Introducing Dr. Meg West!

Dr. Meg West

We are really thrilled to welcome Dr. Meg West as the newest physician to the Pediatric Consultants team! Please join us in giving Dr. West a warm welcome. She will be seeing new patients at our downtown Le Bonheur office and also at our East office. Please click here to view Dr. West's online bio and schedule on the Pediatric Consultants website.

Dr. West is a 2009 graduate of the University of Arkansas's College of Medicine and completed her residency training at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center, and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

We sat down this week with Dr. West to ask her a few questions so that you could get to know her better!

Why did you decide to become a pediatrician? 

For the kids. So cliche. When I started medical school I had other plans, but then I did my rotation at the the Arkansas Children's Hospital. Medicine can be very emotional, but kids are always so happy and resilient and that makes the entire hospital and pediatric office a happier place. The heart and joy in the children makes the effort and time spent completely worth it.

What do you do to stay healthy?

To stay healthy, I bike, run, play tennis, and swim! Of course, a healthy diet is always important to my lifestyle as well.

What else do you do in your free time?
My free time is usually reserved for my friends and family. I have a large immediate and extended family who still live here in Memphis and are a large part of my life. As a member of the Board of Trustees for the Pink Palace Family of Museums and Christian Brother's University I give much of my time to these entities.

What are your favorite things to do in Memphis?

I love Memphis. Mostly because my family is here and so close, but also because there are so many things to do. The Cooper Young area, the FedEx Forum, Shelby Farms, the Levitt Shell, South Main and Beale Street, the River, and all of the museums all bring the richness to the city that is hard to find anywhere else.

Dolly Parton Works "9-5" to Make Sure Your Children Read 0-5 and For Life!

Do you have children under the age of 5? Would you like them to receive a book, free of charge, every month, delivered directly to your home door? If so ... you need to continue reading!

You're probably wondering what the catch is, right? Well, there isn't one! Thanks to Dolly Parton's Imagination Library and Shelby County's Books from Birth every child in Shelby County is eligible to receive a total of 60 books right from birth, completely free of charge. The books are chosen by Dolly Parton and a team of educators so that they are each age appropriate and fun to read.

Dolly's program began in East Tennessee's Sevier County in 1995 and it didn't take her long to realize that her Imagination Library could benefit not just the state of Tennessee but the entire country, in any area that could support it financially. Shelby County's Books from Birth (and those who support the program philanthropically) makes this possible in our neck of the woods – it is easy to sign up if you haven't already.

So what are you waiting for? Sign up today! You can do so from the Shelby County Books from Birth's website here: booksfrombirth.org/enroll-a-child/. You can also visit their facebook page or learn more about the history of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.

Happy reading to all of our Pediatric Consultants children!

Parent-Recommended Apps for Kids

We recently asked parents on facebook what their kids' favorite apps are, and we got a lot of great responses. Here they are, in case you're looking for something new!

Kirsten: Dr. Seuss Books. There is even an auto play so it will read to them. Great for when mom has a doctor appointment.

Kyleigh: Elmo Calls - Elmo pops up talking to them about various things. Perfect for 1-3 year olds in my opinion. My almost 3 year old loves it.

Kimberly: ABA “Applied Behavioral Analysis”. If you go to kindergarten.com it will give you a link to all the apps that are available. There are apps appropriate for all age groups!

Crystal: Smule's Magic Piano. My kids (ages 4 & 8) love this. You tap the dots and it plays the notes/chords. Really good mix of classical to pop to children's songs.

Emily: For my 8-yr-old- Angry birds space, Madden NFL 12, Temple Run. For my 4-yr-old- Fruit Ninja, Super Why, and Garbage

Jessica: Collyn (8) loves draw something and scramble with friends. She is very artsy and loves playing w her friends. Also scramble with friends allows her to work on her spelling and vocabulary while being timed!

Laura: My 2 year old loves Vocal Zoo. You touch the animals picture and it makes the sound and tells you what animal it is :)

Berenice: Abc song, where is puppy, abc (age 2)

Lori: The Monster at the End of this Book featuring Grover. It's a lot of fun!

Christy: Tozzle puzzles for my 3yr old and power ranger samurai

Jennifer: Stack the States

Jessica: Smarter than a fifth grader. It's great!!!

Tiffany: PBS kids!

JM: The one with the animals that repeat what you say. She downloaded 8 of them (Talking Tom).

Katie: Monkey preschool lunchbox for my almost 3 year old and counting 123.