You can learn a lot from well child visits.  Today, at my daughters 12 month check up I learned some really great things.  For example, when your child is sick at six months, the same dose of Tylenol is not applicable when they have an ear infection at 11 ½ months (no wonder she was getting no relief with only half the dose she needed).  But more importantly, I learned that even moms who are pediatricians struggle.

For those of you who have been through the 12 month check up, you know that they ask about eating, if your child drinks from a sippy cup, etc.  Imagine my surprise when I sheepishly admitted to the Doctor today that, “I’m a bad mom and put her down with a bottle at night,” and her response was “my daughter is two and I give her a bottle of milk every night when I put her down”.  So, it’s not just me I thought!  What else does this working mom of four kids struggle with?  When I dug a little deeper I learned that although her oldest (10) runs with her, her 8-year-old has a high BMI (she’s even writing a book about it for kids).  Her two-year-old still will only drink milk from a bottle so she gives it to her (a bottle— the other pediatrician told us to wean our little one at 12 months).

My lesson, every family struggles with issues of all kinds.  Even the experts.  Regardless of what you read, and what everyone tells you, no one knows your family better than you.  You’re doing a great job!

Oh, and one cracker is a serving of ‘grains’ for a one to four-year-old.  Note to self, cut back on the crackers before sending the kid into a carb coma.