Doctors’ Tips for Keeping Your Kids Healthy

Shop Around for a Pediatrician

What the doctor wants you to know: “Your pediatrician is your parenting partner for up to 24 years. I like rules, strict bedtimes, routines. If you’re loosey-goosey and want more autonomy for your kids, find someone who agrees,” says Sue Hubbard, a pediatrician in Dallas and the host of The Kid’s Doctor, on kidsdr.com. “Ask questions about the pediatrician’s parenting philosophy. In the end, most doctors treat illnesses with the same amount of strictness they use for behavioral issues.” 

Where she slacks off: “I never stressed when one of my children learned at a different rate than other kids, even though I’ll tell parents to have their children tested if they’re worried the kids are falling behind.”