Dear Parents with Phil Boucher, M.D.

Phil Boucher, M.D.
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Parenting
  • Updated Weekly

Dear Parents is a podcast for parents who want calm, confident guidance grounded in science—not trends, fear, or perfection. Hosted by pediatrician and parent Dr. Phil Boucher, each episode offers practical, real-world insight to help you navigate discipline, behavior, screens, ADHD, and everyday parenting challenges with clarity and confidence. dearparents.substack.com

  1. Aug 27

    Screen time Impact On Language Development, entering RSV Season, and how to manage croup at home

    Ask Your Question A new JAMA Pediatrics study followed 747 kids from ages 5 to 7,/ Then a study on nirsevimab showing that preventing RSV also prevents antibiotics. And finally, a parent question about croup: what actually helps at 9pm, and why the nebulizer isn't it. What you'll take away A screen metric easier to move than "hours," and a 10% target for this week Why notifications, not willpower, are the first lever to pull RSV & RSV antibodies to prevent hospitalizations AND antibiotic exposure What to do when your child starts barking, and the two signs that mean go in By the numbers Each additional hour of daily primary-parent smartphone use tracked with 0.42 fewer points of annual growth in a child's receptive vocabulary (JAMA Pediatrics, Aug 2026) RSV drives about 57,000 U.S. pediatric hospitalizations and 1.5 million pediatrician visits a year Nirsevimab is 80% to 90% effective at preventing RSV hospitalization. It cut antibiotic prescribing 14.4% for outpatient respiratory infections and 69.4% for RSV hospitalizations (Clinical Infectious Diseases, Aug 2026) Chapters(02:00) The screen time number that isn't your kid's (10:15) Nirsevimab, RSV, and fewer antibiotics (21:40) Parent question: croup at home Links The screen study, JAMA Pediatrics, Aug 2026: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/article-abstract/2852943 The nirsevimab study, Clinical Infectious Diseases, Aug 2026: https://academic.oup.com/cid/advance-article/doi/10.1093/cid/ciag406/8750980 Ask Dr. B a question This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dearparents.substack.com/subscribe

    Screen time Impact On Language Development, entering RSV Season, and how to manage croup at home

  2. Aug 20

    Both Anxious AND Capable at the Same Time

    You Can’t Collaborate With an Anxious Brain Acid blockers and food allergy, SPACE with Robyn Isman, and a wild three-year-old New format this week: one study, one conversation, one listener question. Tell me in the comments if it works. Sponsor: Novaferrum. Use code NFIG10 for 10% off Comment On This Episode Is my baby’s reflux medicine a problem? (01:20) * What acid suppression changes about the gut, and why the gut is where the immune system gets built * The numbers from a 2025 database study: PPIs in the first year linked to roughly five to six times the rate of food allergy diagnosis, with antibiotics showing a dose-dependent pattern * The stepwise approach I run before I write a prescription: feeding position, milk supply, dairy or soy removal, two weeks at a time * When antibiotics are non-negotiable, and when a one-sided ear infection can safely wait Why isn’t my kid’s anxiety getting better? (09:35)Therapist Robyn Isman built her practice around SPACE, the Yale protocol that treats child anxiety by working only with parents. * What accommodation actually is * Unilateral parental action: you decide, then you tell your child... you don’t ask how they feel about it first * The announcement, and exactly what it sounds like when you change bedtime * Delaying, disengaging, distancing: three ways to hold the line when your kid escalates * Validation plus confidence, and the wording that keeps it from sliding into reassurance: not “I know you can do it,” but “I know you can do it while you’re scared” * Why reminding an anxious kid of past successes usually backfires * Where school avoidance, permissive parenting, and the phone in your kid’s pocket all collided Is my wild three-year-old ADHD? (56:20)A mom asks about her impulsive, intense, transition-hating three-and-a-half-year-old. * Why I don’t diagnose ADHD at this age, and what I look for instead * The sensory-seeking behaviors that get read as defiance: crashing, jumping, oversized hugs, shutting down in noise * Sleep first. Snoring, mouth breathing, restless nights, wired but tired * The short list of labs I’d actually consider, and why I’d call an OT first Our pediatric practice is open to those in Nebraska, Florida, Texas, Illinois, Kansas, and Iowa. We are now in-network with most insurance plans for these types of visits. If you’re looking for a whole-picture evaluation of your child (we obviously do these virtually if you’re not in our neck of the woods!), learn more and schedule at —> https://clinics.frontierpediatric.care Links * Sponsor: Novaferrum. Use code NFIG10 for 10% off * The study: Chaaban MR, Tanzo JT, Thatte S, Kabalan M, Kaelber DC. “Association of Acid-Suppressive Medication and Antimicrobial Use in Infancy with Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis.” Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2025. Free full text: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12155881/ * Robyn Isman: https://www.theanxiouschild.com * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parentingtheanxiouschild/ * Do Less Parenting podcast: * SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions), developed by Dr. Eli Lebowitz at the Yale Child Study Center: * Sensory processing episode with Dr. Kristen Pfeil, OTD, OTR/L: https://dearparents.substack.com/p/dear-parents-episode-004-sensory * NovaFerrum: iron drops and chewables kids will actually take. Use code NFIG10 for 10% off using this link —> Novaferrum * Have a question for the show? https://drphilboucher.com/ask This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dearparents.substack.com/subscribe

