← The Pediatrician Next Door - Simple Advice on Parenting and Family Health
The Pediatrician Next Door - Simple Advice on Parenting and Family Health
What We Got Wrong about Kids’ Health in 2025
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Hey, it's Brooklyn Adams and I'm partnering with Abercrombie to tell you about the newest drop from their active brand. Your Personal Best YPB leggings are made with buttery, soft fabrics that hug you in all the right places and Common Abercrombie's viral Curve Love Fit designed to eliminate waist gap. Paired with sports bras and super soft sweatshirts, it's activewear that supports every part of my busy lifestyle and gives me my best butt ever. Head into the new year feeling your personal best. Shop Active by Abercrombie in the app, online and in stores. Welcome to a new year full of promise and mystery. Before I move forward into new topics this year, I want to take this time to reflect on topics I covered over the past year. I love collecting pediatric news stories because a lot of times a new study comes out and I read it and I'm like, yeah, exactly. Thank you for confirming what I already knew. I call those my, yeah, duh. News stories. It's the things that we as parents, or me as a pediatrician already know from what we have experienced. These are the stories where we didn't actually need a research team to tell us something, but it's still really satisfying to see it in print. It's validating, especially when it's a topic that I've been talking about all year in my exam room, with my patients, with parents, or on this podcast. I also collect new studies that update something that I have covered. So that's what today's episode is. This is not an academic review, and it's definitely not comprehensive. It's basically a pediatrician's news roundup for parents who want to keep their finger on the pulse. So here is one of my favorite yeah, duh. News stories of the year. It was a study linking loud video games to hearing loss, apparently. Brace yourself for this shocking revelation. When kids play video games at very loud volumes for long periods of time, their hearing is affected. The study found that sound levels during gaming often approached or exceeded safe exposure limits. And while that didn't make me rush home and take every headset in my house away from my kids, I was glad to have it on my radar. So while this isn't groundbreaking research, it reminds us that when we say to our kids, hey, maybe you should turn that down, now we have confirmation. We're not just being old nags. We've got science behind us. Then there are the stories that make me smile because they're so, I don't know, pediatric. I literally cut these out of the AAP news with scissors, actual scissors, like it was 1997. One was a safety alert about fake labubu dolls posing a choking hazard to kids. Yes, please beware. And the other story was a reminder that salmonella infections can come from pet bearded dragons. I love these research studies and these news stories because they remind us that parenting is a mix of big existential worries and also very practical, specific hazards. You can read about screen time and anxiety one minute, and then the next minute you're saying, hey, hey, hey, please don't kiss the lizard. You never can be too cautious. I'm Dr. Wendy Hunter, and I'm the pediatrician next door. I'm that doctor friend you call for practical advice about your kid's health. I mix the science of medicine with the reality of parenting. So let's start with the latest breaking news about the question I hear more than any other in pediatrics, and that question is, why is my kid always sick? I want to say this right up front. If you feel like your child has had a runny nose or a cough basically since they started school, you're not imagining things, you're not being dramatic, and you are definitely not alone. Here's a new study that was published in the journal Pediatrics, and it confirms what parents and pediatricians have been saying for years. Young children carry more viruses than anyone else. The study followed more than 800 students and staff at a large Kansas City school district. Over the course of a whole respiratory season from November to May, families collected weekly nasal swabs. Yeah, lots of fun. Whether kids were sick or not. And they tracked symptoms during the whole time. And here's what they found. More than 85% of everyone in the study had at least one respiratory virus during the school year. But when researchers broke it down by age, the youngest kids, the ones in pre K and elementary school, stood out clearly. They had the highest rates of virus detection, higher than middle schoolers, high schoolers, or, of course, the adults working in the buildings. In other words, the littlest kids weren't just getting sick more often. They were carrying and shedding viruses way more often, even when they weren't sick. Which brings me back to something I talked about in episode 128 last year. That was my back to school episode, and I talked about how to avoid sick days. Back to School season is basically the super bowl of viral transmission. It's a really exciting time for those viral buggers. The hardest part about preventing illness is that kids shed viruses before they have symptoms. So that sweet best friend who looks totally fine today, they might be spreading rhinovirus all over the classroom before they even have their first sniffle tomorrow. Now that doesn't mean that you are powerless. We talked about that in episode 128. Also, simple things matter. Hand washing, keeping your nasal passages moist with either saline or xylitol sprays. So viruses don't stick as easily. But I want to add one more layer here because this is where the science gets interesting. There was