As of Monday May 18, Gov Greg Abbott announced that daycare centers in Texas can immediately open. But many parents are still asking the question, 'Should I take my child to daycare?' Of course, there's no one clear answer for all families. The...

A rare but serious health condition related to COVID-19 is now affecting children in North Texas. Since May 9, four patients have been treated at Cook Children’s Medical Center for Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS-C). The children range in age ...

By Diane Arnaout, M.D. As Cook Children’s pediatricians, we are getting the forms daily. And the questions that come along with it. “Can my kids go to summer camp this year?” “Are we putting ourselves at risk by letting them go?” While CL...

Fortunately, kids with COVID-19 have been relatively mildly affected up to this point. However, as we progress through the pandemic, we are learning more about some rare exceptions. COVID-19 has now been associated with a syndrome in children know...

Is breastfeeding worth the possible exposure to Covid-19? Short answer: yes. Unfortunately, the risk of COVID-19 is everywhere in our lives right now, but the reality is your baby needs another human to survive. So regardless of the way you...

It’s allergy season in Texas! (Isn’t it always allergy season in Texas?) But, unfortunately, we also are in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has listed...

By Lisa Elliott, licensed psychologist At a minimum, COVID-19 has clearly upended our normal day-to-day functioning. However, for many this pandemic has had a devastating impact. It’s reported that one-third of the entire global population has ...

All that most of us want right now is assurance that our child doesn’t have COVID-19 or some evidence that they had it before and are now immune. But how do we find out for sure? For now, the most accurate way for hospitals to diagnose the ...

By Lisa Elliott, licensed psychologist With more kids at home and without a lot to do, it’s not surprising most of us have eased up on our screen-time restrictions during the current COVID-19 pandemic. However, statistics show it’s now more imp...

By Diane Arnaout, M.D. Normally, this is the time of year where I would write a heartfelt letter to moms for Mother’s Day. But given our unique, uh, pandemic situation … nothing is normal. So, instead, let me tell you what my heart feels. Since...

Evidence-Informed Resources Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: COVID-19 Related Coping  Print Resources Pregnancy Texas Department of State Health Services Tools COVID-19 Info American Academy of Pediatrics Par...

By Justin Smith, M.D., Medical Director of Digital Health, Cook Children's Pediatrician We miss you and your sweet kids! What a crazy time the last few months have been. Our entire lives have been changed-work, school, family and free time-they...

With breaking news of three confirmed COVID-19 cases in North Texas, many parents may be wondering what to do if they suspect their child has contracted the new strain of coronavirus. The most important thing to remember is not to panic. Based on ...

Handwashing is a very important part of combatting infections of novel coronavirus but it's hard to find clear advice on what works and what doesn't, especially for younger children like infants, babies and toddlers. Diane Arnaout, M.D., a Cook Child...

Obviously, there isn’t a simple switch you can turn on to activate a redeployment effort of thousands of employees. But fortunately, there was a team of employees being redeployed themselves perfectly poised and ready to assume this responsibility. ...

By Daron Aldridge What makes a superhero? Could it be standing up for what is right…Fighting for those in need…Putting others before themselves? These traits don’t just belong to the heroes splashed across the pages of comic books. Those sound exa...

Being in the hospital can feel isolating anytime, but during COVID-19, social distancing can make young patients feel even more alone. Before the novel coronavirus, patients were able to leave their hospital rooms and enjoy activities in Cook Childre...

By Maria Levy, M.D. Adapting to Social-distancing Rules within the Context of Culture When I first moved to this country, over 20 years ago, I experienced multiple awkward social encounters due to my physical displays of affection. I grew up be...

Debbie Wheeler, MS, CCLS, Child Life Specialist, Cook Children's As a Child Life Specialist, I am trained to help patients and families cope with health related illnesses, injuries and health care experiences. In 19 years of practice, I have had m...

KERA - Hospital elevators are sort of like green rooms for Tiffany Riley and Dick Monday. “That’s when Dr. Slappy lets one rip,” Monday jokes, as they head to the fourth floor at Cook Children’s Hospital in Fort Worth. The short ride gives them...

By Lanna McClain, M.D. Having a new baby is usually a wonderful time during those first few days full of quite a bit of emotions – usually a mixture of elation shared with celebrations with friends and family, along with some tears mainly from fat...

Dr. Whitney Appleby, a licensed psychologist at Cook Children's Psychology Clinic - Denton, shares strategies on how caregivers can balance parenting, working, and teaching children from home during the COVID-19 global pandemic.  ...

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted nearly every facet of our lives. Schools are closed. Many businesses are closed. Parents are working from home. COVID-19 is the name for the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 and consists of a respiratory disease w...

By Lee Mason,Ph.D., Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Cook Children's Child Study Center Historically recognized as Autism Awareness Month, April 2020, like everything else, has been overshadowed by COVID-19. It’s important to recognize that ch...

“When will this ever end?” One of the most difficult aspects of living through the COVID-19 pandemic remains the uncertainty, especially when it comes to things returning back to some semblance of normal. While no one can predict the exact date...

For the third time in less than a month, a child has died at Cook Children’s due to severe child abuse. The latest victim is a 3 year old who died early Easter morning. “It’s heartbreaking. We’ve seen a substantial increase in serious child abuse ...

We live in unprecedented times, but we take comfort in knowing we are truly all in this together. We've been extremely touched and honored by the outpouring of support we've received from our community. Thank you to all of you who have asked how you ...

Our family was vacationing in Colorado when everything began to change. What started as a normal vacation became what will go down in our personal history books of where we were when COVID-19 started. We showed up and everything started shutting down...

Being a pediatrician during the novel coronavirus pandemic has been interesting, to say the least. I miss my old care-free life, just like you. I miss seeing friends and giving hugs. I miss my patients. One thing that thankfully keeps me connected...

On any other Easter, families would be headed to church, going to brunch or planning their egg hunt. But with the COVID-19 virus and the global pandemic, this isn’t any other Easter. Over the past month, North Texans have worked together to pre...