  3. Jul 23

    Skipping School with Dixie Dillon Lane

    dear parents, Today I get to talk about the history of homeschooling and how it has exploded in the past decade…super interesting conversation around the history of homeschooling and what it looks like nowadays. Dixie Dillon Lane holds a PhD in history from Notre Dame, homeschools her own kids, and just wrote Skipping School: A History of American Homeschooling and How It Went Mainstream (I had to steal back this book from my wife’s nightstand so I could prep for this interview!) We talk about how homeschooling evolved from a counter-cultural, keep-it-under-the-radar movement in the ‘80s and ‘90s into a normal educational choice that families move in and out of year to year. We dig into what the research actually says about socialization and safety, why religious instruction is no longer the top reason families homeschool, and how parents can be deliberate about preparing homeschooled kids for adult life. And one stat that shocked me: there are now more homeschooled kids in America than kids in parochial schools . Links: Get Dixie’s book: https://amzn.to/4fRwrOg Checkout the WSJ review of Skipping School Have a parenting question? Ask at https://drphilboucher.com/ask Thanks for reading dear parents! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dearparents.substack.com/subscribe

  4. Jul 15

    Before Dinner Window Sibling Squabbles

    I love teaching authoritative parenting. Above is a very real response from a dad to my lesson on the handling window between getting home from school/work and dinnertime. Watch the lesson on after school meltdowns this question came from: https://apsg.drphilboucher.com/apsg-demo-22 Authoritative parenting is both high in warmth and high in boundaries. It has by far the best research on short-term outcomes, such as getting through difficult day-to-day moments and seasons, as well as long-term outcomes related to our children’s development and our relationship with them as they grow. Authoritative parenting is not as easy as authoritarian and permissive parenting. Authoritarian and permissive parenting are really based on avoiding discomfort. In authoritarian parenting, you use your big voice and threats and coercion and guilt and shame to get compliance. In doing so, parents try to avoid the discomfort that we face when our children don’t do as they prefer immediately. It is high in demands and low in warmth/connection. In permissive parenting, warmth is present, but limits and boundaries are lacking. Permissive parenting is a response aimed at avoiding the discomfort the child might face if a parent sets a boundary or expectation. It is high in warmth but low in boundaries and limits. Authoritative parenting, by contrast, takes the good side of both…. it is high in warmth and connection and also high in boundaries and expectations. Read more about authoritative parenting: https://dearparents.substack.com/t/authoritative This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dearparents.substack.com/subscribe

    Before Dinner Window Sibling Squabbles

  5. Jul 13

    AMA Toddler Sleep Regression/Anxiety

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit dearparents.substack.com Your Toddler’s Sleep Didn’t Break. She’s Just Missing You. Read/watch/listen to the full post https://dearparents.substack.com Ask your question: https://drphilboucher.com/ask This week’s episode is an Ask Me Anything from a mom named Emily, and it’s one so many of you are living right now: Hi, Phil. My name is Emily, and our daughter Remy turns three in about three weeks, and recently has really regressed with her sleeping over the last two weeks. Particularly at nighttime, she lays in her bed until we leave, and then immediately goes to the door and screams for about an hour, bangs on the door crying, hits her toys against the door, and it just really goes on from there. It’s also happening at nap time at home, even though she’s napping great at daycare. I think it’s some sort of separation anxiety. Not entirely sure what triggered it. We did start swim lessons a couple weeks ago that she had a lot of separation anxiety with, but she’s gotten a lot better. Her daycare class has also been a lot more chaotic than usual, and we notice that when things are a little up and down at school, she tends to regress. So just curious if this is a phase. We’ve been letting her cry it out. We did try laying in there till she fell asleep. Within the minute she woke up and realized we weren’t there, pattern starts all over again. Tried leaving the door open with a barrier to say, “Hey, stay in there.” But that didn’t work. She kept coming out and then wanted us to sleep in there with her. So right now we’re just kinda letting her scream. And we have an infant at home that can wake up when she does scream. So anyway, just curious what you think. It’s happening at night and at nap time when we’re at home. And really don’t wanna get into a co-sleeping situation, ‘cause the last time we brought her into our big bed when she regressed, it was really hard to break her of that. She usually loves her bed and sleeps really great. So curious what you think. Thanks. My response: First, the co-sleeping trap is real, and you can avoid it This is one of the most common issues parents bring to me, and it very often leads to co-sleeping, because we’re all exhausted, there’s a new baby at home, and it’s so easy to fall into “just get in bed with me,” or to not even realize they climbed in because you were too tired to notice. Avoiding co-sleeping is possible. It just takes some intentionality. We have six kids and never fell into it Emily clearly wants a peaceful bedtime and an end to the nightly door battle, and we can get her both. This is not a melatonin problem Before we go further: a lot of well-meaning friends will hear this and say, “Oh, just give her some melatonin.” Please don’t. This is not a melatonin deficiency. This is a habit, separation anxiety, and busyness-of-life situation that we fix with new practices, not with something that chemically knocks a kid out. Melatonin might work temporarily, but it won’t fix the real issue. And I don’t love putting young kids on it for any stretch of time. Remember, melatonin is a hormone, not a vitamin. It has effects all over the body, and when it isn’t indicated, I’d much rather skip it. The big picture: this is separation anxiety, not broken sleep I honestly don’t even think of this as a “sleep regression.” People talk about regressions like a child hits a magic age and their sleep just detonates. There are windows where it’s more common, sure. You’ve heard about the four-month one, the eight-month, the nine-month. It’s tough to keep them straight because you can find a blog post about the 6.4-month regression if you look hard enough. It just happens across babyhood and toddlerhood. Here’s what tells me this is typical separation anxiety specifically:

