Clinical Tip: Bubbles that break the ice

Pocket-sized 0.6-oz bottles of soap bubbles, packaged for use at weddings and available cheaply at most party supply stores, are the perfect icebreaker for apprehensive preschool-age children. By offering the child the opportunity to blow bubbles (with a parent holding the bottle), you can put him at ease and also get a good chest auscultation.

Jason Kessler, MDMuscatine, Iowa