Now that the days are getting colder, it is time to "winter-proof" your children if you live in a cold climate. I am often amazed at seeing even little babies in light clothing when I am wearing warm clothes. I was waiting for a prescription one day at a big grocery store. In front of me was a mother and a cute little boy, about a year old. It was a cold morning but the child was running around on the concrete floor with no shoes on his feet. He also was not warmly dressed. I overheard the mother saying she wanted to pick up prescription for the little boy's cough and ear infection. I had to bite my tongue not to say something. What was she thinking? I saw another child walking outside on a cold day and he was barefoot. I said something about him not liking shoes and the mother said causally, "Oh, he's a California boy". I wasn't sure what that had to do with walking around on a cold day without shoes.
I was sitting in my car some years ago waiting for a friend when a saw a mother and her child. It was raining and the mother didn't have an umbrella. Neither she or the child were dressed for a cold, raining day. I had my own pediatric practice at that time and was not surprised when the mother and child came to see me the next day because he was coughing and had an ear infection. The mother had no idea I had seen her the previous day.
In addition to be appropriately dressed for cold weather it it extremely important that each child's immunizations are up to date. The recent statistics are alarming because fewer parents are getting their children immunized. Dr. Andrews Wakefield, who reported the false studies about the connection with autism, seems to still be having an affect. He even had an appointment with Trump one day. If you have ever seen a child die or become seriously ill from a preventable disease like meningitis you would rush right out to your doctor's office with your child if the child was not immunized.
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