another study this year looking specifically at children with severe or recurrent wheezing, the kids who kept coming back with cough, chest tightness or asthma like symptoms. Researchers found that nearly one out of four of these kids, they found that the wheezing wasn't driven by classic airway inflammation or asthma on its own. Instead, these kids actually had ongoing low grade lung infections with a virus that were not obvious on exam and didn't cause typical cold symptoms. And these infections were essentially flying under the radar. And here's the key part. Those hidden infections don't respond to steroids, which are our go to treatment for wheezing and asthma flares. So if a child is not improving the way we expect, it doesn't mean the treatment failed. It might mean we're treating the wrong problem. We're definitely going to hear more about this in the coming year, I suspect. And this connects directly with something else I talked about this past year. Wait for the connection. Another new study found that infants who had severe lower respiratory infections early in life, things like bronchiolitis or rsv, especially infections that affected the lungs, were more likely to develop obstructive sleep apnea later in childhood. This gets Back to episode 144 that I did, and that was called When Is snoring a Problem? Because it is a problem more often than parents think. This study is important because it helps explain why some kids who had a rough respiratory start early on go on to have ongoing breathing issues, not just during the day, but at night too. So when you put all of this together, a much clearer picture emerges. Young kids do get sick more often because they're encountering viruses for the first time. Some children's lungs take longer to recover from those early infections. And for a certain subset of kids, breathing symptoms, whether that's wheezing or snoring, might reflect more than just another cold. And we're going to hear more about this in the next couple of months, so stay tuned. But don't stress. Most of the time when little kids get sick, it means their immune and respiratory systems are learning and changing and most of the time getting stronger with every exposure. And if something doesn't fit the usual pattern, that's where pediatricians step in to take a look. And I'm going to take a quick break now and when I come back I'm going to have updates on other topics that you worry about the most. Every year around this time, people talk about New Year's resolutions. But instead of resolutions, I make a list of my values and then I build simple rituals that support them. My best friend knows I do this and this year she said her values are her home and her family and that means new bedding. She's right for me, the rooms I spend the most time in and that really shape how I feel are my bed and my bath. That's why this year my reset started with Cozy Earth sheets and towels. I upgraded to Cozy Earth's Baja Bedding set and transformed my bedroom. It's a complete matching set, sheets, duvet, cover, quilt coverlet with this beautiful, calm design inspired by the Baja California landscape. It feels elevated but inviting. Then there are Cozy Earth's luxe bath towels. They're plush, absorbent and they dry you off quickly. It's a small ritual, but stepping out of the shower and using a towel that feels this good changes how I start my day. When the holidays wind down, I need rest and the feeling that I'm ready to take on the new year. And that's exactly what Cozy Earth delivers. Luxury comfort that makes home my best part of life. Plus, it's completely risk free. Cozy earth offers a 100 night sleep trial so you can try it out and return it hassle free. And everything comes with a 10 year warranty because once you've experienced this level of comfort, you'll want it to last. Start the new year off right and give your home the luxury it deserves and make home the best part of Life. Head to cozyearth.com and use my code Drwendy D R W E N D Y for up to 20% off. And if you get a post purchase survey, be sure to mention you heard about Cozy Earth right here. Refresh your routines with comfort that makes every day feel like a new Year. New Year, New me. Cute, but how about New Year New money? With Experian you can actually take control of your finances, check your FICO score, find ways to save and get matched with credit card offers giving you time to power through those New Year's goals. You know you're going to crush Start the year off right. Download the Experian app Based on FICO Score 8 model offers an approval not guaranteed. Eligibility requirements and terms apply subject to credit check which may impact your credit scores. Offers not available in all states. See experian.com for details. Experian. So what else is constantly on parents minds? How about screen time? Is anybody still battling that? I know you are. Because this year that anxiety showed up clearly in you guessed it data from new research studies. A national poll from Nationwide Children's Hospital found that parents top concerns about their kids wellbeing is technology, specifically screens and social media and the fact that they are interfering with their children's ability to form meaningful connections with classmates and teachers. Notice that they weren't worried about grades or sports and not even about sleep. Parents were worried about connection. And when I read that my first thought was of course. Because I hear this worry from parents every day. Parents are asking how many hours is too many? And they're asking something deeper. They want to know is technology changing who my child is becoming? Which brings me to what I would definitely file under the category of a ya duh study. Here's a study I found recently. It was published