“I’d like to tell you the secret: There is no schedule. In the very beginning, newborns are completely overwhelming themselves. They’re all over the place, and so the more that we try to get them on the schedule, the more frustrating it can be. It’s just more comfortable to follow your heart and your soul – and not think so much. Watch the baby, learn them, read their cues – their feeding schedule is all over the place. That’s why we say feeding on demand and, whether we’re giving formula or nursing, we’re going to support you in that quest here at Mount Sinai Doctors Brooklyn Heights. We follow the baby’s lead, and then that becomes our schedule in the first couple of months. Newborns are a different creature, perhaps even until three months old. Then you can play your card and get them on a schedule. We’ll talk about sleeping, nutrition, development at each pediatric visit. So even from the first newborn visit at day of life three, four, or five we’ll give a plan for you. Then you’ll play your card when the time is right. But, in the newborn period, just buckle up and get ready for the ride. It can be very intense. It’s extremely rewarding but can be completely overwhelming. So hang in there, and we’ll do it together.”

“We’re all so worried about that first fever. What happens if my child gets sick? But the most important thing in newborns, young children, all ages really, is accident prevention. We’re going to go over that at each pediatric well visit. We’re going to go over their development, their health, all your questions, and we’re going to give you those tools to stay perhaps not just one, but two steps ahead of your young ones. When are they going to roll and when are heights scary?  Even at that first visit, I’ll go over that heights scare me. I don’t like changing tables. Let’s change them on the floor. We get those calls at one in the morning of the newborn, the sleep-deprived parent, and the baby simply fell out of our arms onto the floor. We get the call of the child who ingested something or put something in their mouth. The nine-month-old who grabs your hot cup of coffee. It’s so scary. So let’s work together. Each visit we’ll go over accident prevention and anticipatory guidance and make sure that our little ones are safe in our home. We’ll safety proof the whole house to the maximum degree from the very beginning and make sure that we can grow up in a safe environment.”

“In general, the average healthy child does not need routine vitamin supplementation. There are a few exceptions to this: All exclusively breastfed babies need a vitamin D supplement. They’re sold over the counter in the pharmacy – Di-Vi-Sol, Tri-Vi-Sol. They’re all sold as liquid drops. You give one milliliter each day to the baby for the first six months. Another example of requiring vitamin supplementation is if your child has a deficiency. Let’s say they are anemic and they need iron. You can give them an iron supplement that’s over-the-counter or, if they’re deficient in vitamin D, you can give a gummy multivitamin. Those are also sold over-the-counter and often sold at places like Costco or any pharmacy. If you choose to give your child a gummy multivitamin, it’s a good idea to brush their teeth afterwards because the gummy contains sugar and sticks to their teeth and can cause dental cavities.”

“I think it’s a good idea to meet your pediatrician even before your newborn comes. Perhaps around month seven or eight of your pregnancy, you should schedule a prenatal consultation with your pediatrician. Here at the Brooklyn Heights office of Mount Sinai Doctors, we have free monthly pediatric prenatal consultations. It’s a chance to get to know your doctor and, perhaps, what to expect those first couple of days in the hospital. We’ll go over growth and development, anticipatory guidance, accident prevention, as well as, supporting you through those first couple of days in the hospital. Avoiding too much weight loss, making sure we don’t get too jaundice, and just setting up a schedule of what to do if your newborn gets sick, how to get in touch with us. We always schedule same day sick visits and have newborn slots specifically for newborns that first visit on day of life three, four, or five.”

“The best way to find a good pediatrician is to schedule a prenatal consult during your seventh month of pregnancy. It’s a great opportunity for you to sit down with the doctor and talk about his or her philosophy about medicine, about parenting, and make sure you feel comfortable with that physician and talking to them. You should work with a physician who is board certified in his or her field, which means that they’ve completed a residency training and passed an examination. It’s also a good idea to work with a doctor who is affiliated with a major academic medical center because that center will make sure the physician is up to date and practices appropriate standards of care. However, if over time you don’t feel comfortable with that physician for whatever reason, it is okay to switch at any time in the future.”

“I don’t really like talking about kids getting sick. It’s not really a fun topic. But we need to talk about it. Especially as a newborn, your baby is very vulnerable to the germs outside. Everybody asks me when can I travel? When can I go on the subway? When can I go on a plane? There’s no easy answer. It’s all kind of a nerdy risk-benefit analysis.The germs are out there. They’re not just in the air, they’re from a person. So maybe there’s a five-foot rule. If you go too close to somebody and they cough on you or they touch you with a germ, now your child can get sick. What do we do when we are faced with a fever or an illness? The first step is bringing the fever down and then doing a quick analysis. Is our child breathing faster? Are they lethargic? That really needs to be done quickly. But if your youngster perks up and plays after you bring down the fever, hopefully it’s more of a viral illness. Here at Mount Sinai Doctors in Brooklyn Heights, we have same day sick visits every day because we know that’s an emergency when your child gets sick. So, we’ll go over at each visit what to look for, when to worry, and when not to worry. But a high fever, fast breathing, true lethargy, repetitive vomiting —  this could be an emergency. So call us with any questions, and we’ll figure it out together.”