What are the opening hours?

Monday 8am - 5pm Tuesday 8am - 5pm Wednesday 8am - 5pm Thursday 8am - 5pm Friday 8am - 5pm

https://www.southside-peds.com/

Southside Pediatrics, 1322 AL 77, Southside, AL (2025)

09/07/2025

🌟 ADHD vs. Environment 🌟

Sometimes what looks like ADHD in kids isn’t actually ADHD.
Children who’ve experienced trauma or who are living in homes with high stress and dysregulated parenting can show very similar behaviors.

🔍 ADHD may look like:
• Difficulty sustaining attention
• High activity levels
• Impulsivity

⚡ But trauma or stress can also cause:
• Trouble focusing (because the brain is in “survival mode”)
• Restlessness or hypervigilance
• Emotional outbursts or seeming “on edge”

💡 Why it matters:
Mislabeling trauma responses as ADHD can delay kids from getting the right help. And not every child who struggles with attention or behavior needs medication—sometimes they need safety, support, and regulation.

✅ What helps:
• A thorough evaluation by a P*P or mental health professional
• Trauma-informed care when needed
• Parenting support to build calm, consistent routines
• Collaboration between caregivers, schools, and providers

👉 Remember: Kids’ behavior is communication. Looking beneath the surface is key to giving them the right tools to thrive. ⚒️

09/07/2025

🤔 Spitting up, regurgitation, and rumination breakdown! 📚

🔹 Regurgitation and ruminatinon (infants):
• Very common in the first year of life.
• Happens when milk comes back up shortly after feeding.
• Usually painless, effortless, and doesn’t bother the baby.
• Most infants outgrow it by 12–18 months as the digestive system matures.

🔹 Rumination (older children, teens, and even adults):
• Repeatedly bringing up food (not due to reflux).
• The food may be rechewed, swallowed again, or spit out.
• Often occurs soon after meals and is not typically associated with nausea or retching.
• Can be mistaken for vomiting or reflux; however, does not have retching.
• More common in individuals with anxiety, stress, or developmental differences, but can happen in anyone.

⚠️ When to call your P*P:
• Poor weight gain or weight loss
• Discomfort, pain, or distress with regurgitation
• Blood in spit-up or vomit
• Symptoms persisting beyond infancy
• Signs of rumination in an older child, teen, or adult

💡 Tips to help:
• Keep infants upright after feeding 👶
• Offer smaller, more frequent meals 🍽️
• For rumination, behavioral strategies like diaphragmatic breathing can help retrain the stomach–esophagus reflex 🧘‍♂️
• Work with your provider if symptoms are frequent or concerning 👩‍⚕️

👉 Regurgitation is often normal in babies, but persistent or recurrent regurgitation/rumination in older children and teens deserves attention. The right diagnosis leads to the right treatment!

09/06/2025

🏈💛 Game Day with Kids: Tips for a Safe & Fun Football Experience

Bringing kids of all ages to games can make for great family memories! Tips to keep your child safe and comfortable:

👶 Infants & Toddlers
• Bring ear protection (stadium noise can be loud for little ears).
• Pack snacks, formula, and comfort items (favorite blanket, pacifier, or toy).
• Keep them shaded and cool—stadiums can get hot quickly.

👧 School-Aged Kids
• Encourage hydration—bring water bottles or refill as needed.
• Dress in layers for changing weather.
• Teach a “meeting spot” in case you get separated.

🧑 Teens
• Set clear rules about staying with friends and checking in by text.
• Remind them about healthy hydration and eating balanced snacks (not just nachos 🍕).
• Talk about good sportsmanship—cheering for their team, not against others.

✨ All Ages
• Use sunscreen and bug repellent if outdoors.
• Encourage frequent handwashing or use of sanitizer (stadiums = germs!).
• Plan ahead for naps/bedtime—overtired kids are less fun for everyone.

With a little preparation, football games can be fun, safe, and full of family spirit! 🏟️💕

09/06/2025

🌿🦟 Why Do Some Kids Get Big Hives from Mosquito Bites?

If your child gets large, itchy welts from mosquito bites, you’re not alone! Many kids experience a strong reaction called “skeeter syndrome.” This is not an allergy to mosquitoes themselves, but rather the body’s immune response to proteins in the mosquito’s saliva.

🔍 What to Know:
• Most reactions are harmless, though they can look dramatic.
• Welts may be large, red, warm, and very itchy.
• Symptoms usually appear within hours of the bite and can last a few days to weeks.
• This is different from a true allergy—serious reactions like trouble breathing or swelling of the mouth are very rare.

💡 How to Help Your Child:
• Use cool compresses for swelling.
• Apply over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream or calamine lotion to ease itching.
• Oral antihistamines (like cetirizine or loratadine) may help.
• Prevent bites by using DEET insect repellents and dressing kids in long sleeves/pants when outside.

