No one expects a 4 year old to complain that her knees hurt when she stands up. In fact, I chastised my husband for always groaning and making those aching noises all the time. I told him that Sadie was copying him. Turns out, she wasn’t. Sadie also had trouble standing and walking in the middle of the night whenever she woke to go potty. I would have to carry her. She was stiff and achy upon waking in the morning but as she moved...

Tip from Dawn Veselka, mom of a child with Juvenile Arthritis, dermatomyocitis and mixed connective tissue disease. #1: Dark circles under your child’s eyes are not not merely a sign of poor sleeping. They can indicate allergies or auto-immune issues.