Associates in Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine

The weather is warmer, the pool is open and trips to the beach are in the future.  Please remember to apply sunscreen to your child prior to going to the pool, beach or lake.  Use a sunscreen for children that has SPF of 15 or greater and PABA free.  Reapply every couple hours especially after excessive sweating or swimming.  Do not use a sunscreen/insect repellant combination.

It is summer time and time to be outdoors.  We at Associates in Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine along with the AAP advocate for the use of insect repellants on kids over 2 months of age.  Insect repellants containing DEET up to concentration levels of 30% are safe to use in children over 2 months of age.  Apply DEET only once per day, sparingly on exposed areas of skin, but not around face, mouth or eyes.

Ear piercing for girls in the lower ear lobe is a decision to be made by your daughter and you.  However, we at Associates in Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine think you should have it performed by someone you trust  with the healthcare of your child.  Physicians at our office perform ear piercings using 2 forms of anti-septic and sterile earrings.  If you are interested in getting your girl’s ears pierced, check our website section on ear piercing, or call our office.

Your pediatrician should evaluate your baby if you think that he/she may have colic, reflux, or is just fussy.  Just knowing and having the peace of mind helps everyone.

Who is more qualified to give parenting advice than a pediatrician who evaluates and treats children and teens on a daily basis.  We have pediatricians with many years of experience with parenting advice, behavior modification, boundary limits, and child psychology.  See your pediatrician at Associates in Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine if you are in need of a little help and guidance.

We at Associates in Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine now offer travel vaccines and adult vaccines to new and established patients.  If you are traveling abroad, going on a mission trip or any trip out of the United States, please check with us to determine if you need vaccines.  Have your vaccination record available if you have one.  We administer Yellow Fever Vaccine, Typhoid Vaccine, Malaria prophylaxis and many other vaccines needed for travel.

We at Associates in Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, evaluate, diagnose, and treat new and established patients with ADHD.  The evaluation requires a couple of questionnaires and visits.  Treatment could involve medications, therapy, counseling, or any combination of those.  If you think your child or children may have ADHD, are struggling in school or with behavior, we would be happy to evaluate them and determine if it is ADHD or some other cause.

Pregnant women who are exposed to secondhand smoke are 23% more likely to experience stillbirth and 13% more likely to give birth to a child with a congenital malformation.  Because the timing of exposure and the effects are not yet known, we at Associates in Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine in Baton Rouge encourage all women in child-bearing years to avoid smoking and secondhand smoke exposure before and during pregnancy.

Pertussis, more commonly known as whooping cough, is a highly contagious bacterial disease that’s potentially fatal to infants.  And babies often catch pertussis from the people who love them most…their own parents.  The scary fact is that researchers have found that up to 80% of babies caught the disease from family members.  Unvaccinated adults and adolescents can contract and spread this serious disease, often without even realizing it.  When you get vaccinated, not only are you helping protect your own health, you’re helping to protect your baby too.  We at Associates in Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine are now offering the Pertussis Vaccine to adults.  Please contact our office to schedule an appointment.

Well visits allow developmental and other health problems to be identified and treated early in a child’s life.  Whether a problem is medical or behavioral, or both, finding it early and treating it can greatly improve the child’s chances of reaching his or her full potential for physical, mental, and social health and well-being.  Please do not skip your child’s yearly well visit. 

Pediatricians are able to provide family-centered, comprehensive, coordinated care, including a more complete medical assessment when a screening indicates a child is at risk for a developemental problem.  The pediatrician may further assess the child for a diagnosable developmental condition(s) (for example, a language disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism, intelectual disabilities), and for the potential coexisting neurologic, metabolic, or genetic disorders that might require specific treatments or interventions of their own.