Baf˜ling Body Behaviors, Explained...W Sitting You’ve probably seen your child in this position (butt on the ground, knees bent, legs splayed out to the sides) and wondered how

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BafflingBodyBehaviors,ExplainedYour child’s bizarre physical habits—blinking her eyes repetitively, shrugging her shoulders over and over, clearing her throat—shouldn’t keep you up at night. “They’re called benign motor tic disorders and are quite common in first- and second-graders, but they usually go away as your kid gets older,” says Eileen Costello, M.D., a pediatrician in Boston and coauthor of Quirky Kids. In fact, kids often like to experiment by moving and bending their body

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… C O N T I N U E D

—Amanda Krupa

your child complains about pain in these areas. “Kids who can overextend—often athletes, dancers, and gymnasts—tend to be the ones who injure themselves seriously later,” Dr. Costello says.

W Sitting You’ve probably seen your child in this position (butt on the ground, knees bent, legs splayed out to the sides) and wondered how that could possibly be comfortable—or good for his joints. But it’s completely natural for a toddler or a preschooler, says Shelly Vaziri Flais, M.D., a pediatrician in Naperville, Illinois. Kids typically outgrow it in kindergarten as their hips and thighbones mature, though some may continue to W sit due to low muscle tone in their trunk or underlying hip issues. If you continue to notice your school-age child lounging this way, Dr. Costello suggests making an appointment to see his pediatrician.

N E W S T O S M I L E A B O U T

1Caring for a grandchild

may help grandparents feel less alone.

A study of older adults found that those with active

caregiving roles were less lonely and had a larger social network, according to research

published in BMJ Open.

2Choking deaths in the U.S.

have dropped by 75 percent over the past 50 years .

When comparing data from 1968 to 2017, researchers at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago discovered this large decline, particularly

for those under age 3, which is likely related to the improved

regulations since the 1969 Child Protection and Toy Safety Act.

3

Only children aren’t more narcissistic than kids

with siblings. Researchers looked at scores

of two self-centered traits (feeling grandiose and being more

rivalrous) in more than 1,800 participants and discovered no significant difference between

those with siblings and those without, according to research

published in Social Psychological and Personality Science.

—K.L.

Knuckle Cracking Despite the cringeworthy sound it makes, there's no evidence that this causes arthritis or any other joint issues later on, says Dr. Costello. That popping sound you hear is actually air bubbles releasing, not bones cracking.

Joint Contortions When a sentence starts off with, “Hey, Mom, watch this!” and your kid is better known as Elastigirl, it’s hard to know what twists and turns will follow. We all have some degree of flexibility, and that ranges widely . About 10 to 15 percent of kids are double-jointed, meaning they can extend body parts—typically fingers, thumbs, elbows, or knees—beyond their normal range of motion. Do take note, though, if

My 6-year-old refuses to poop in the bathroom at school. How can I convince her to go?

Source: Kimara Gustafson, M.D., a member of the Parents AAP Panel and a pediatrician in Minneapolis

A This is a common problem—many kids would much rather go in the privacy of their own home. (Honestly, could you blame them?) As a general rule, don’t force your kid to poop, especially in a foreign environment. Kids this age don’t have much control over their daily lives, so they try to influence what they can—like eating only white foods, refusing to go to bed at night, and, yep, not doing number two at school.

In order to go, your child needs to feel comfortable, and that can depend on several variables, such as the height of the toilet, noise, and timing. If she uses a footrest at home and the toilet seat at school is too high, causing her feet to dangle, she could have trouble relaxing. If she feels rushed during the busy school day, she’s more likely to hold it in.

Kids should poop at least once every two days. But if she isn’t on this

schedule and isn’t complaining of any discomfort, it’s not necessarily a reason for concern. To avoid constipation, find a time during the day—ideally before or after school or shortly after she eats breakfast or dinner—for her to sit on the toilet. Practice some relaxation techniques, like letting her read a book while she’s sitting. Make sure she’s drinking plenty of water and eating high-fiber foods too. Fruit with large pits, such as apricots, plums, or peaches, are especially helpful. If she experiences stomach pains, a lack of appetite, or frequent pee accidents (a sign that there’s too much pressure on her bladder), check in with her pediatrician.

