The Teachers, Toddlers, and Tissues podcast breaks down how to keep kids healthy in early childhood settings — with a dose of reality and humor.
Listen on: Pandora, Amazon Music, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.
Like a chat with a friend — who went to medical school.
In each podcast episode, well-known early child care specialist Rachel Giannini and pediatrician Dr. Dipesh Navsaria discuss how early child care educators can improve the health and well-being of the children and families in their daily care, avoid unnecessary health-related exclusions from that care, and become better informed and prepared early childhood care & education providers.
Teachers, Toddlers, and Tissues aims to build early childhood educators’ understanding of, comfort with, and implementation of best health practices for children in keeping with the national Caring for Our Children guidelines authored by the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Public Health Association, and National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education.
Podcast library
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2025 Podcast Episodes
Episode 28: Autism: What Do I Need to Know?
Autism has been in the news recently, so today we’re going to tell you what it is, what we know about what does (and doesn’t) cause it, how to approach supporting children with autism and their families — and, of course, what Early Childhood Educators can do if they suspect a child in their class may show signs of autism. Listen here.
Episode 27: Go to Sleep!
Nothing beats a good night’s sleep, but how kids fall asleep and the quality of that sleep is what matters most. Rachel and Dr. Navsaria break down the basics of ‘sleep hygiene’: how much sleep kids need to stay healthy, what a healthy bedtime routine looks like, and how to keep kids safe when you put them to bed. Listen here.
Episode 26: Vitamins & Supplements: Facts and Fictions
When parents reach for a bottle of vitamins, supplements, or herbal remedies, it’s because their intentions are good. We want to give our kids the best. But do those supplements and vitamins actually work? Today we’re talking about what supplements are, what they claim to do, what they actually do, and how to be a supplement-savvy caregiver. Listen here.
Episode 25: Keeping Teeth Healthy
Keeping kid’s teeth clean and healthy is crucial to avoid cavities and more serious complications — but there’s a lot more to oral health than just brushing teeth. It begins even before baby teeth have appeared! Rachel and Dr. Navsaria share the many ways to keep teeth healthy, and why it matters. Listen here.
Episode 24: How to Think and Talk about Screens and Digital Media
Putting those ever-present screens away can be challenging for children and adults alike. Today, we’re talking about why it’s important to talk about healthy digital media use, what happens when screen-time disconnects us from real-time, and how we can talk about, and model, healthy digital behavior for our kids…without shaming and blaming. Listen here.
Episode 23: Whooping Cough Has Returned
Cases of whooping cough are at their highest in years, and our littlest ones are at risk of severe infection — and even death — if they’re not vaccinated. Rachel and Dr. Navsaria break down what whooping cough is, the risks it poses to infants, when to call home, and how to navigate conversations around vaccine hesitancy. Listen here.
2024 Podcast Episodes
Episode 22: TTT Live at Parents as Teachers: Addressing Burnout and Moral Injury
Rachel and Dipesh continue their road show with another live record, this time in front of over 1000 home visitors and childhood experts at the Parents as Teachers International Conference in San Diego, CA. Together with the audience, they discuss what we can do to address already-existing burnout and moral injury in early childcare professions. Listen here.
Episode 21: TTT Live at WECA: Preventing Burnout and Moral Injury
Recorded in front of a live audience at the Wisconsin Early Childhood Association Conference, Rachel and Dipesh turn their lens to helping teachers and early childhood educators navigate a growing risk in the field: burnout and moral injury. Listen here.
Episode 20: On Checkups & Children’s Development
Early Childhood Educators often have a pretty good sense of when a kid is ok and when they’re not. Though we’re not doctors, teachers are often asked to ‘keep an eye on’ development, or bring it up if something feels off with a child’s physical or social-emotional health. Today, Rachel and Dr. Navsaria talk about what happens at checkups, how we help both parents and fellow teachers navigate concerns around kids’ health, and how teachers can best help throughout. Listen here.
Episode 19: A Conversation About Food Insecurity
Food insecurity is prevalent in many of our classrooms, and addressing it with families can be difficult. Today we’re going to try to break the stigma on this difficult subject, and outline what teachers need to know about kids in their classrooms who may dealing with food insecurity, and ways they may be able to offer support. Listen here.
Episode 18: Is it Strep?!
Sore, red, scratchy throat? It is strep? Rachel and Dr. Navsaria talk about sore throats, and one cause in particular: strep! We’ll talk about how teachers can help soothe a child with a sore throat, how strep spreads, what testing looks like, guidelines for exclusion, and when to call home. (And just for good measure, we’ll also talk about hand, foot, and mouth disease.) Listen here.
Episode 17: It’s Too Hot!
Summer is here, and temperatures are high. It’s hot!! Today we’re talking about how heat affects kids, how to identify a child that’s getting too hot, and the measures we can take to keep them cool. Listen here.
Episode 16: What You Need To Know About Measles
Measles is one of the most contagious diseases in the world, and a very real threat to children — and adults! Though once declared eradicated in the US, we’ve seen an alarming rise in the number of cases across the country in recent months. Rachel and Dr. Navsaria breakdown the cause, symptoms, and short- and long-term complications of measles…and what teachers need to know to understand and talk about measles with colleagues and parents. Listen here.
Episode 15: Common Playground Injuries
It’s spring! It’s time to dust off the swing set, wipe the dirt off the slide, and grease up those swings. We’re going to play outside (and try not to get hurt…)! Rachel and Dr. Navsaria break down how all the ways to keep kids safe, active, and happy! Listen now.
Episode 14: All About Ears!
