Checkup Newsroom

When firearms are in your house, we must take certain steps protect our children from accidental shootings. This is not about whether guns are right or wrong. It's about protecting our children. "It won't happen to us" is a common theme among c...

As the parents of six, Dave and Jeanie Caselman have mastered the art of handling whatever life throws at them. Whether it’s school events, sports, graduating from high school or starting college, they thought they had experienced it all with the...

It’s that time of year again. With flu season upon us, many parents are breaking the news to their kids that it’s time for “a shot.” It’s also a time you likely dread as much as your kids, knowing how helpless you feel when they are anxious and yo...

Along with routine questions about your child’s diet, growth and development, more and more pediatricians are asking children difficult questions about depression and thoughts about suicide. Kristen Pyrc, M.D., co-medical director of Psychiatry at...

By Ashley Parrott Christian Englert was born with genetic hand tremors, like many of his family members. The tremors were never an issue, especially when he was drumming or doing school work … until he turned 15 when they helped diagnose a rare br...

The last thing Shelly Ogle wanted to do this early in the morning was wait on the phone. The day ahead was already filled with taking care of her daughter Winslow, who hadn't even taken her four medications during the day because of her medical co...

The numbers seemed too good to be true. A pool drowning death had not been reported at Cook Children’s throughout the summer of 2019. Even as the summer was winding down, every member of the Emergency Department knew a fatal drowning could still h...

It's hard to turn on the news and not see a story about the dangers of e-cigarettes or vaping.  As of Aug. 28, 2019, there have been nearly 200 reported incidents of vaping-related illness in 22 states, resulting in at least one death.  Earlier...

By Alice Phillips, M.D. As a pediatrician, I have been lucky to practice medicine in the post-vaccine era. Although I have watched kids struggle with whooping cough, meningitis, mumps and pneumonia, I am happy to say I have never seen many of the ...

"He's having difficulty breathing" is a statement that can mean a million things, including something as simple as a stuffy nose...because it can be difficult to breathe through a stuffy nose. But when I call  a nurse to help me because this child is...

By Dr. Diane Arnaout Earlier this summer, my 17-year-old patient Tryston just wasn’t feeling like himself. “I was tired all the time. My energy was low. I was losing some weight.” Then, things quickly turned downhill. He started having chill...

Whenever a story is posted on Cook Children’s social media pages, especially Facebook, we expect a certain amount of responses from those who refuse vaccines for their children or who are vaccine-hesitant families or patients. Regardless of statis...

Getting ready for a new school year means more than new school supplies and shoes for kids with epilepsy. For these kids and their caregivers, it also means making sure school staff are ready if a child has a seizure while at school. Making a scho...

“What are you reading this summer?” This may not be one of the questions you expect to hear from a pediatrician during a well-child visit, but it’s always on the checklist for Vanessa Charette, M.D., a Cook Children’s pediatrician in Fort Worth. ...

In the summer of 1990 I was about to turn 17 and preparing for my senior year of high school. I was enrolled in Drivers Ed and thinking about which colleges I should apply. All normal events in any teenage life. Except that summer, my 22-year old sis...

You’re starting to see it everywhere …”Back to School!” I can’t believe that summer is almost over. The lazy, less structured days have flown by and my kids are beginning to ask all the questions: “Who is my teacher going to be?” “Will my friend be i...

Cook Children’s Emergency Department has seen eight snake bites this year and 35 in 2018. As a physician assistant in the ED, Phillip Ray has treated some of those cases, but he never imagined he would one day be on the other end of antivenom. For...

In less than 24 hours, two mass shootings devastated the communities of El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio. Sadly, these heartbreaking occurrences no longer shock us. But that doesn’t make these events any easier to talk about with our children, esp...

Immunization Collaboration of Tarrant County Childhood Vaccine Assessment Tool (CDC) American Cancer Society and HPV Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Cook Children’s Vaccines and Immunizations Immunization Action Coalition National ...

For pediatrician Dr. Halley Hogan, news of Cook Children's expansion into east Denton County is a welcomed relief. She sees patients daily at her growing office on Prosper Trail, some with medical needs more complex than what a primary care office li...

Did you know that about 30 million children in the U.S. participate in an organized sport program? Sporting activities are a great form of exercise that help with team building skills and promote confidence in youth, but they also pose a great risk t...

I read the report on essential oils from the Tennesee poison center with great interest. The report said that reports of toxic exposure to essential oils doubled from 2011 to 2015. I've been interested in essential oils for a while now, beginning ...

I decided to tackle the subject of essential oils. I know many people out there are firm believers in how effective they are. So before I approached this topic, I did some pretty significant research into what is out there on the use of oils in child...

What sounds more refreshing right now than a trip to the pool or a water park? While these popular summer spots are a great way to beat the summer heat, they can pose a danger to anyone not wearing shoes. “Children often forget that the pavemen...

Believe it or not, summer’s almost over and the new school year will begin before you know it. Are you ready? Or are you like a certain dad I know who usually waits until the last minute? Last year, this dad forgot: To book his child's ph...

An ear infection isn’t likely to stop your child from wanting to get in the pool and swim. But as the parent you may be wondering, “Can my child go swimming with an ear infection?” That’s a question we hear quite a bit, especially during the summe...

You covered the outlets, bolted in the dressers, locked up the medicine cabinet; but have you still left something very dangerous in your children’s reach? I spend a good portion of my day asking my daughter to give my son a little space; sister l...

Nosebleeds are very common in children 2-10 years of age. Studies suggest that 30-50% of children in this age group have had at least one nosebleed. We’ve gotten a lot of requests to write a post about nosebleeds so I thought I would cover some of...

Already this summer, the Emergency Department at Cook Children’s has treated kids for heat-related illnesses. And that’s before things really heat up as we head into the warmest months of the year. The National Weather Service in Fort Worth has is...

School’s out, the summer’s here and it’s time for the kids to hit the pool … and then later a pediatrician’s office if you aren’t careful. ...