VMC Kids Pediatrics

VMC Kids Pediatrics We’re so excited to announce…

VMC Kids Pediatrics is coming soon to the Houston, SugarLand, Sienna, Missouri,Richmond, Katy & surrounding areas!

Our mission is to provide exceptional, compassionate care for children of all ages — from newborns to teens

02/14/2026

Valentine’s Day is more than flowers and chocolates — it’s about love in all its beautiful forms.

Love for your spouse.
Love for your children.
Love for your parents and friends.
Love for the patients you serve.
And even love for yourself.

Today is a reminder to slow down, appreciate the people who make your life brighter, and say the words we sometimes assume they already know. A simple “I love you,” a thoughtful message, a warm hug — they matter more than any gift.

May your day be filled with kindness, laughter, gratitude, and moments that make your heart smile. 💕

Happy Valentine’s Day to all — celebrate love today and every day.

💖

02/14/2026

What’s Going Around

🌡️ This week, I saw several cases of prolonged fevers. Some were persistent daily fevers, while others were intermittent fevers happening back-to-back.

💡 What’s interesting?
Many of these appear to be viral infections occurring one after another, rather than serious bacterial infections. When viruses overlap, it can feel like one long illness — but often it’s sequential viral exposures.

Prolonged fevers can be scary for parents, but most are caused by viral back-to-back infections.

Of course, always monitor:
• Fever lasting more than 3-5 days
• Worsening symptoms
• Signs of dehydration
• Difficulty breathing
• Lethargy or unusual behavior

When in doubt, get evaluated. Always trust your instinct.

❤️ Final Reminder

Viruses are still circulating, even if flu numbers are down. Prolonged fever doesn’t always mean something severe — sometimes it’s just back-to-back viral exposure.

Let’s keep our kids safe, hydrated, and active — but smart about it.

Everyone stay safe 💛

💧👩🏾‍⚕️

02/12/2026

Hydration & Heat Illness;

Children are more vulnerable to heat-related illness than adults because they generate more heat during activity and are less efficient at cooling themselves. Proper hydration and gradual conditioning are essential to keeping young athletes safe.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends:
• Frequent hydration breaks every 15–20 minutes during activity, even if the child does not feel thirsty.
• Access to water before, during, and after sports participation.
• Gradual acclimatization to heat over 1–2 weeks, especially at the start of a season or during hotter weather. Intensity and duration of activity should increase slowly to allow the body to adjust.

Coaches and parents should also monitor for signs of heat illness, including dizziness, headache, nausea, excessive fatigue, or confusion. When in doubt, stop activity and cool the child immediately.

Keeping hydration and heat safety a priority helps ensure sports remain healthy, safe, and enjoyable for all young athletes.

Keep kids safe, hydrated, and heat-smart this sports season! ☀️💧🏃‍♂️

02/07/2026

What’s Going Around. This week I saw lots of common colds, a few lingering flu and RSV cases, scattered stomach bugs, strep throat still making surprise visits, and seasonal allergies quietly announcing spring is on the way—

We’re clearly in that transition phase—respiratory viruses haven’t fully disappeared, and early allergy season is beginning, especially with warmer days and pollen starting to creep up.

Pls wash hands, stay home when sick, and don’t forget those allergy meds 🌸

02/05/2026

Age-Appropriate Sports Participation cont’d

“Every practice, every game, and every smile on the field matters—because kids play best when they play smart. 🏀⚽🎾 From proper warm-ups and rest days to taking time off from one sport each year, preventing sports injuries helps our young athletes stay healthy, confident, and having fun for the long run. 💙 Let’s raise strong, safe, and happy players—on and off the field. 🌟 ”

01/31/2026

Pink Eye: What Parents Need to Know

Pink eye, or conjunctivitis, is a common eye condition in children—especially during cold and flu season. It can be caused by viruses, bacteria, allergies, or irritants.

👀 Common Symptoms
• Red or pink appearance of the white part of the eye
• Eye discharge (watery, yellow, or green)
• Crusting of the eyelids, especially after sleep
• Itching, burning, or irritation
• Sensitivity to light
• Swollen eyelids

🦠 Types of Pink Eye
• Viral: Most common. Often comes with cold symptoms. Very contagious.
• Bacterial: Usually thicker yellow or green discharge; eyes may be “stuck shut.”
• Allergic: Itchy, watery eyes—often both eyes at once; not contagious.
• Irritant: Caused by smoke, chlorine, or foreign bodies.

🏫 Is It Contagious?
• Viral and bacterial pink eye are contagious.
• Spread happens through hand-to-eye contact, shared towels, or contaminated surfaces.

🏠 What Parents Can Do
• Encourage frequent handwashing
• Avoid touching or rubbing the eyes
• Don’t share towels, pillows, or eye makeup
• Clean eye discharge gently with a warm, damp cloth
• Keep children home from school/daycare if discharge is present

💊 Treatment
• Viral: Usually improves on its own in 5–7 days
• Bacterial: May need antibiotic eye drops or ointment
• Allergic: Treated with allergy eye drops or oral antihistamines

Antibiotics do not help viral pink eye.

