Nursing Assistant Central

It is often said that children are one of the greatest natural resources and parents and loved-ones imagine the future through the next generation. Whether the job becomes finding ways to keep children healthy or learning how to treat, cure, or offer respite to those who face health challenges, parents and healthcare professionals are in the position of making sure children get what they need. The following blogs share the knowledge and experience from those striving for a better world for children’s health and well-being.

Health and Wellness

Both parents and medical professionals alike work for a common goal of keeping children healthy. These blogs offer advice from professionals and parents alike on how to do just that.

1. Pediatric Health Associates. From safe pets to the importance of exercise, this blog focuses on keeping children healthy.
2. Octopus Mom. Written by a NICU nurse and mom of three children, this blog focuses on everything from prenatal ultrasound safety to childhood obesity to measles outbreaks.
3. Parenting Solved. Read about child health topics at this blog written by a this doctor who specializes in nutrition and gastrointestinal issues.
4. Dr. Ben’s Blog. This blog offers pediatric health topics such as vitamin D exposure during infancy to how ADHD affects executive function.
5. Pediatrics Now. Dr. Gwenn discusses children’s health and wellness issues such as obtainable exercise and fitness guidelines, the health benefits of hugs, and talking to teens about sexuality.
6. About.com Pediatrics Blog. This blog covers everything from keeping important phone numbers nearby to salmonella to flu shots.
7. Dr. Shu Says. This mother and pediatrician blogs about keeping kids and families healthy with posts ranging from exercise to healthy lunches to chemicals in plastics.
8. Healthy Children. Follow these posts by Dr. Parker as he offers tips to keep children healthy and happy.
9. Dr. Stacy: The Portable Pediatrician. Dr. Stacy posts about everything from mild head injuries to preventing SIDS to staying well in the fall on her blog.
10. Dr. Tapas’ Pediatric Blog. Written specifically for parents, Dr. Tapas covers topics such as back packs and back pain, bee sting treatment, and newborn hearing screenings.
11. PediaScribe. Written by a pediatrician and his wife, this blog is an extension of the PediaCast podcasts and discusses family and life.
12. Liddle Kidz Infant and Pediatric Massage Blog. This blog discusses health benefits of massage for infants and children and also touches on other pediatric health and wellness topics.
13. Children’s Health Blog. With posts from various contributors, the informative articles include depression in boys, childhood obesity, hand washing, and more.
14. Dr. Nabong’s Pediatric Blog. Read about insect stings, strep throat, MRSA, and more at this blog written by a pediatrician and mother of four boys.

Child Development and Mental Health

From raising a child in a high-tech age to stimulating development through play, these blogs offer the best on child development and mental health issues.

15. Baby Mum-Mum. This blog, by the makers of Baby Mum-Mum, focuses on childhood health and development.
16. Kid Stuff. From Psychology Today, this blog covers several topics relating to child development from TV to breastfeeding to playground difficulties.
17. Digital Children. Another blog courtesy of Psychology Today, this one looks at the pressures and challenges of being a child in a high-tech age.
18. Center on Media and Child Health. Learn about what scientific research and the latest news stories say about the effects of media on children’s health in this blog.
19. Family Resource Blog. Read about child development, health, and safety issues such as asthma, water safety, and starting preschool.
20. Creative Play. Find great suggestions to stimulate child development through play at this blog.

Specific Childhood Illnesses and Disorders

From juvenile arthritis to cystic fibrosis to epilepsy, these blogs offer information and education on a variety of childhood illnesses and disorders.

