New Canaan Pediatrics

04/23/2026

It’s vital to intervene within the first few weeks of your baby’s life when they are born with clubfoot.
The Ponseti method is most commonly used and involves a series of casts to reform your child’s foot. Your child will typically have a quick and simple surgery, an Achilles tenotomy, which allows the shortened tendon to grow to the normal length.
Your child will most likely need to wear special shoes or a brace after treatment.
You’ll help them with stretching exercises to help ensure the clubfoot does not return.

04/21/2026

When your baby is born with one or both feet turned in, under and pointed, your New Canaan Pediatrics provider will probably diagnose clubfoot or talipes equinovarus.
While there is no one identifiable cause of clubfoot, there are usually genetic or environmental factors involved. Clubfoot happens when the Achilles tendon is too short, causing the bones and muscles to be misaligned.
Boys are twice as likely to experience clubfoot as girls.

04/16/2026

It’s fiction that only boys are on the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD); girls are diagnosed at a lower rate because symptoms can be different.
No cause of ASD has been pinpointed; experts agree it’s a complex mix of genetic, biological and possibly environmental factors.
Diets, supplements or medications do not cure ASD; early intervention and behavioral therapy can help those with ASD develop better social skills, regulate their emotions and improve daily living skills.

04/14/2026

April is National Autism Awareness Month!
New Canaan Pediatrics is here to help you separate facts from fiction.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is not a disease or a mental illness; it’s a neurological developmental disorder, present at birth.
There is not a sudden epidemic of ASD; ASD is now better diagnosed and the umbrella now includes Asperger’s syndrome, disintegration disorder and pervasive developmental disorder, increasing the number of ASD diagnoses.

04/09/2026

Depending upon family history, we may refer your young athlete to a cardiologist for a cardiac screening before they begin competitive sports.
The cardiologist will conduct a review of personal and family health history, a thorough physical exam and an electrocardiogram (ECG). This test can detect abnormal heart rhythms. If results detect an abnormality, your child may require an exercise test or echocardiogram.
Ask your New Canaan Pediatrics provider for more information.

04/07/2026

When your child plays competitive sports, a cardiac screening may be recommended.
While exceedingly rare (just one in 50,000 to 200,000 incidents each year), sudden cardiac death is responsible for about 75% of deaths that occur in youth sports.
Heart conditions can stay dormant and undetected until heavy exertion triggers a cardiac event. These can include thickening of the heart muscle, an arterial weakness that disrupts blood flow or inflammation of the heart from a viral illness.

04/02/2026

Plantar warts may go away on their own, especially if your child is under 12.
However, if the pain of this growth interferes with your child’s normal activities, if it bleeds or changes in shape or color, or if you’re unsure it’s a wart or something more serious, make an appointment with your New Canaan Pediatrics provider.
The warts may be removed at home with over the counter salicylic acid or we may refer you to a dermatologist.

03/31/2026

Does your child have a rough growth on their foot? It could be plantar warts, caused by a strain of HPV.
Plantar warts usually appear on the ball of the foot or the heel, and could feel or appear as a callous. They may have black pinpoints within, tiny clotted blood vessels called wart seeds.
These growths don’t follow the normal ridges and lines of the foot, and can be painful when your child stands or walks.

03/26/2026

Just like in adults, high blood pressure in children doesn’t generally cause symptoms.
However, some children will experience headaches, shortness of breath, the feeling of their heart racing or “fluttering” or pains in the chest.
Your New Canaan Pediatrics provider will check your child’s blood pressure at wellness visits.
If we become concerned about their readings, we may recommend changes to their diet, such as eating more vegetables and fruits and watching their salt intake. Regular aerobic exercise may also be recommended.

03/24/2026

When your New Canaan Pediatrics provider measures your child’s blood pressure, they aren’t looking for 120/80. In fact, as your child grows, the measure of a healthy blood pressure will change with them.
High blood pressure in children can be caused by the same factors as adult hypertension, including overweight, inactivity, being exposed to second hand smoke, and too much sodium in their diet.
It can also indicate genetic conditions, hormonal disorders, or issues with their heart or kidneys.

03/19/2026

Cerebral palsy symptoms include an unusual head size, frequent fussiness or irritability, a “floppy” lack of muscle tone or unusual stiffness, and delayed development.
While CP may be suspected in infants, official diagnosis comes after physical and neurological exams, special assessments checks, imaging scans and other tests, depending upon symptoms.
Kids with CP will benefit from physical, occupational and speech therapy, medications and other educational supports.

03/17/2026

Spring is just around the corner - can allergy season be far behind? New Canaan Pediatrics explains allergy symptoms, allergy severity, and what can be done to ease the discomfort of all that sneezing.

Spring in Connecticut brings sunshine, warmth, and a chance to finally enjoy some fresh air. However, at New Canaan Pediatrics, we know those seasonal changes also change the composition of the air we breathe. As plants bloom into life, the air fills up with allergens like tree and plant pollen and....