🚨 Call your child’s provider right away if:
• Swelling is severe, spreading, or painful.
• Your child has fever, pus, or streaking (could signal infection).
• Your child has difficulty breathing or swelling of the lips/tongue (emergency).

✅ Most children outgrow these strong reactions as their immune system matures. In the meantime, prevention and comfort care go a long way!

09/03/2025

🧼🪮 Lice Happen—Here’s What Parents Need to Know 🪮🧼

Head lice are common in children, but they don’t mean your child is “dirty.” Lice spread mainly through head-to-head contact—not from pets or poor hygiene. Lice is common in schools!

✅ Treatment Steps (Evidence-Based):
• Use an FDA-approved lice treatment (pediculicide) such as permethrin 1% lotion or pyrethrin-based shampoos. Follow directions carefully and repeat treatment in 7–9 days to kill newly hatched lice.
• Comb out nits (eggs) daily with a fine-tooth lice comb on wet, conditioned hair.
• Wash bedding, hats, and recently used clothing in hot water and dry on high heat. Items that can’t be washed can be sealed in a bag for 2 weeks.
• Vacuum couches and car seats, but extensive cleaning or spraying the home is not necessary.

🚫 Avoid:
• Home remedies like mayonnaise, oils, or kerosene—they are not proven and can be unsafe.
• Sharing hats, brushes, or hair accessories.

📌 Important Notes:
• Lice do not spread disease.
• Children can return to school after treatment—“no-nit” policies are discouraged by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

👩‍⚕️ If lice persist after 2 treatments, talk with your child’s provider about prescription options (like spinosad or ivermectin).

09/03/2025

💙 The Barrie Center is grateful to have "Pinwheels for Prevention" which is a public awareness program, providing training and education around child abuse prevention and mandatory reporting.
🙌 We are thankful to be funded by Children's Trust Fund which is provided through Alabama Department of Child Abuse & Neglect Prevention. Training opportunities are FREE and are for businesses, organizations, schools, churches, etc. who are around children.
💙 If you are interested please reach out to Robyn Phillips (Community Outreach Advocate) at robyn@barriecenter.org. 💙👨‍👩‍👦

09/02/2025

‼️ We are currently experiencing an outage with our phones and internet. We are sorry for the inconvenience! ‼️

If your need is non-emergent, please use your patient portal to contact us until further notice!

09/02/2025

😮‍💨 Croup: What Parents Should Know

Croup is a common childhood illness. It’s caused by a viral infection (often parainfluenza virus) that leads to swelling around the voice box (larynx) and windpipe (trachea).

👂 Classic Symptoms:
• Abrupt onset of barking “seal” cough 🐶
• Hoarse voice
• Noisy breathing (stridor) when inhaling
• Symptoms often worse at night

👶 Who Gets It?
• Most common in infants – 3 years
• Typically less severe by 6 years of age
• Usually mild, but can be scary for parents

✅ What Helps at Home (for mild croup):
• Calm & comfort your child – crying can worsen stridor
• Cool night air or steam: Can ease airway swelling- may go outside if cold, open the freezer with the child able to inhale cold air
• Hydration: Offer frequent fluids (cold things or warm things are best for inflammation)
• Humidifier: Keeps air moist and easier to breathe
• Position upright: Helps open the airway

⚠️ When to Seek Medical Care:
• Stridor (noisy breathing) at rest
• Labored breathing (chest retractions, belly breathing, nostril flaring)
• Bluish lips or face
• Drooling or difficulty swallowing
• Severe agitation, lethargy, or if your child appears very unwell

🏥 Treatment in Clinic/Hospital (if needed):
• Dexamethasone (steroid): Reduces airway swelling and symptoms
• Nebulized epinephrine: For moderate to severe cases, works quickly to open the airway

💡 Good news: Most cases are mild, improve in 3–7 days, and do not cause long-term problems.

09/01/2025

🌡️ Helping Kids Feel Better with Viral Illnesses 🌡️

Viral infections are common in children—especially during school season! While antibiotics don’t help viruses, there are safe, effective ways to relieve symptoms and reduce spreading.

✅ Hypertonic saline nasal spray/rinse: Helps thin mucus, clear nasal passages, and may shorten cold duration.
📚 Evidence: Cochrane Review, 2018 – saline irrigation improved symptoms and reduced medication use in children.

✅ Honey (for children >1 year): Soothes cough and sore throat and may improve sleep. Never give to infants under 12 months due to botulism risk.
📚 Cochrane Review, 2018 – honey reduced cough frequency/severity more than placebo or diphenhydramine.

✅ Humidifier: Moist air eases congestion, cough, and throat irritation. Always clean daily to prevent mold or bacteria.