in JAMA Pediatrics and they found that tablet use in preschoolers was associated with higher levels of anger and frustration one year later. And here's the important nuance to this study. The relationship goes both ways. Kids who used tablets more at age three and a half showed more difficulty with emotional regulation later on. That's not surprising. And kids who already struggled with frustration were more likely to be given a tablet by their parent. So this was not a simple screens cause bad behavior headline. It was more honest than that. Screens can become a tool that we reach for because a child is dysregulated. But over time, relying on screens can actually make it harder for kids to build the skills they need to regulate themselves. And here's the truth. Screens are not the villain. The real issue isn't the amount of time kids spend online. It's what screens are replacing. Are they replacing sleep? Are they replacing movement? Are they replacing face to face connection? If you listen to this show regularly, you'll remember I shared the story of a three year old whose behavior looked really concerning for autism. And then we realized he was watching hours of the same show every day. And once screens were stopped, human interaction took over and everything changed. And it's not because screens are toxic, but kids brains are wired to learn from people. First. Kids need eye contact, they need back and forth conversation and they need to be bored sometimes. And when screens become the primary way kids soothe themselves and entertain themselves and interact with the world. Of course we're going to see more frustration and shorter attention spans and less emotional flexibility. I mean, duh, I see that in myself. What I appreciate about this year's screen time research overall is that it didn't try to scare parents. It didn't say ban the tablets. It didn't say screens ruin brains. Instead, it confirmed what many of us already connection is more important than anything. And that's why the strategies that I talked about back in episode 134 still hold up. So just remember, you're right, sleep is non negotiable. And of course play and movement should be part of every child's day. And finally, make sure that kids have regular real world connection in person with family and friends. And if those pillars are solid, screen time is just one slice of a healthy childhood. And it's not the whole pie. So if we're talking about what parents are most worried about and what news stories related to them after illness and screens, I think the next thing I hear about is anxiety and depression. And that was one of the biggest themes of the year in the news. And it's something I have spent a lot of time on this season. In episode 138, that was the second episode I did with Natasha Burgert, we talked about anxiety in kids. And one of the big takeaways from that conversation was, was there is no single fix. We talked about therapy helps, parent coaching helps, school helps, sometimes medication helps, and usually it's a combination of all those things. Which is why one of the most surprising and exciting breakthroughs this year that caught my attention. See, I bookmarked this news story. I didn't use my scissors this time. It was a study that was published in Nature Communications and they found that early childhood gut microbiome patterns were associated with a higher risk of anxiety and depression later in childhood. In this study, researchers followed children over time and found that certain gut bacteria present in early life in the gut obviously were linked to differences in how emotion related brain networks developed. And those differences were associated with anxiety and depression years later. And while this doesn't mean that gut bacteria cause anxiety or depression, it does suggest that they play a role in how the brain's emotional circuits are wired early on. It's crazy. I love this study because it's exciting, obviously it's also really humbling. It's exciting because it opens new doors and maybe new ways to think about mental health that go beyond willpower or personality. And it's humbling because it reminds us how much we do not know. I talked earlier this year about work that was being done at Persephone Biosciences and they're looking at how targeted microbiome based therapies might one day help support mental health. It's still really early, but this is one direction that science is moving isn't just in the head. It's connected to the gut, the immune system, inflammation, stress, sleep, all of it. And that realization should make you feel really hopeful. Now, while we're talking about the gut and the brain, I want to take a little side trip here because this is where some of the most eye opening news stories of 2025 live. This is a big pivot, but let's talk about energy drinks. I know it's on your mind. We now know and have known that kids should not drink them. And yeah, probably we shouldn't either. Yet poison control data that was just published and it's from 2023, it shows that phone calls to poison control related to children consuming energy drinks rose by 20%. And what's really interesting about it is that the particularly sharp increase was in kids ready age 6 to 12. Yeah, 6 to 12 year olds. We're talking about drinks that affect heart rate, blood pressure, sleep, anxiety, and yes, the gut brain axis. So when we're wondering why a child feels jittery, irritable, anxious or can't sleep, sometimes the answer isn't psychological, it's chemical. This is another reminder to me that what kids absorb intentionally or accidentally matters more than we realize. So what are kids being exposed to besides energy drinks? And oftentimes it's without anyone realizing it. And how much do their exposures mean? I'll