5 things you won’t find in this pediatrician’s home

Ever wondered what kinds of things are banned from a pediatrician’s home? Here is my top five list of no-no’s in the Rivers’ house.

1. Trampolines. My kids, like most others, love to jump on trampolines. In fact, a trampoline has been on one or both of their Christmas lists for the past several years. However, while trampolines may be a fun way to get exercise and can provide hours of entertainment for your kids, they can also cause serious and potentially devastating injuries. A recent study found that nearly 100,000 children were injured in one year from trampoline injuries, including broken bones and neck and spine injuries. So, needless to say, Santa will not be bringing one this year!
2. Small bouncy balls. You probably have dozens of these little balls sent home as party favors sitting in the bottom of your child’s toy box. But these little balls have caused nearly 70 choking deaths in the past 25 years. If you have young children in the house, you may want to make them disappear.
3. Soda. I firmly believe soda has no place in a child’s diet. With the rise of obesity in America, sugary drinks contribute greatly to the epidemic. My kids drink only water or milk, with the occasional juice box at birthday parties or after soccer games. Hopefully, by developing healthy eating habits when they are children, they will continue to make good choices as they grow up.
4. Over the counter cough and cold medications. These medications are banned for the under 5 crowd due to potential side effects and the possibility of unintentional overdose. But to be honest, I don’t even keep them around for my older kids, mostly because I just don’t think they work very well. When my kids are sick, they get good old acetaminophen or ibuprofen, saline drops if they will sit still long enough, and a bowl of homemade chicken soup.
5. Video games. While many will not agree with this one, I just think kids can find better ways to occupy their time than sitting in front of a screen for hours on end. Since video games are not even an option in our house, my kids are forced to come up with other things to occupy their time, such as books, Legos, or riding bikes (with a helmet of course!).