Rachel and Dr. Navsaria break down all things ears: healthy ears, not-so-healthy ears, ear wax, ear infections, hearing, and everything else to look out for (or is it “listen for”?) when it comes to ears in an early childhood setting. Listen here.
Episode 13: Fever, Teething, and Other Discomforts
How do you define a fever? What’s the best way to take a temperature? How much medication should you provide, how often, and what kind? Rachel and Dr. Navsaria tackle questions on fever and pain management in early childhood and…a hot take on teething and if it is even a real thing. (Tune in to find out!) Listen here.
Episode 12: Fact or Fiction?
How can you tell the difference between fact and fiction? There’s a lot of information out there, and today we’re talking about ‘misinformation and disinformation’ – how to assess which sources are reliable, what is likely to be inaccurate, and when to call it out when you hear something that isn’t right. Listen here.
Episode 11: Lice, Scabies, and Worms, Oh My!
More listening, less scratching! Though most parasites are harmless, today we’re talking about the microscopic creepy crawlies that aren’t so good for us – the ones that make kids itch, break out in a rash, and upset their digestive systems. Rachel and Dr. Navsaria break down all you need to know about lice, scabies, pinworms, ringworm, and giardia in the classroom. Listen here.
2023 Podcast Episodes
Episode 10: The Eyes Have It
Red, crusty, and oozing eyes can be hard to look at, but medically speaking, eye infections and irritations aren’t often as bad as they seem. Today we’re talking all about eye health – including “pink eye” (or conjunctivitis), styes, scratches, allergies – and how to approach eye concerns with a sense of calm and confidence. Listen here.
Episode 9: Compassionate Conversations: How To Discuss Child Care Topics with Parents in a Kind, Effective, and Culturally-Sensitive Way
Conversations about children in an early child care setting involve three people – the child, the parent/guardian, and the teacher – and everyone in that equation will have thoughts and opinions on how to do things ‘the right way’. But how we share our thoughts and opinion matters. Today we’re talking about how to talk to parents – and kids – about some of the most common topics that come up in child care settings, including food, sleep, and clothing … and discuss some facts and myths along the way! Listen here.
Episode 8: A Tripledemic?!
Break out the nose wipes and cough remedies, it’s respiratory infection season again! And according to the (often scary) headlines, an increase in Covid cases and the risk of an earlier-than-normal flu season has again raised the chance of a so-called ‘tripledemic’ in the United States. In this episode we break down all you need to know about RSV, Covid, and Flu, and how to help keep kids — and their classmates — safe. Listen here.
Episode 7: Rashes
Red? Itchy? Crusty? Or all of the above? Today we’re talking about rashes. We’re going to discuss the most common rashes seen in Early Child Care settings and talk about what they are, why they happen, and how to approach thinking about whether a child with a rash should be sent home or not. Listen here.
Episode 6: Head Injuries
When is a ‘goose egg’ just a bump on the head and when is it a sign of something worse? And how can we tell the difference? Today we’re talking about head injuries: what they are, why they happen, and how to help when they do. Listen here.
Episode 5: Seizures
Seizures can be scary to watch for both adults and children, and even scarier if you don’t know what to expect or how to help. Given that seizures are one of the most common neurologic disorders seen in children — particularly in the first year of life — it’s important to know the basics. In this episode we’re talking about the who, what, why, when, and how of childhood seizures, and what teachers need to know about how to tend to a child experiencing one. Listen here.
Episode 4: Poop Happens
Color? Texture? Size? Smell? Consistency? With food bits, or without? This show will cover everything you ever wanted to know about poop (and a lot of what you probably didn’t). Listen here.
Episode 3: From Pollen to Peanuts: Allergies 101
Just over one-quarter of children in the United States have at least one allergic condition of some type. But the effects of allergies on kids are not equal — the severity of an allergy can range from a kid needing their nose wiped to needing an Epi-pen administered immediately…and everything in-between. Today we’re talking about allergies: indoor, outdoor, food allergies, and irritants. We’re going to discuss what an allergy is, what are possible symptoms of one, and how to help manage them. Listen here.
Episode 2: Infant Feeding
How can you tell if an infant is getting enough to eat? How can you tell if you’ve given too much? Can you overfeed a baby? What’s the difference between spit-up and an allergy? What is the best kind of milk for a baby? Rachel and Dr. Navsaria break down everything you ever wanted to know about feeding our littlest ones, and more. Listen here.
Episode 1: The Common Cold
What temperature is considered a fever? Does mucus color matter? Is a cough always worrisome? In the first episode of Teachers, Toddlers, and Tissues, Rachel and Dr. Navsaria take a deep dive into one of the most frequent health issues seen in early childhood. We cover what the common cold looks like in young children, how to thoughtfully approach the symptoms you might be faced with, and when it’s time to call parents. Listen here.
Coming Soon: Teachers, Toddlers, and Tissues Trailer
Teachers, Toddlers and Tissues: Candid Conversations on Health and Childcare aims to help build early childhood educators’ understanding of, comfort with, and implementation of best health practices for children. Listen to the trailer here.
This podcast is funded by the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families, and sponsored by the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Council on Early Childhood. We offer general guidance on best practices for health and well-being in early childhood settings. Any questions about a specific child should be directed to that child’s primary care medical home. The cases we will discuss do not represent any specific patient or clinician and are either hypothetical or have had details changed for this podcast to ensure confidentiality. The information presented here is for informational purposes and are not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment in any particular clinical case or as a substitute for professional medical education. All opinions expressed belong to the speaker, not their institution, employer, or any podcast or program funders or sponsors.