My daughter has epilepsy. At just four and a half years old, she has experienced more than her fair share of doctor’s visits, medical tests and hospital stays. She has had so many; in fact, she has developed an anxiety about doctors. We never had any issues with this before. She used to love seeing her pediatrician. She never cried when receiving vaccinations. Or was uneasy about being examined. She once even faked being sick because she wanted to visit her doctor’s office.
“When can I get contact lenses?” is a familiar question to many parents. There’s really no hard and fast rule about when a child is ready to wear contacts, says Dr. Neil Henninger, who has worked with hundreds of parents and kids. The average age to begin wearing lenses is usually 12 to 13 years old. However, some kids as young as eight may be responsible enough to try them, while others may not be ready at 16.
When the doctor said, “Your son needs surgery. Check into the hospital at 9 o’clock on Friday morning,” my head started spinning. I was calculating all the things I would need to remember to make his stay as comfortable and glitch-free as possible. I made sure I had the correct paperwork, a list of his medications and directions for finding my way around the hospital.
Most kids are potty trained and can consistently wake up dry in the morning by age four. But if your child isn’t among them, you’re not alone. Over 5 million kids continue to wet the bed after age six, according to the National Kidney Foundation (NKF). Bedwetting, medically known as “nocturnal enuresis”, is so common among school-age kids that it’s not typically a cause for concern.
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