Dr. Walsh's Healthy Dose

Ahhh vacation…time to leave your worries and your work behind. But don’t let a road trip drive you away from staying physically active!

By Stephanie Walsh, M.D., Medical Director, Child Wellness, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

Dads, your big day is here again!

I salute you all, especially the great guy my kids call Dad. My husband is a hero who works tirelessly to help me balance our work, our kids’ needs, and most especially, the health and wellbeing of our family.

By Emily Stoniecki, HFS, Child Wellness, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

I recently read some startling new information about the physical fitness of Georgia school kids. Our partners at the Department of Public Health say the results of their FitnessGrams show many Georgia school children can’t do a push-up, walk a mile or even touch their toes! Health leaders are saying our kids are already like the elderly, plagued by diseases once only seen in adults—high blood pressure, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes. Time to face facts Georgia: our kids are in bad shape!

By Stephanie Walsh, M.D., Medical Director, Child Wellness, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

When that school bell rings on the last day, it’s like music to my ears. Our whole family is so ready for a breather from the projects, activities and routines of the last nine+ months of the school year. And yet…

If your kids are like mine, they need a certain amount of structure and productivity in their days. Without it, they tend to run off the rails—sleep schedules come undone, good eating habits fall apart, their intelligence goes slightly dormant, and sibling squabbles generally ensue. So how to you maintain an expectation of performance in the summer? Continue reading…

By Stephanie Walsh, M.D., Medical Director, Child Wellness, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

Happy Memorial Day to you, your family and all who have served our country. For most of us, this weekend marks the official start of summer—and I can’t wait! I hope you have some great summer plans that include lots of physical activity and healthy eating.

Wait, did that last sentence put a chill back in the air? Did the thought of exercise and eating right suck the fun right out of the long, lazy weekend ahead? It doesn’t have to be that way! Continue reading…

By Stephanie Walsh, M.D., Medical Director, Child Wellness, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

Wish you could go to sleep, wake up and magically be just a little bit healthier? You can—and your kids can, too!

Surprisingly, sleep (and lack of it) plays a big role in both hunger level and food preferences. Did you know that when you don’t get enough sleep, your body releases chemicals that actually make you hungrier? Continue reading…

By Stephanie Walsh, M.D., Medical Director, Child Wellness, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

No one ever said that being a mom is easy! As a matter of fact, kids sometimes think we’re mean just because we don’t let them do what they want or make them do things they don’t want to do. Want to hear about what a “mean” mom I am? Continue reading…

By Trisha Hardy, Director, Child Wellness, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

As the school year comes to a close, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on some of the strides we made improving school nutrition this year. With the help of the amazing nutritionists and administrators in Fulton County and the financial support of our friends at the Cigna Foundation, we launched our Strong4Life Nutrition Program across all Fulton County schools. Continue reading…

By Stephanie Walsh, M.D., Medical Director, Child Wellness, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

The signs of major water damage aren’t hard to spot: there might be a standing puddle of water in the bathroom. Or maybe a corner of your ceiling is soft and discolored. There could even be nasty signs of mold. But one thing’s for sure: you know serious water damage when you see it. And you know there’s a leak somewhere that’ll undermine the entire structure of your home unless you find it and fix it—pronto. Continue reading…

By Stephanie Walsh, M.D., Medical Director, Child Wellness, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

We’ve all been there. I’m sure even Brad and Angelina, with their small army of nannies, have been there.

And by “there,” I’m talking about being on the verge of pulling your hair out (assuming you have any left) because everything is imploding—or exploding—at home. At my house, it’s usually due to a perfect trifecta: everyone is tired, everyone is cranky and everyone is hungry—all at once. Continue reading…