Mary Bridge Children's Hospital

23/07/2025

Summer fun can sometimes lead to injuries. Christine Bozich, MD, medical director of the MultiCare Mary Bridge Children’s Urgent Care Network, shares what to put in your first aid kit so you and your family are well-prepared for all manner of minor mishaps this summer.

Summer fun can sometimes lead to injuries. Find out what to keep in your first aid kit and read tips to ensure you're prepared to handle any minor mishap.

21/07/2025

Bumps and bruises are part of childhood, but when it comes to potentially fatal injuries, we should do everything we can to reduce the risk of danger. “Childproofing” requires attentive caregivers to prepare for how quickly those risks will change over time. It can feel like one minute we’re worrying about baby choking on a toy, and the next we are nervously handing our teen the car keys.

As kids grow, it is important to normalize safe behaviors and model safe choices yourself. For example, when parents wear seat belts and helmets, kids are more likely to do the same.

Unintentional injury is the leading cause of death for children. These injuries follow predictable patterns, and most are preventable with a combination of knowledge, safety devices, and careful habits.

18/07/2025

Drowning is a leading cause of preventable deaths for children. Even if your child takes swimming lessons or the water looks shallow, it’s important to remember that children can drown in as little as one inch of water, and drowning accidents happen quickly and quietly.

Kids need new life jackets when they hit 30, 50, and 90lbs. Learn how to check flotation devices for proper fit before children boat or swim.

17/07/2025

Mary Bridge Children's is a proud sponsor of the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium (PDZA) Wild Wonders Outdoor Theater. Throughout the year, PDZA provides VIP experiences to Mary Bridge Children's families, allowing them to enjoy the show up close and personal!

We are grateful for our longtime partnership with the PDZA. 💜

16/07/2025

Shouting, wailing, whining, door slamming and foot stomping — whether you’re a parent of a preschooler or pr***en, you’ve likely witnessed your child display one or more of these challenging behaviors.

While outbursts and meltdowns may test your ability to keep your cool, they also mean your child is still learning how to manage, or self-regulate, their emotions.

“Knowing how to self-regulate our emotions is a skill that serves us across the lifespan,” says Kianna Carter, LICSW, supervisor of the youth engagement services (YES) program at MultiCare Mary Bridge Children’s. “But it’s not something we’re born knowing how to do — starting at a young age, it’s a skill that needs to be nurtured and practiced.”

Helping kids learn how to regulate their emotions which can help make meltdowns less frequent and support a peaceful household.

14/07/2025

14/07/2025

Late-talkers are kids who use fewer words than they should for their age. These late-language emergence children are often identified between 2 and 4 years old.

While many of these kids will naturally catch up to their peers, some will not — and it is impossible to tell which group a child falls into until after the fact.

Try these speech therapist-recommended strategies to develop vocabulary at home.

Is your child struggling with talking or pronunciation? Practice communication at home with 6 strategies recommended by speech-pathologists.

11/07/2025

This week, MultiCare Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital & Health Network broke ground on a new 16,000-square-foot outpatient therapy center in Tacoma, located across from MultiCare Allenmore Hospital.

Set to open in late 2026, the facility will house Mary Bridge Children’s Therapy Services – Tacoma and offer comprehensive outpatient care including speech, occupational, physical, and feeding therapies, as well as audiology, adaptive technologies, and in-house orthotics and prosthetics, similar to our Puyallup therapies site.

We’re proud to partner with The Rush Companies, Commencement Bank, and Mary Bridge Brigade to bring this vision to life. This new center will expand access to vital therapies for thousands of children, helping them get back to doing what they do best: being kids.

09/07/2025

The unrelenting pressure many parents feel as they juggle the competing demands of family, home and career isn’t disappearing. Burnout and other untreated mental health challenges are not only harmful to a parent’s well-being — they also have an impact on the entire family.

“Children look to their parents for guidance, security and self-esteem as they develop. Parents who are neglecting their own mental health are likely to have difficulty being the source of support their children need to flourish,” says Phintso Bhutia, MD, MPH, FAPA, physician executive of the adolescent behavioral health unit at MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital.

Parental burnout isn't an individual risk, its family-sized. Try these doctor-recommended mental health tips to restore patience and balance.

09/07/2025

Over half of U.S. children develop cavities in their baby teeth by age 8 — many of which are preventable with regular dental care. Despite being essential to a child’s overall health, this care is often overlooked.
Join our partners tomorrow at the Sumner Community Food Bank for Dental Day. Spots are still open for children's screenings, sealants and fluoride. Walk-ins are welcome, pre-register for a timeslot here: bit.ly/4nvPq2G

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Our next Free Dental Day is TOMORROW, July 10th, for Kids and Adults! Spots are still open for children's screenings, sealants & fluoride, so sign up now!. Registrations are recommended, but walk-ins are welcome! We also have a lot of great resources for seniors, dentists, insurance, and more.

Sign up today! bit.ly/4nvPq2G

03/07/2025

Warm weather is on the way, but before you open windows to let the fresh air in, let’s talk about the dangers that open windows pose to young children. Kids are curious by nature and top-heavy by design, so an open window can be an invitation to trouble.

Falls are the leading cause of injury hospitalization for kids. Here at Mary Bridge Children’s we treat an average of 33 children each year for traumatic window fall injuries.

Window falls are fast, frequent, and preventable--use these tips to secure your home. Stoppers, not screens, protect kids from serious injury.

02/07/2025

Six-year-old Evelyn Giese and five-year-old Agustín (Augie) Carney Fannon share something in common: preclinical Type 1 diabetes—an early stage of the disease in which no symptoms have yet appeared.

While symptoms will eventually develop for both Evelyn and Augie, their families are participating in a clinical trial at MultiCare Mary Bridge Children’s with the hope of delaying the progression of the disease for as long as possible.

“Managing a diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes can be really challenging with younger age groups,” says Bhuvana Sunil, MD, a pediatric endocrinologist at Mary Bridge Children’s and a principal investigator for the trial. “The longer we can delay full onset of this disease, the better quality of life these kids have.”

A MultiCare clinical trial may help slow the progression of Type 1 diabetes in kids, improving their long-term health and quality of life.