Sometimes hypothermia can sneak up on you. I took my kids to play mini-golf today. We are in Melbourne, the temperature was chilly (12 degrees) and the sun was shining. It was, in short, a glorious, brisk Melbourne day. There was not a hint of ice or snow about. I thought I had dressed my…
The sun. In ancient times people worshipped it. When I was growing up we frolicked in it unprotected. Unfortunately now we understand that harmful sun-exposure in childhood is linked to some dreadful health outcomes in adulthood. Melanoma is the number one concern and blistering sunburn as a child is strongly associated with the development of…
Hadn’t heard of Zika virus until the last week? Don’t feel bad. A virus spread by mosquitoes that usually causes a mild illness it was, until recently only of interest to scientists and the public health community. Recently however, both the governments of Australia and the United States have issued warnings to pregnant travelers…
A few years back I was a doctor in emergency departments. I learnt to anticipate an increase in the number of children brought through the doors during the holiday season. Collectively as a society we also anticipate the tragedies we hear of in the news during the holidays. I am not sure about you, but…
Let me be clear from the start. Any of us could, given the right combination of unfortunate circumstances forget a child unattended in a hot car. The reason – the human brain, and memory is fallible. Last week, about an hours drive from our home in Victoria, in circumstances that are yet to be made…
Allegedly when I first visited the beach aged 9 months my mother placed me on a blanket within the strict confines of a playpen. Not to be contained I managed to scoop handfuls of sand into my mouth – the consequence being that I pooped sand for days. The moral of the story is…
This post is sponsored by Southern Cross Travel Insurance. The countdown was on – there was exactly one week to go before our much anticipated Disneyland vacation. I was in the stage I call pre-packing – throwing everything out of the drawers that I think we may take before whittling down the choices to the…
To my musical, eccentric, gorgeous boy, You turned six today. You will never know the joy it gives me to see you thriving; at school, with friends, and at play (you know how you love the water). It wasn’t always this way my darling. When you were little, you were sick so often. At…
Baby slings and carriers have received some negative press recently as a result of a number of tragic incidents. Since 2010 there have been three infant deaths in Australia as a result of suffocation in a baby sling. As a mother that currently spends much of my time carrying a young baby in a sling…
Taking to the water with young kids can be a little anxiety provoking for parents. While we haven’t been able to stretch our budget far enough to purchase our own boat (which we would love to do) we have taken other opportunities to enjoy being on the water with our kids. This has included hiring…