    AMA Toddler Sleep Regression/Anxiety

  6. Jul 2

    T1D Deep Dive

    Most kids with type 1 diabetes are diagnosed in crisis: thirsty, exhausted, losing weight…they end up in the hospital and often the ICU. In this deep dive, I make the case that it no longer has to start that way. Type 1 is an autoimmune condition that shows up in the blood years before the first symptom, and we finally have the science to catch it early. What you’ll take away: * Why type 1 is an immune system problem, not a blood sugar problem, and why a normal finger-stick can falsely reassure * The old rule that misses most kids: 90% of those diagnosed have no family history * The three stages, and why stage three (the ER, the DKA) is the end of a process that began years earlier * The new JAMA study (Winkler et al., May 2026): 200,000 kids screened at well checks, DKA at diagnosis dropping from 40 to 60% down under 10% * When to screen, what the antibody panel involves, and why knowing early lowers anxiety rather than raising it Screening at Frontier Pediatrics: We are now offering this screening even if your child isn’t our patient! These are virtual visits and we don’t need to see the kid(s), just parent! We can do one visit and order screening for all the kids. Available as a virtual visit in Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Illinois, Texas, and Florida. Most insurance plans cover the testing and we can also help find low-cost or free alternatives like the research sites. Click here to learn more and book. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dearparents.substack.com/subscribe

    T1D Deep Dive

  7. Jun 30

    AMA: Dysregulated + Aggressive 6 year old

    Have a question? Ask yours here https://drphilboucher.com/ask Curious about my ADHD Compass? Find out where your child falls across all 4 domains of ADHD (hyperactivity, inattention, emotional regulation, executive function) and get a custom-tailored report based on their age, stage, and current strengths & challenges ($19) https://drphilboucher.com/adhdcompass This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dearparents.substack.com/subscribe

    AMA: Dysregulated + Aggressive 6 year old

  8. Jun 26

    Keeping Kids Hydrated with Cure Founder, Lauren Picasso

    This week I’m talking with Lauren Picasso, founder and CEO of Cure Hydration, about something that comes up constantly in my practice: how do I actually keep my kid hydrated? We get into when water alone isn’t always enough, how oral rehydration solution works (the WHO formula that’s been around over 50 years), and why kids dehydrate faster than adults... smaller bodies, developing kidneys, and the toddler who can’t tell you they’re thirsty until they’re already behind. We also cover: * The difference between rehydrating and just loading up on sugar (some sports drinks pack nearly 40g per serving) * When to reach for electrolytes instead of plain water: fever, vomiting, diarrhea, heat, sports, and even air travel * Why I keep these packets in the parent kits we hand out * What Cure built specifically for kids * Hydration in pregnancy, including Lauren’s take! If you’ve ever stood in the pharmacy aisle at 2am with a vomiting kid, this one’s for you!! More at dearparents.substack.comCure Hydration: www.curehydration.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dearparents.substack.com/subscribe

    Keeping Kids Hydrated with Cure Founder, Lauren Picasso
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About

Dear Parents is a podcast for parents who want calm, confident guidance grounded in science—not trends, fear, or perfection. Hosted by pediatrician and parent Dr. Phil Boucher, each episode offers practical, real-world insight to help you navigate discipline, behavior, screens, ADHD, and everyday parenting challenges with clarity and confidence. dearparents.substack.com

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