✅ Hydration: Water, warm soups, and clear fluids keep mucus thin, help prevent dehydration, and soothe sore throats.

✅ Rest & Comfort: Adequate sleep and quiet time help the immune system fight infection. Extra snuggles and comfort matter too!

✅ Hygiene: Frequent handwashing, teaching kids to cough/sneeze into elbows, and disinfecting high-touch surfaces can reduce spreading to siblings and classmates.
📚 CDC, 2024 – hand hygiene reduces respiratory infections by up to 21%.

⚠️ When to Call the Proviver or Seek Care ⚠️
• Trouble breathing, rapid breathing, or noisy wheezing
• High fever (>104°F, or >100.4°F in infants 8 hours, dry mouth, no tears)
• Severe sore throat or ear pain
• Symptoms lasting >10–14 days without improvement
• Child is unusually irritable, sleepy, or difficult to wake

💡 Bottom line: Supportive care, hydration, rest, and good hygiene are the best tools against viral infections in kids—while keeping an eye out for red flags.

09/01/2025

🚲✨ Helping Your Child Learn to Ride a Bike (Safely!) ✨🚲

Learning to ride a bicycle is a huge milestone for kids! It builds confidence, coordination, and independence. Here are some tips and tricks to make the experience fun and safe:

👒 Gear Up for Safety
• Always wear a properly fitted helmet (should sit level on the head, 2 fingers above the eyebrows).
• Closed-toe shoes are a must!
• Optional: leggings or pants to protect those knees from gravel (skinned knees are no fun)!
• Optional: elbow/knee pads for beginners.

📏 Start Small
• Begin on a balance bike or remove training wheels early—this teaches balance faster.
• Choose a flat, open, traffic-free area like a park or driveway.

👩‍👧 Step-by-Step Tips
1. Adjust the seat so your child’s feet can touch the ground.
2. Practice balancing by scooting and gliding before pedaling.
3. Teach braking early—squeeze slowly, not suddenly.
4. Hold the child’s shoulders or under their arms (not the handlebars) for stability.
5. Gradually let go as confidence grows.

🌟 Encouragement is Key
• Celebrate small wins—balancing, pedaling a few feet, or even just trying again after a fall.
• Keep practice sessions short and positive.

🚑 Preventing Injuries
• Always supervise young riders.
• Avoid uneven, rocky, or busy areas until skilled.
• Teach “rules of the road” early: ride with traffic, stop at signs, use hand signals (for older kids).

💡 Bottom line: With the right safety gear, patience, and encouragement, your child will be pedaling independently in no time!

09/01/2025

Happy Labor Day from all of us at Southside Pediatrics! 💙

Today we celebrate the hard work of our families, staff, and community. Wishing you a safe and restful holiday! 🇺🇸

09/01/2025

😮‍💨 Croup vs. Asthma/Wheezing vs. Bronchiolitis

Many childhood breathing illnesses sound similar but have different causes and treatments. Here’s how to tell them apart ⬇️

🐶 Croup
• Cause: Viral infection (often parainfluenza) → swelling of the voice box (larynx) and windpipe (trachea).
• Symptoms: Barking “seal-like” cough, hoarse voice, noisy breathing (stridor), worse at night.
🩹 Treatment:
• Calm/comfort child, cool night air or humid air
• Steroid (dexamethasone) prescribed by a provider for swelling
• Nebulized epinephrine for severe cases

🌬️ Asthma / Wheezing
• Cause: Inflammation and narrowing of the lower airways (lungs). Often triggered by allergens, viruses, or exercise.
• Symptoms: High-pitched wheeze (especially when breathing out), chest tightness, shortness of breath, recurring episodes.
🩹 Treatment:
• Rescue inhaler (albuterol)
• Daily controller medications (inhaled steroids) if frequent
• Avoid triggers (allergens, smoke, exercise without pre-treatment)

👶 Bronchiolitis
• Cause: Viral infection (often RSV) → swelling of small airways (bronchioles).
• Symptoms: Rapid or labored breathing, tight/raspy cough, runny nose, poor feeding, wheezing in infants.
🩹 Treatment:
• Supportive care: hydration, suctioning, humidifier, oxygen if severe
• No benefit from routine steroids or albuterol in most babies
• Hospitalization may be needed if breathing is difficult or oxygen is low

⚠️ 🚑 When to Seek Immediate Care:
• Stridor or wheezing at rest
• Labored breathing (chest pulling in, nostril flaring)
• Blue lips or face
• Dehydration (no urine >8 hrs, very dry mouth)
• Extreme sleepiness or trouble waking

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Monday	8am - 5pm
Tuesday	8am - 5pm
Wednesday	8am - 5pm
Thursday	8am - 5pm
Friday	8am - 5pm