say this, when I first reported on this topic, I'll be honest, I worried that I sounded alarmist when I talked about household and environmental exposures. I don't want parents to feel like they have to live in a bubble or throw out everything in their household. But as the year has gone on, more and more research has come out in the past and it became clear that my conversations weren't over reactions. So my last update is one of the most striking studies this year, and it looked at prenatal exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals. Those are chemicals that interfere with our hormones and how those exposures affect children. So published in JAMA Network Open, this study followed children whose mothers were exposed during pregnancy to several common chemical families found in things like plastics, food packaging, personal care products and household items. And what they found Was quite concerning. Children with higher prenatal exposure had higher rates of metabolic syndrome in elementary school, meaning higher rates of obesity, insulin resistance, abnormal cholesterol, and other markers that increase lifelong risk for diabetes and heart disease. And they weren't subtle differences. Among the highest exposure group, 2/3 of the children were overweight or obese. And that was compared to a much smaller fraction in the low exposure group. And this is where I want to pause. This is not about blaming anyone for exposures that they didn't choose or couldn't control. These chemicals are everywhere. So it's about understanding that health doesn't start right at birth. It kind of starts before birth. And the environment that kids grow in does shape their biology in ways we're just starting to understand. So we need to advocate to protect ourselves and our kids. I've covered this a few times. This theme showed up again in another study this year. And this one looked at the chemical pfas. That's the so called forever chemical. The study was in adolescents with obesity who had bariatric surgery. The researchers found that teenagers with high PFAS levels were more likely to gain weight after their surgery, even though they had gone through an intense, life changing medical intervention. That's huge. I mean, not literally, but it suggests that these chemicals don't just contribute to obesity risk. They, they may actually blunt the effectiveness of gastric bypass surgery. Which means we can't talk about weight, metabolism, or even treatment success without also talking about environment. When parents tell me we eat well, we're active, we're doing everything right. Why is this so hard? These studies help explain why the answer may be more complicated than calories and willpower. So we're going to keep an eye on this. Then in the middle of all this heavy news, Pediatrics had one of its most interesting, encouraging, clarifying moments of the year. Because one of the biggest stories to finally reach mainstream was something that we have been saying forever and that is early peanut exposure helps prevent peanut allergy. This was not brand new science, but a huge study did come out this past year that showed clearly that introducing peanut early and regularly in infancy dramatically reduces the risk of developing peanut allergy, Especially in kids who are at high risk because of their family. And I love this study for two reasons. First, it's empowering. It's a reminder that what we do matters and that small exposures at the right time can shape our kids immune system in protective ways. And second, I like this because it balances the environmental conversation. Yes, some exposures are harmful, but other exposures like Protect us and are necessary. Kids don't need a sterile world. They need a thoughtful one. So after a year like this, a year full of headlines about germs, screens, anxiety, chemicals, vaccine, and everything in between, I think it's fair to say this one There is a lot of information out there, and not all of it is helpful. In fact, one of the most consistent themes of 2025 wasn't just new discoveries in children's health. It was how hard it has become for parents to know who to trust. And this creates anxiety instead of clarity. So let's stick to what our parent instincts tell us. You know your kids and you know your family better than anyone. Here's what you Young kids get sick a lot, and it's okay. Connection with other people matters a lot. Screens aren't evil. Balance is important. Mental health is complicated, and the early years matter. And most importantly, you do not have to do this alone. If there's one message I want you to take from this episode and from 2025, it's your pediatrician can be your filter. Not social media, not influencers, not someone yelling and mispronouncing medical terms into a microphone. You're raising your kids in a world that is loud, fast and more complex than ever. And you don't have to get everything right. As we head into this new year, here's my wish for you. Give yourself some grace for yourself and for your kids, because you are doing better than you think. Thanks for spending this year with me. Thanks for listening, questioning and learning alongside me. And if a headline stops you in your tracks in 2026, you know what to do. Bring it to the Pediatrician Next Door. We'll sort it out today together. For more from the Pediatrician Next Door, find me on the web at Pediatrician Next Door podcast.com if you've got a question about the weird things kids do, send an email to hellopediatriciannextdoorpodcast.com for a chance to hear your voice on the show. I'm Dr. Wendy Hunter and I'm the Pediatrician Next Door. This show is produced by Red Rock Music. Make sure to subscribe and leave a review wherever it is you're listening. I'll be back next time with more.