P A G I N G D R . M O M

—Kyleigh Leddy

in ways that look unnatural. You may be curious about these three behaviors, but they’re usually nothing to worry about.

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K I D S—Ne w s + Id e a s

—Karen Cicero

B O O K M A R K T H I S !

Reads From AbroadPublishers are packing up hits from

across the globe and bringing them to the States. Add these to your nightly rotation.

The New Treatment for Peanut Allergy

Earlier this year, the FDA approved Palforzia, the first medication

green-lighted for kids ages 4 to 17 who have a diagnosed peanut allergy. It comes in pull-apart

capsules or sachets that you mix into a room-temperature

semisolid food, such as pudding or applesauce. The treatment

process is a bit complicated. Here’s what you should know.

I T ’ S G I V E N I N T H R E E P H A S E S . According to the manufacturer, the initial dose is a series of 13 capsules administered over one day by your child’s doctor. If your child tolerates Day 1, he’ll transition into the second phase—11 “up-dosage” levels of one to six capsules each, dispensed in two-week intervals. (The first up-dosage needs to be given under the supervision of a health-care professional, because your child has a small risk of an anaphylactic reaction; the rest are consumed at home.) In the final phase, your kid will take a daily maintenance pill indefinitely.

I T ’ S N O T A C U R E . “While peanut oral immunotherapy does increase the chance of a child having a severe reaction during treatment, it should decrease his chance of having a reaction to an accidental exposure,” says Michael Pistiner, M.D., director of food-allergy advocacy, education, and prevention for MassGeneral Hospital for Children’s Food Allergy Center, in Boston. But it won’t eliminate a kid’s allergy. You’ll still need to read labels, inform your waiter of allergies when you’re at a restaurant, carry an auto-injector, and avoid cross-contact.

I T ’ S N O T R I G H T F O R A L L F A M I L I E S . The drug covers only peanuts, so your kid needs to avoid other foods he’s allergic to. In addition, each maintenance dose should be given with a meal at the same time each day, preferably in the evening, and your child needs to be observed for at least an hour after taking it, which means planning around sports-practice schedules or a packed agenda. Other factors, like illness, an increased body temp, and pain meds, can also affect a child’s reaction.

I T S H I N E S A L I G H T O N R E S E A R C H . Additional treatments are in development, so you’ll likely see other options available in the future. “As we wait, it’s important to support your kid’s health and quality of life while managing food allergies,” says Dr. Pistiner. “It’s exciting that the FDA approved this and to see what will come.”

—Emily Elveru

F R O M

Germany A fun read-aloud with a lot of alliteration,

A Tiger Like Me, by Michael Engler and illustrated by Joëlle Tourlonias, follows

a day in the life of a boy—no, wait, a tiger! Kids will be roaring (pun fully

intended) as he dashes past the bathroom because “brushes and combs aren’t

good for tigers” and leaps to the table to “devour tiger flakes.” Save it for

bedtime: On the last page of the story, the tiger returns to his den to dream.

F R O M

Spain With stories that are an ideal length for

kids ages 3 to 6, Little People, BigDreams, by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara, is a series of more than 35 nonfiction titles

that profile inspiring people, from tennis player Evonne Goolagong to the

author of Pippi Longstocking, Astrid Lindgren. The back of every book includes

a timeline and photographs.

F R O M

Great Britain Told from the perspective of a

dog advising his four-legged friends, this tongue-in-cheek book,

How to Be a Dog, by Jo Williamson, pairs tip-filled text (“Remember

to always say hello to your human in a friendly way”) with lighthearted

illustrations (a dog knocking down his human and licking his face).

F R O M

Brazil Inspired by author Fernando Vilela’s

trip to the Amazon rain forest, Along the Tapajós tells the story of

siblings who must leave their village on the Tapajós River during the

rainy season. When they safely get to higher ground, they realize they

forgot something—their pet tortoise. Will they rescue him in time?

Your kid is sure to sit still as you read to find out.

is a series of more than 35 nonfiction titles

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