Our Monthly Calendar

Learn more about our upcoming events sponsored by Premier Pediatrics. When it comes to taking care of your child, there is so much that you can learn. At Premier Pediatrics, we celebrate growing families by providing the kind of care you and your child deserves.

My Child, My City

We are proud to care for families in the greatest city in the world. There’s raising kids—and then there’s raising kids in NYC. That’s why we created My Child, My City, a series of articles dedicated to helping families raise healthy children in the city we love. Our goal is to help you tap into all that New York has to offer so your kids can grow up resilient, curious, confident, and healthy—true New Yorkers.

Sleep in the City

Managing infant sleep in a small NYC apartment can be challenging, but here are some tools to create a comfortable sleep environment and raise a healthy independent sleeper.

  1. Stick with a mini-crib or bassinet for the first few months.
  2. Room share for the first 6 months as recommended by the AAP.
  3. When room sharing, use a crib divider or curtain for some visual separation.
  4. Use blackout curtains to keep the morning sun from waking your baby.
  5. Use a white noise machine to mask city sounds (*see below for safe usage)
  6. Consider a foldable changing pad instead of a full changing table.
  7. Create a bedtime routine (dim lights, feeding, story, white noise) to establish helpful sleep cues.
  8. Establish a consistent bed time to accompany the routine and make sure you maintain appropriate wake windows during the day.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to discuss. Also, keep an eye open for our quarterly Zoom sleep workshops with Julie Wright, the co-author of The Happy Sleeper.

College Bound Premier Patients

Congratulations on all our patients who are leaving for college next year.  Over the past year, we have made the decision to care for patients through their college years. We have known many of you for your whole lives and we wanted to support you and care for you as you embark on this next journey.

As college students, our relationship changes a bit. We want to be able to coordinate your care when you are at home but also when you are on campus. This is a checklist of things to do to create your college healthcare team.  Please feel free to reach out with any questions.

  1. Be aware that you can text us any time during office hours at 212-598-0331 so can access providers without parents
  2. Provide the name and phone number of the college, clinic, and  physician if available on campus
  3. List all the medication you take
  4. Set up your well visit before you leave for school with your provider (even if it is a few months down the line). Sometimes if you do not think about it, we are unable to accommodate provider requests at the last minute.
  5. Please list any mental health providers with phone number

What is the deal with…White Noise Machines?

White noise for infants has many proven benefits including increased sleep quality, faster sleep onset, and a calming effect on a fussy infant.  Yet, it is important to make sure you use them correctly as they are not without risk.  So, always keep the machine at least 7 feet from the crib, use a volume lower than 50 dB (as loud as a soft shower) and intermittently challenge your infant to sleep without the noise machine to avoid dependency.

Good Reads

There are a lot of reasons why 3-5 are considered the wonder years! One of the most beautiful traits that you see in a toddler is empathy. While a 2 year old will run around looking for a new play partner when their buddy falls and scrapes a knee, a 3 year old will stop and ask if their buddy is OK.

Kevin Henke is a phenomenal children’s book author. Each of his books discusses different situations where a toddler might relate to a big new emotion. Here are a couple to get you started, but we recommend the whole collection. Enjoy!

Sheila Rae, the Brave by Kevin Henkes
Julius The Baby of the World by Kevin Henkes

Aditi’s Kitchen

I can’t fully take credit for this dish as I stole it from my MIL. She grew up in Sindh, India- which is now Karachi, Pakistan-after partition. Her cooking style reflects the diverse flavors and ingredients of that part of town and I particularly love this dish.

The ingredients of this dish are at peak flavor given the season. Eggplants are on the seedless side and without as much bitterness, and tomatoes are just perfect. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

  • 2-3 purple eggplants
  • 2-3 roma tomatoes, diced
  • 1 large onion (whatever kind you have) diced
  • 8-10 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tbsp ground coriander
  • Black pepper
  • 2 tbsp ghee (butter or oil are fine too)
  • 1 green chili, minced (optional)
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas
  • Salt to taste
  1. Wash eggplants and make slits on all sides. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and broil High. Rotate as the skin burns and all sides are charred. Remove from oven and slit down middle to allow steam escape. The broil part takes about 25-30 minutes.
  2. While eggplants are broiling, heat a heavy bottomed pan with your fat of choice. Once it’s about to smoke, add your cumin seeds until they sizzle and foam.
    • Chili goes in after the seeds, if you plan to use them. Saute for a minute. You can also use 1-2 dried red chilis or chili powder. If you use the powder, add when you add the ground coriander.
  3. Add your garlic and shortly after, diced onions. Saute until translucent. Then add peas and salt accordingly. Place lid on and cook 2-3 minutes.
  4. Add your scooped-out eggplant and add some pieces of the dried crispy eggplant skin. This will add a smoky flavor but if you don’t like that, omit. You can use your spoon to mash it up.
    Saute eggplant for 2-3 minutes. Place lid and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t stick.
  5. Add tomatoes and coriander, salt to taste. I add about 2-3 tsp. At this point you stir frequently and cook until the water has evaporated, the eggplant gains a fluffy consistency, and the oil starts to leave the mash.

* You can do a fresh crack of black pepper and garnish with cilantro. Tastes great with naan, roti or rice and a side of raw sweet onions!

* I find freshly, dry- roasted and grinded coriander seeds taste best here, but if you don’t have the seeds then pre-ground is fine too. It’s a dish I make for my kids and they don’t find it too overpowering. Hope your family loves it as much as mine does ❤️

Asked and Answered

Questions posed by patients and parents this month.

Q: Is magnesium an effective tool to treat ADHD?

A: Magnesium deficiency is associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Studies demonstrate that children with ADHD have significantly lower serum and hair magnesium levels compared to neurotypical controls.

The clinical significance of these findings remains under investigation. While some randomized controlled trials suggest that magnesium supplementation (often in combination with other micronutrients such as vitamin D) may improve behavioral symptoms in children with ADHD, the evidence is not yet robust or consistent enough to support routine supplementation as a standard treatment.[5-7]

Current clinical guidelines do not recommend magnesium supplementation as a first-line therapy for ADHD. Standard management remains centered on behavioral interventions and pharmacotherapy. However, assessment of nutritional status, including magnesium, may be considered in refractory or complex cases, and supplementation could be considered in the context of documented deficiency.[8][10] Further large-scale, well-controlled trials are needed to clarify the therapeutic role of magnesium in ADHD.

Q: Is altitude sickness worse for children than adults?

A: Current evidence indicates that altitude sickness (acute mountain sickness, AMS) is not more severe in children compared to adults, but the incidence may be similar or slightly higher in children, particularly during rapid ascent or strenuous trekking at high altitudes. Most pediatric cases are mild to moderate, with severe complications such as high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) or high-altitude cerebral edema (HACE) being rare but possible, especially in those with predisposing conditions or recent respiratory infections. Key risk factors for more severe illness in children include rapid ascent, recent upper respiratory infection, higher body mass index, and male sex, though genetic susceptibility also plays a role.

Featured Video

Navigating ADHD in Schools – What Happens after Diagnosis

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