21. Asthma Mom. This mom stays on top both asthma and healthcare in this blog inspired by her daughter’s asthma issues.
22. Allergy and Asthma. While this blog isn’t solely for children, it does touch on several issues important for children with allergies and asthma.
23. Breath Spa for Kids. Focusing on asthma and sleep-disordered breathing, this blog also looks at vaccinations and autism, journalism with integrity, and more.
24. EBD Blog. Touching on several different topics pertaining to emotional and behavioral disorders, you will find posts on juvenile onset bipolar, autism, and more.
25. Mothers Encouraging Mothers of Eosinophilic Children. Families or medical professionals who would like some insight into what it’s like dealing with eosinophilic disease can learn a lot with this blog.
26. Pediatric Occupational and Physical Therapy Blog. From school-based therapies to botox for cerebral palsy, this blog offers plenty of OT and PT topics.
27. Help My Hurt. This blog is an archive for articles written about juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and covers topics such as new drug treatments and drawing a picture of pain.
28. Living With Juvenile Diabetes Symptoms. This mom of four (two of which have juvenile diabetes) offers blog posts with the latest in news, research, and more.
29. Cure Cystic Fibrosis for Reilly. In an attempt to raise awareness of cystic fibrosis, this mom chronicles life with her daughter and provides facts and first-hand experiences.
30. Blog for Down Syndrome. Written by a father of a Down Syndrome son, this blog brings news and more in a well-written, thought-provoking blog.
31. Epilepsy in a Nutshell. This blog offers facts, news, opinions and perspectives of what it is like to parent a child with epilepsy.
32. Blog About Tourette Syndrome–Tourette’s Disorder. Get facts, research, and more in this blog written by a mother who writes frequently about Tourette’s.
33. Blog@BeautifulCanvas.org. This mom writes about her family and their journey with a daughter suffering from Tay-Sachs, AB Variant.

Autism Spectrum Disorders

With autism awareness at an all time high, more families are receiving help for their children. As research and eduation continues on a range of autism related disorders, these blogs help spread the word.

34. Autism Research Blog: Translating Autism. For the latest on autism research, this blog brings research-based news with little editorial comment.
35. Autism Blog. Written by a mother of a child with autism, this blog offers suggestions, support, and insight to living with autism.
36. Autism Vox. This mother writes thought-provoking and thoughtful posts on autism including some of the latest news as well as her experience with her son’s autism.
37. Interverbal: Reviews of Autism Statements and Research. This blog written by a special education grad student takes a critical look at all things autism.
38. Social Skills for Kids. Aimed at children with autism, Asperger’s, and ADHD, this blog includes great posts touching on important social skill issues such as providing down time, helping kids understand subtle emotions, and focusing on the child’s strength.
39. Action for Autism. This father and educator from the UK writes books and speaks about autism. This is his blog offering a look at the writing and research currently going on in the study of autism.
40. Asperger-blog.com. Find links to books, resources, and news or get first-hand reports of what it’s like having a son with Asperger’s in this mom’s blog.
41. Autism Watch: 2007. Parenting her autistic son since his birth in 2000, this mom writes about news, research, her experience, and opinions on the current trends.
42. Hoping, Not Coping. Spreading the word about autism and sharing their family’s journey, this blog strives to inspire and educate.
43. What We Need. Dealing with high-functioning autism, this family shares their experience of living and loving their seven year-old son.

Nutrition

Good nutrition is one of the greatest contributors to good health in children. These blogs offer the best advice, recipes, and ideas for healthy eating.

44. Junkfood Science. Writing about nutrition, weight issues, food additives, and more, this nurse offers plenty of food for thought.
45. Healthy Child Healthy World. Heavy on organics and going green, this blog provides tips for improving children’s health through better nutrition.
46. Smart Foods Healthy Kids smart mama blog. From serving sizes to marketing healthy snacks to children to healthy breakfasts not from a cereal box, this blog promotes nutritional education for children, parents, and caregivers.
47. SHS International. Providing medical nutrition from a healthcare professional’s perspective, this blog offers interesting posts on a wide variety of topics.
48. Nourishing Thoughts. Written by a nurse, this blog focuses on healthy nutrition for children.
49. A Life Less Sweet. This woman blogs about her family’s experience following a diet without high fructose corn syrup with recommendations for food as well as news on the subject.

Food Allergies

The amazing number of food allergies cropping up in children today is leaving many families devastated. These blogs offer support, suggestions, recipes, and more.

50. Allergy Moms. Focusing specifically on food allergies, these moms blog about allergy-safe lunches, trick-or-treating tips with food allergies, and more.
51. YummyAllergenFree. Written by a mom of three girls with food allergies, this blog provides recipes, support, and more for families dealing with food allergies.
52. Food Allergy Buzz. With a focus on support for families dealing with food allergies, this blog provides links to allergen-free snacks, food allergy news, and more.
53. The Allergic Kid. From getting the low-down on medic alert bracelets to allergen-free recipes, this informative blog is worth reading.
54. Please Don’t Pass the Nuts. Get advice and more from this licensed psychotherapist/social worker who works with the food-allergic community (and has food allergies herself). Check out her listing of NYC restaurants that are allergy-free.
55. ModernAllergyMom. From wheat-free play dough to food allergies in the news, this mom offers great posts to those dealing with food allergies.
56. Mom’s Food Allergy Diner. Get delicious recipes without the allergens at this blog.
57. Peanut Free Mama. Not only does this mama blog about all things peanut-free, but she also touches on other food allergies as well, specifically dairy and soy.
58. The Milk-Free Blog. A part of GoDairyFree.org, this blog offers products and recipes for a dairy-free diet.
59. Karina’s Kitchen. Get delicious gluten-free recipes from this blog written by a cook who discovered she has celiac disease.
60. Gluten-Free Organics and More!. Written by a naturopathic doctor and mom of a whole family with gluten intolerances, this blog offers great suggestions for how to eat and live healthily gluten-free.

