Clarkstown Pediatrics

Hot off the press! Take a at our newest edition of Newsletters! All of them can be found on our website www.ClarkstownPeds.com and this issue in particular talks about telemedicine and testing availability, covid and vaccines! Page 1 and 2 below. Stay tuned tomorrow night for page 3 and 4!

Some random thoughts as we are seeing more illness in our office (as we do this time every year, because winter). I know you love my stream of consciousness posts... We medical folks are definitely experiencing more tension headaches this fall. It's up to us to figure out whether that runny nose (you know...the one every kid in every city has right now) is just a typical cold, allergies, or the Virus Whom Shall Not Be Named. Knowing whether or not to test a child can some...Continue reading

Wearing a mask doesn’t have to keep you from smiling. I’ve found that I have to make more of an effort to actually look people in the eyes and smile as I walk past them when I’m wearing a mask - but that’s not an excuse NOT to smile at someone. Your smile (even just with your eyes) can make someone else’s day brighter. So please don’t stop smiling!... (Pic of our new ladybug pet for attention) #bekind #smile #smilemore #drbergsmiles

Let's say your 7-year-old child is in a class with 15 other children. The kids and teacher are all masked, and there is a lot of space between the childrens' desks. The childrens' temperatures are taken daily. The masking and spacing is keeping the viral droplet spread in the classroom at a minimum. There are no family members allowed in the room. The sick and quarantining protocols are in place to keep anyone with a cough or runny nose out.... The desks and hands in the classroom are cleaned frequently. Now let's say one of the kids has a birthday party. Bounce house, pizza, the works. The parents think, "well, these kids are all in the same class anyway...let's go!" No one is wearing masks. There is no distancing between the kids Siblings tag along. Mom and dad come along. Everyone is eating from the same bowls, tables, plates. Hand washing is at a minimum This is a small example of how it's spreading. Letting your guard down even with the same families your child is in school with may introduce the virus to your entire family. My worry comes with a few days after the party, when you go to visit Nana and Pop-pop. Your children (and you) may not yet be exhibiting symptoms. Studies show a human being is most contagious with COVID-19 in the 24-48 hours before they start to show symptoms. The only way we can keep the kids in school is to be smart about what they're doing outside of school. If too many teachers or students come down with (or are quarantined for) COVID-19, entire grades and schools must be shut down, for lack of either students or staff. I don't know how to end this post other than to tell you it won't always be this way. Let's just keep making good choices. Please. Dr Berg (picture is me last December thinking of what great things were to come in 2020! )

When traveling with children, safety is paramount. At every age, it's important to keep your child properly secured and buckled up. Young children ride in the back, but as they grow up, parents will undoubtedly start to ask: When can my child ride in the front with me? Most laws require children to ride in the back seat of a car, and most states permit children over a particular age, height, or weight to use an adult safety belt, according to the Governors Highway Saf...ety Association. But specific laws about front-seat riding for kids vary from state to state and sometimes seem vague. Many state laws are written ambiguously and simply use the Centers for Disease Control guideline that children cannot sit in the front seat until age thirteen, says Christine Nastasi, R.N., B.S.N., T.C.R.N., C.P.E.N., pediatric trauma coordinator at Stony Brook Children's Hospital, located in Stony Brook on Long Island. So, when are children legally allowed to sit in the front seat of a car? Here's what each state in the New York metro area requires for child-passenger safety and allowing children to ride in a vehicle's front seat: What age can kids sit in the front seat in New York? Children cannot sit in the front seat of a car until they are 13 years old in New York. State law requires children ages 8-15 to use safety belts when riding in cars. The use of appropriate child restraint systems, such as belt-positioning booster seats, is permitted as adult seat belts may not properly fit some children in this age group if they are shorter than 4 feet, 9 inches tall, according to New York State Department of Health’s website. Ask your doctor at Clarkstown Pediatrics if you have any further questions! See more