been reciting this to myself:

Spring has sprung; the grass has riz; I wonder where all the family time is??

Family time should be active and outside this time of year and not passive and in front of a tube. So, unplug your family and get everyone out on the same grassy field with some balls and just see what happens. One more thing - leave your cell phones in the car. This is a completely unplugged family experience - I have a feeling the first of many once you see how incredibly bonding with your kids like this can be!

Taking a child to the doctor is often stressful. To help make those visits go as smoothly as possible, here are a few tips that my experience has taught me really help make a big difference for everyone.

1. Please don’t use your cell phone in the exam room – to make a call or answer a call. It is distracting and delays us from seeing the next patient on time.

2. Please don’t let your child eat in the room. Food in the room is a risk for kids with allergies. It is hard to examine a mouth that has food in it.

3. If a child has been vomiting, don’t give your child anything to drink with out talking to the nursing staff first.

4. If your child has a particular worry, let us know so we can find a way to address it and you’re your child more at ease.

5. Remember your child is the patient, so please don’t interrupt us if we try and get the history from your child. You can fill in the blanks after we are done with that part of the history.

6. Both the history and the physical are important, and we need to do both at every visit.

7. Small children usually have to be restrained gently during parts of the exam. This is for the safety of your child when examining sensitive areas like the ears or mouth. This process goes best if you assist with it by following our cues.

8. If your child has a major medical problem, clue us in even if you think it is in the chart.

9. Be patient if there is a wait. If you have a time crunch, let the staff know to help find solutions if you need to be somewhere.

10. Make sure you have distraction toys to help pass the time. Books. Crayons. Your child’s favorite stuffed animal.

So, give these tips a try. I have a feeling you’ll find they’ll be just what the doctor ordered for making the next visit go better for your child, and for you.