Vaccines

With such great debate among parents about whether or not to vaccinate your child and if you vaccinate, what schedule to follow, these blogs offer a view from many sides of the argument in a conversation that leaves all sides trying to do what is best for their children.

61. Left Brain Right Brain. This father of an autistic daughter offers science to support vaccination while advocating for neurodiversity acceptance among the autistic population.
62. Saying No to Vaccines. "Supporting your decision not to vaccinate," this Doctor of Osteopathy offers reasons not to vaccinate.
63. Vaccine Blog. This blog takes a scientific approach to the pro-vaccine stance.
64. Vaccine Awakening. Striving to support parent rights to vaccine choices, this woman blogs about legislature and news surrounding parents’ rights.
65. VaccineEthics.org Blog. This bioethics research organization focuses on ethical practice of medicine. Their blog reports the latest news on the vaccine and bioethics front.

Dental Health

Not to be dismissed, dental health is an important part of overall health and is frequently overlooked by parents. These blogs offer the best on children’s dental health information.

66. Pediatric Dentistry. Learn about pediatric dentistry and orthodontics on this blog that also features topics for those in the Alabama area–and an entertaining pig.
67. Dr. Timon’s Pediatric Dental Blog. While learning about sealants and mercury used in dental fillings, you can also see a bit of personal information about Dr. Timon and the rest of the staff in his office.
68. Small Tooth Talk. From flossing to EMG muscle awareness to the definition of a board certified dentist, this blog tells about it all.
69. Big Grins: Dr. Greg Evans. Get monthly updates at this blog where the benefits of Xylitol reside next to updates on moving the dental practice into a new building.
70. Children’s Dentistry Tips!. Learn about preventing tooth decay and more on this new blog devoted to keeping children’s teeth healthy.

Childbirth and Breastfeeding

Coming into this world can be a joyous as well as a potentially dangerous journey. Read these blogs for information and advice on creating a beautiful childbirth and breastfeeding experience for the mother and child.

71. Have a Natural Childbirth. This blog includes amazing natural birth stories, posts by midwives and doulas, and more.
72. Natural Childbirth for the "Hip Chick". This experienced mom talks about childbirth and caring for a newborn on this blog.
73. Birth Ecology Project. Read this blog for information dedicated to gentle birth assisted by midwives and doulas.
74. Black Breastfeeding Blog. Find information and history of breastfeeding for black women who breastfeed or expect to in the future.
75. The Lactivist. Read about breastfeeding, parenting, and more at this blog.
76. BreastfeedingMums Blog. Out of the U.K., this blogger writes about breastfeeding, health, and nutrition.
77. Mama Knows Breast. Learn about breastfeeding topics and get the latest in the news about breastfeeding at this blog.
78. The Beautiful Letdown. This mom writes about breastfeeding and tandem nursing in her blog posts.
79. Breastfeeding123. Get tips, news, and support on breastfeeding from this experienced mother of three and breastfeeding counselor.

Podcasts

While some of these podcasts are specifically about children and their safety and health issues, others touch on a wide range of medical topics–often including pediatric health.

