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New Canaan Pediatrics

Care You Can Trust for over 50 Years

News – Important Updates For Our Families

What To Give Them Instead of A Screen

We know parent are lectured about the dangers of screens and social media ad nauseam. Studies show that kids who use screens excessively are more likely to be obese or overweight. They have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep, leading to poor physical health. Screen-using children are more aggressive and more likely to be anxious or depressed and have poor emotional coping skills and higher levels of frustration. They also have poorer academic performance.

However, while all the experts are feeding parents the latest news about the negative effects of screens, very few are giving them tools to radically limit screens. New Canaan Pediatrics is here to actually help by laying out strategies – giving you ideas of what you can offer your children that isn’t a screen. [Read more…] about What To Give Them Instead of A Screen

Bright Red Cheeks and Fifth Disease

Here at New Canaan Pediatrics, Dr. Flynn knows that there are lots of funny names for flowers; pig’s squeak, lamb’s ear and donkey tail spurge are just a few. Your New Canaan Pediatrics providers know that funny names exist for illness too, such as “slapped cheek” rash, an absolutely accurate descriptor. Also called Fifth Disease, a child who is experiencing this viral infection will have bright red cheeks, like someone has slapped them on both sides of the face.

[Read more…] about Bright Red Cheeks and Fifth Disease

Summer Safety For Your Family

As summer approaches, we parents begin thinking about all the ways we can tempt kids to get outside, move, breathe fresh air and use their imagination. Your family may opt for a backyard pool to lure kids outside. You might build a miniature park with opportunities for play and exercise. The humble backyard fire pit is always an attraction, especially if a s’more and storytelling are involved.

At New Canaan Pediatrics, we know the best way to enjoy summer is to enjoy it safely. Proper hydration and clothing, sunscreen amply and frequently applied, and cooling breaks are important regardless of what you’re doing in your backyard. Depending upon your backyard, we have additional safety protocols to keep your kids healthy and well. [Read more…] about Summer Safety For Your Family

Ear Infections Are A Real Pain.

By the time your child is three years old, they will have most likely experienced an ear infection. Five out of 6 kids will have one by their first birthday. Ear infections are one of the most common reasons kids visit New Canaan Pediatrics.

Otitis Media, Middle Ear Infection
While there are several types of ear infections, the most common is a middle ear infection, Otitis Media.

When the Eustachian tube in your child’s middle ear traps fluid infected with a bacteria or virus, the eardrum swells and causes painful pressure. Your child will feel more discomfort in the middle ear when laying down.

Ear infections are more common when your child is young because their Eustachian tubes are tiny, just 18mm, and positioned horizontally, making drainage more difficult and increasing the likelihood of infection. As your child grows, the tubes get bigger, up to 35mm in adults, and move to a 45˚ angle, improving drainage.

Your child may experience trouble balancing and walking when they have a middle ear infection. They may also have muffled hearing and may not respond to sound. Because pain increases when lying down, your child may have difficulty sleeping. They could also run a fever over 100° F.

Sometimes, after a cold or sore throat, your child may have non-infected fluid in the ear, known as an effusion. We may treat the effusion with over-the-counter nasal spray and continue to monitor your child to make sure an infection does not develop.

If there is drainage, other than ear wax, from your child’s ear, call our office immediately. Your child will need to be examined to determine if an eardrum has ruptured. This can be treated to heal completely.

Will My Child Get Antibiotics?
Some middle ear infections are caused by viruses and will resolve on their own without antibiotics. Your New Canaan Pediatrics provider may ask you to monitor your child at home for several days before we recommend antibiotics. However, infants younger than 6 months of age are almost always treated with antibiotics for middle ear infections.

Never use an oil, especially a hot oil, as this can permanently damage the eardrum.

Give your child the appropriate and recommended doses of acetaminophen or ibuprofen for treating pain or fever. If your child runs a fever for more than two days, call our office at 203-972-4250 or message us through your patient portal.

My Child Gets Ear Infections All The Time!
We may diagnose chronic ear infections if your child:

  • Has three or more ear infections in 3 months
  • Has four or more infections within a year
  • Does not respond to antibiotics
  • Has a hearing loss
  • Has a tear or hole in the eardrum


Chronic ear infections can cause delays in speech development and social skills because of hearing loss. We may discuss ear “tubes” being placed into the tympanic membrane of the ears to help drain fluid. These tiny tubes are surgically inserted into the eardrum by an ear, nose and throat specialist (ENT). The tubes allow air into the middle ear to stabilize air pressure and drain fluid.

How Can I Prevent Ear Infections?
Infants and toddlers should never be put to bed with a bottle as this increases the risk for middle ear infections. Use a saline nasal spray and nasal aspirator or bulb to help release and clean out congestion. Encourage older children to blow their nose frequently when they have a runny nose or congestion.

While many middle ear infections cannot be prevented, there is good news; children typically outgrow these infections by their fifth birthday.

Be prepared with a fire safety plan

Most of us believe home fire safety means being very careful with gas and electric appliances and installing smoke alarms. If we have a fireplace, we are sure to install a fireplace screen. While these steps are, of course, very important, to be as safe as possible, experts in fire prevention, insurance, and disaster assistance all recommend we add the most important factor of all: planning and practicing for an evacuation when the alarm goes off. [Read more…] about Be prepared with a fire safety plan

Help For Struggling Students Is Life-Changing

Last year, the Connecticut State Department of Education updated their Individualized Education Program (IEP) in an effort to make the process easier to navigate for students, parents, and educators. Helpful as those changes are, making sure a child has access to schools and can thrive in them becomes a bit more involved when a child has a disability. New Canaan Pediatrics understands that current education research has proven that early, individualized intervention can greatly improve educational outcomes. However, this means there are many potential paths to a better educational experience for students with disabilities. So where does a parent start?

[Read more…] about Help For Struggling Students Is Life-Changing