The Smart Parent's Guide: Getting Your Kids Through Checkups, Illnesses, and Accidents
Trachtenberg (Good Kids, Bad Habits), a pediatrician and chief pediatric officer for RealAge.com, teams up with the Joint Commission (which advocates for patient safety) to help parents deal with medical problems and emergencies. According to Dr. Jen, parents have good reason to be concerned about such issues as the over-use of antibiotics, the rise of superbugs, and dosage mishaps, but without making parents paranoid, she reveals that being a little scared is okay. Instead of becoming paralyzed by fear, the author advises parents to devise an emergency plan: investigate the best emergency room even before it's needed, locate a trusty pediatrician, and stay on top of medical personnel by asking questions and being informed. Trachtenberg covers a variety of topics—from how to find Dr. Right and when to go to the ER, to how to approach the problems of special-needs children. She also answers sticky questions, ranging from whether to skip or postpone vaccinations to whether to bank blood from the umbilical cord. This wide-ranging resource will be useful to parents hoping to calmly manage and/or avoid childhood illnesses and accidents.(Mar.)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.