80. PediaCast. Listen to weekly podcasts touching on a wide variety of pediatric health, wellness, and safety issues.
81. Harvard Medical Labcast. Listen to podcasts from experts at Harvard Medical School as they offer a glimpse into the groundbreaking work going on in the field of medicine.
82. Medcast. From the Stanford School of Medicine, these podcasts offer a sampling of lectures from renowned experts. some podcasts include stem cell research, childhood obesity, and women and heart disease.
83. Johns Hopkins Medicine Podcasts. Presented by a professor of medicine and the director of electronic media, this podcast brings weekly looks at all the top news from the medical world.
84. University of Michigan’s Your Child Podcast. Get updates on child development and behavior from the experts at University of Michigan.
85. New England Journal of Medicine. This medical journal offers two different podcasts. Listen to Audio Interviews or select NEJM This Week for a recap of all the articles in the journal.
86. The University of Arizona Department of Pediatrics Podcasts. From interviewing adolescents to herbs for use in pediatrics, listen to the latest from this medical school.
87. Pediatrics: The Nursing Show Podcasts. From autism to pediatric pain management, listen to these podcasts from the nurse’s perspective.
88. Children’s Health Podcasts. From the Medical University of South Carolina, listen to the many topics available ranging from asthma to breastfeeding to sickle cell disease.
89. Pediatric Physical Therapy. Select from the available podcasts on Science Audio to find out about the latest in physical therapy for children.

For or By Professionals

With everything from research to health care ethics to recent news, these blogs usually touch on child-specific topics, but sometimes venture into the greater field of medicine as it affects children and adults alike.

90. PediatricEducation.org Blog. While specifically designed for medical professionals, this blog is also available for parents wanting to learn more. Each blog post contains a case history and options for learning more.
91. Dr. J’s HouseCalls. This pediatrician takes a look at the field of medicine from her perspective with a run-in with some questionable non-profit board members at a hospital.
92. Dr. David’s Blog. This practicing pediatrician, who also works as a professor of oncology, blogs about pediatric oncology, cancer research, and cancer treatments.
93. Family Medicine Notes. This physician keeps notes of what he learns through his practice and offers advice as well as links to medical news in his blog.
94. National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners. Read the many blogs on this site written by nurse practitioners on a wide range of children’s health topics.
95. The Health Advocate. A collaborative blog of The Health Advocacy Program at Sarah Lawrence, this blog examines the issues surrounding patient advocacy and the current state of health care in America.
96. Health Care Organizational Ethics. This Harvard professor writes about the state of health care, including topics such as personal responsibility, pharmaceuticals, and hospital ethics.
97. Momma Data. This former research psychologist and current mother analyzes and writes about recent pediatric and family topics in the news.
98. Momwithastethoscope’s Weblog. From tainted baby formula in China to celebrity moms taking good care of their kiddos, this mom-doctor-blogger writes about a variety of topics.
99. Complementary and Alternative Medicine Law Blog. This blogger is both a practicing lawyer and was an associate professor at Harvard Medical School. He currently writes about integrating complementary and alternative medicine into western medical practice.
100. Dr. Thompson’s Blog. This practicing pediatrician and professor of pediatrics writes about the state of health care with a focus on children and family issues.

Although games have traditionally been viewed as strictly leisure activities, and often, time wasters, the fact is that there are a number of games available that will help you improve your health and wellness. Whether they are video games, fun devices, or brain games, many games can help you on your quest for self improvement. Read on to learn about 50 different games that will help you step up your fitness, brain power, and overall wellness.

Video Games

These video games offer valuable wellness education in a fun package.

1. Fable: In this game, the main character chooses foods to consume, and depending on whether he eats high fat or low fat foods, his appearance will change.
2. Heart Sense: This video game works to help increase heart attack awareness.
3. Re-Mission: While playing Re-Misson, kids take on missions that help them defeat malignant cancer cells.
4. Feed the Monster: This game helps to teach proper nutrition to kids.
5. Pulse!!: Learn more about medical care in this game that’s set in the Bethesda Naval Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit.

Devices

With these devices, you’ll be able to exercise and be well while you’re playing games. Use this to make sure your games are healthy on the wallet as well.

6. PCGamerBike: With the PCGamerBike, you can play any PC game that uses a keyboard for input, and get fit at the same time.
7. Bodypad: Control your favorite fighting games with motion tracking using these pads that strap to your knees, waist, elbows, and hands.
8. Fisher Price Smart Cycle: This arcade system integrates a miniature exercise bike with gaming hardware designed for kids.
9. Glucoboy: Glucoboy is a glucose meter that can be used with the Nintendo Gameboy to reward children for maintaining good blood sugar control.
10. EyeToy: Using this gaming device, you can play physically interactive games on many popular consoles.
11. Gamercize: Gamercize offers a gaming incentive system, which allows you to power your gaming console by stepping in place.
12. jOG: jOG’s in-game motion sensing controller will translate your motions into your character’s motions on the PlayStation 2.

