Things I Think About My Kid’s Health

I talk a lot about Summer Health but I'm also the mom of 3 kids under the age of 5. In case you're wondering, being a parent is far more grueling than being a founder. But of course, it’s so worth it.

I spend a lot of my time when I'm not building Summer Health thinking about how I can ensure that my children lead the happiest and healthiest lives. I'm on a quest to ensure that they live to 100 (like my Grandma, who will be 100 next year!).

So here are some things that are on my mind about my kid's health this week. And thanks to our team of pediatricians and pediatric RNs at Summer Health, I’ve got some tips for you if you’re thinking along the same lines.

1. Happiness: there's so much published now on teenage depression and the mental health epidemic facing our kids. Can that affect my 4-year-old? What can I do to stop it? For me, it’s about intentionally increasing positive interactions with my children individually every day. Our pediatrician, Dr. Ali Alhassani, shared that the best thing you can do as a parent is make sure you give them undivided attention and love at least once a day. Meaning no phones, allowing them to guide play, and reflecting back to them what they’re doing to show them that you’re paying attention.

2. Early intervention: do my kids need occupational therapy or physical therapy for anything? When I see something that seems out of the ordinary, that's one of my first thoughts. Fortunately, we haven’t had anything arise thus far. But as my kids turn 1, 3 and 5, I’m keeping an eye out for movement skills and to ensure that they can walk, keep up with friends on the playground and control their bodies. One of the most common issues we see at Summer Health is parents concerned about their 12-15 month olds not yet walking.

3. Preventing seasonal illness: in a household with two working parents, when one of my kids gets sick, the rest of us (including our nanny) fall like dominoes. How can I ensure that everyone stays healthy so we can stay in school and at work without disruption? In our household, we wash our hands frequently, mask up where appropriate, and preventatively take vitamin c gummies with the kids every morning. Our doctors at Summer Health gave me the advice to stock up on hand sanitizer, easy to use thermometer, and good nail clipper (kids bite their nails and get sick from germs).

4. Meeting milestones: How are my kids tracking? Is my 4-month old rolling over on time? Is my 2-year old dealing with separation well? Is my 4-year old reading? I love knowing what to expect and read a ton of content about it from credible sources. But sometimes it’s possible to overthink these things. For the most part, our pediatricians say that the suggested guidelines have a wide range. So don’t be nervous if your kid is a few months behind of what you read online. When should you be concerned? If your baby isn’t make eye contact, or if your baby is meaningfully behind on movement. Parents have a gut instinct that helps them gauge.

5. Gentle parenting: I ingest so much information about parenting from pediatricians but also from great content sources like Big Little Feelings, Dr. Becky's Good Inside and more. Am I doing a good job? I have no idea. But one thing I try to do in line with this style of parenting every day is to spend individual quality time with each of my 3 kids every day reflecting on what they are doing or learning without the distraction of my phone. I’m not perfect though. I also travel many weeks a month and FaceTime them in haste. It can be so hard to follow this advice perfectly but it’s such a helpful framework.

What's on your mind about your kid's health and wellness? How do you go about finding answers? We’d love to hear from you. For those who respond, I’d love to gift you a free session with Summer Health to give us a try and see if we can help.