🚩 When to Call the Doctor
• Eye pain or light sensitivity
• Vision changes
• Symptoms worsening or not improving after a few days
• Significant eyelid swelling
• Newborns with eye redness or discharge

✅ When Can Kids Return to School?
• When discharge has resolved and the child feels well
• Many schools allow return 24 hours after starting antibiotic drops, if prescribed

01/23/2026

Physical Activity Guidelines for School-Aged Children and Adolescents continued

Today’s reminder for parents, coaches, and young athletes: strength training for kids isn’t about lifting the heaviest weight—it’s about learning how to move well, building strong bones, improving balance and coordination, and having fun along the way 💪🧒🏽 When strength training is done with proper supervision, correct technique, and age-appropriate goals (no max lifting or powerlifting until after puberty), it can actually reduce injury risk, support healthy growth, and boost confidence on and off the field. Kids’ bodies are meant to move, jump, squat, push, and play—and smart strength training helps them do all of that more safely while protecting growing bones and growth plates until they’re ready for heavier loads 🏃🏽‍♂️🏋️‍♀️

01/17/2026

What’s Going Around

Strep Throat: What Parents Need to Know

What is strep throat?

Strep throat is a bacterial infection of the throat caused by Group A Streptococcus (GAS). It is common in school-aged children and teens.

⸻

Common Symptoms

Children with strep throat often have:
• Sudden sore throat
• Pain with swallowing
• Fever
• Red, swollen tonsils, sometimes with white patches
• Swollen neck lymph nodes
• Headache or stomach pain (especially in younger kids)

Usually NOT present:
• Cough
• Runny nose
• Hoarseness
• Diarrhea
➡️ These symptoms suggest a viral illness, not strep.

⸻

How is strep throat diagnosed?
• Rapid strep test in the office
• Sometimes a throat culture if the rapid test is negative but suspicion is high

⚠️ Antibiotics should not be given without a positive test.

⸻

How is it treated?
• Treated with antibiotics (most commonly penicillin or amoxicillin)
• Treatment:
• Shortens symptom duration
• Prevents complications
• Reduces spread to others

Important:
👉 Your child must take the full course, even if they feel better.

⸻

When can my child return to school?
• After 24 hours of antibiotics
• Must be fever-free
• Feeling well enough to participate

⸻

Is strep throat contagious?

Yes.
• Spread through coughing, sneezing, or close contact
• Most contagious before antibiotics
• After 24 hours of treatment, spread risk drops significantly

⸻

Possible Complications (if untreated)
• Rheumatic fever (affects the heart)
• Kidney inflammation
• Abscess near the tonsils
• Spread of infection

➡️ These are rare when strep is treated promptly.

⸻

What parents can do at home
• Encourage fluids
• Use acetaminophen or ibuprofen for pain/fever (no aspirin)
• Soft foods if throat is painful
• Replace toothbrush 24–48 hours after starting antibiotics

⸻

When to call your doctor

Call if your child:
• Is not improving after 48 hours of antibiotics
• Has trouble breathing or swallowing
• Develops a rash
• Has repeated strep infections

⸻

Key Takeaway

Strep throat is common, treatable, and usually improves quickly with the right care. Testing first and completing antibiotics are essential.

01/15/2026

Physical Activity Guidelines for School-Aged Children and Adolescents continued

Kids thrive when they’re given the freedom to explore, experiment, and simply enjoy being active. Research shows that specializing in just one sport too early—before the mid-teen years—can lead to higher rates of overuse injuries, emotional burnout, and even lower long-term athletic success, despite what many believe. Playing multiple sports helps develop balanced strength, coordination, confidence, and a genuine love for movement, setting kids up not just for better athletics, but for healthier lives overall. The message is clear: variety now builds resilience later. 🏃‍♂️⚽🏀🤸‍♀️

01/01/2026

Happy New year!
Here's to a year filled with growth, giggles, and big adventures! Happy New Year from VMC Kids Pediatrics!

12/30/2025

Watching kids grow stronger should always be about fun, variety, and balance—from ages 6–12 when sampling multiple sports helps prevent injury and burnout, to the teenage years when structured team sports and strength training are great while still avoiding early single-sport specialization until late teens, because healthy movement today builds lifelong wellness tomorrow. 🧡🧸

12/27/2025

Ear Infections: What Parents Need to Know

1. What it is:
• An ear infection is usually a bacterial or viral infection of the middle ear, the space behind the eardrum.
• It often follows a cold, flu, or other upper respiratory infection.

2. Signs and Symptoms:
• Ear pain or tugging at the ear (common in babies and toddlers)
• Fever
• Irritability or fussiness
• Trouble sleeping
• Fluid drainage from the ear (sometimes)
• Hearing difficulties or temporary hearing loss

3. Causes:
• Most often caused by bacteria, but sometimes viruses
• Can occur when fluid builds up behind the eardrum, providing a medium for infection

4. Treatment:
• Mild cases: Sometimes, observation is recommended for 24–48 hours, especially in children over 2 years with mild symptoms.
• Antibiotics: Prescribed if bacterial infection is suspected, symptoms are severe, or child is under 2 years old.
• Common choices: Amoxicillin (based on guidelines)
• Pain relief: Acetaminophen or ibuprofen (age-appropriate dosing)
• Warm compresses may help soothe ear pain

5. Prevention Tips:
• Practice frequent handwashing
• Keep up-to-date on vaccines (flu, pneumococcal)
• Avoid second-hand smoke
• Breastfeeding for at least 6 months reduces risk
• Minimize bottle propping and avoid lying down while feeding

6. When to Call Your Doctor Immediately:
• Severe ear pain or high fever
• Ear drainage (especially pus or blood)
• Recurrent ear infections (3 or more in 6 months, or 4+ in a year)
• Hearing loss or speech delays

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