Exergaming

These games offer an element of exercise as a prominent feature in their program. Even the famous nurses of the past would have approved of these.

13. Dance Dance Revolution: This wildly popular dancing game requires fast moves and quick reflexes.
14. Eye Toy Kinetic: Designed for fitness, Eye Toy Kinetic offers an interactive fitness experience for cardio, combat, mind and body, and toning.
15. Twister: Played on a large plastic mat with friends and family, Twister will test and improve your flexibility, balance, and coordination.
16. Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2009: Although not released yet, this game from Jillian Michaels promises to give you a good workout using the Wii balance board.
17. Nicktoons Movin’: Using the EyeToy, this game from Nicktoons lets kids and kids at heart exercise with their favorite Nickelodeon characters.
18. My Weight Loss Coach: Create a profile and goal plan with this DS game that offers the advice of a fitness coach and nutritionist.
19. We Ski: Race down the slopes and get a workout without the pricey lift fees on this Wii game.
20. Active Life Outdoor Challenge: This game has over a dozen mini games like river rafting, log jumping, and water trampoline designed to get you moving.
21. Let’s Yoga: Learn how to do a variety of yoga poses with this game for the Nintendo DS.
22. Eye Toy Groove: Use your Eye Toy to get up and dance to the beat of hit songs using this game.
23. Guitar Hero: A fun and interactive music game, Guitar Hero will get you off the couch and test your hand eye coordination.
24. Yourself Fitness: Follow Maya through yoga, pilates, cardio, and strength-training exercise videos in Yourself Fitness.
25. Mario Super Sluggers: Get a major league workout with this Wii baseball game.
26. Showtime Championship Boxing: Put your boxing skills to the test with this championiship boxing game for the Wii.
27. Let’s Pilates: This Nintendo DS game will help you learn more than 40 different pilates poses.
28. Wii Fit: Wii Fit and its accompanying balance board offers a number of different games designed to improve your fitness in a really fun environment.
29. Wii Sports: Wii Sports offers a collection of sports games that will improve your coordination and give you a mild workout.
30. Flash Focus: Vision Training in Minutes a Day: Improve your vision and focus power with this DS game that has lots of different games for your eyes.

Brain Games

Play these brain games to improve your memory and overall brain power.

31. Games for the Brain: This website offers plenty of games for brain health, including Chinese checkers, chess, and word games.
32. Crosswords DS: Get a collection of crossword puzzles for all skill levels with this game for the Nintendo DS.
33. Sudoku: Sudoku is a logic based number placement puzzle that will give your brain a workout.
34. My Word Coach: Improve your vocabulary with this DS game that offers word coaching for 17,000 words.
35. Mahjong: This Chinese tile gambling game will help you improve your skill, strategy, and calculation.
36. Brainist: Here you’ll find loads of fun and useful online brain games for adults.
37. My French Coach: Using My French Coach, you can learn how to speak French in a really fun way.
38. Margot’s Word Brain: Play Margot’s game to challenge your vocabulary with puzzles like Word Mine, Word Link, and Word Safe.
39. Spelling Challenges and More: Test and improve your spelling skills with this game that has more than 25,000 words to spell at 100 difficulty levels in 11 different games.
40. New York Times Crosswords: With over 1,000 crossword puzzles, this game has plenty of resources for giving your brain a quick pick me up.
41. Brain Age: Play this game’s collection of puzzles to improve your brain power in just a few minutes every day.
42. Scrabble: Improve your vocabulary with this fun and addictive word game.
43. Smarty Pants: Trivia for Everyone: Build your knowledge with this trivia game that boasts 20,000 questions in 8 different categories with multiple difficulty levels.
44. Lumosity: Lumosity will help you "reclaim your brain" with brain training games that improve your memory and attention.
45. My Spanish Coach: Learn Spanish using this video game that offers mini games, competition, evaluation, and vocabulary tools.
46. Chess: Chess is a popular game that will challenge your strategy and planning skills.
47. Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader: Take on the 5th grade challenge with this game that offers more than 6,000 questions to test your knowledge.
48. Prevention Brain Games: Prevention’s collection of brain games will help you sharpen your memory and give your brain a workout.
49. Big Brain Academy: Get a Wii Degree with this game that challenges your brain and allows you to compete with other players.
50. Rainbow Stress Reduction Games: Rainbow Stress Reduction’s games offer a simple way to clear your mind and relax.