Doctors’ Tips for Keeping Your Kids Healthy

Play Doctor Before Going to One

What the doctor wants you to know: “Buy a play doctor’s kit and let your toddler get used to the equipment,” recommendsTanya Remer Altmann, a pediatrician in Los Angeles and the author of Mommy Calls: Dr. Tanya Answers Parents’ Top 101 Questions About Babies and Toddlers (AAP, $13, amazon.com). “Teach her where her heart and ears are and explain that the doctor is going to look at them. Let her listen to your heart and examine your ears. Make it fun. And be honest. Don’t tell a child a shot won’t hurt, but let her know that it’s a little poke designed to keep her from getting sick. If prepared, she’s more likely to get a thorough exam.”

Where she slacks off: “When my husband isn’t home, my kids eat cereal for dinner. At least they get whole grains, fiber, and protein.”