Beltway Bambinos

(re) discover Washington DC through the eyes of your children

Free Tickets to Movie Screenings of UglyDolls & Poms

We have 10 admit 4, first-come, first-served passes to the advance screening of UglyDolls and are linked below.

Screening Details: Wednesday, May 1st at 7:00pm at Regal Majestic

In the adorably different town of Uglyville, weird is celebrated, strange is special and beauty is embraced as more than simply meets the eye. Here, the free-spirited Moxy and her UglyDoll friends live every day in a whirlwind of bliss, letting their freak flags fly in a celebration of life and its endless possibilities. The endearingly unique residents of Uglyville occasionally look to the sky above the town, where a new UglyDoll will appear and be embraced by the community.

Moxy (Kelly Clarkson) loves her square-peg life in this round-hole town, but her curiosity about all things leads her to wonder if there’s something – anything – on the other side of the mountain which nestles Uglyville. Moxy gathers a group of her closest friends and sets off to find what’s on the other side. They discover another world – Perfection – a town where more conventional dolls are trained in protocols before they graduate and are sent to the “real”world to find the love of a child.

In Perfection, Moxy and her crew are subject to the manipulations of Lou (Nick Jonas), the perfect doll in charge of training recruits. Here, the UglyDolls will confront what it means to be different, struggle with their desire to be loved, and ultimately discover that you don’t have to be perfect to be amazing because who you truly are is what matters most.

Cast: Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas, Janelle Monáe, Blake Shelton, Wanda Sykes, Gabriel Iglesias, Wang Leehom, Emma Roberts and Pitbull. Bebe Rexha, Charlie XCX, and Lizzo
Director: Kelly Asbury
Producers: Jane Hartwell, Robert Rodriguez, Oren Aviv

We have passes to two advanced screenings of Poms. 25 admit 2, first-come, first-served passes for each are linked below.

Screening #1 Details: Thursday, May 2ndat 7:00pm at Regal Majestic

Screening #2 Details: Wednesday, May 8th at 7:00pm at AMC Mazza Gallerie

POMS is an uplifting comedy about Martha (played by Diane Keaton) a woman who moves into a retirement community and starts a cheerleading squad with her fellow residents, Sheryl (Jacki Weaver), Olive (Pam Grier) and Alice (Rhea Perlman), proving that it’s never too late to follow your dreams.

Phyllis Somerville, Charlie Tahan, Alisha Boe and Bruce McGill also star. Zara Hayes directed the script by Shane Atkinson. Producing are Kelly McCormick (Atomic Blonde); Alex Saks (Book Club); Mad as Birds Films’ Andy Evans, Ade Shannon, Celyn Jones, Sean Marley and Rose Pictures’ Rose Ganguzza.

FitCampNation Summer Camp at Deal Middle School


FitCampNation Summer Camp is back this summer with more fun, excitement, activities and games than ever before! They focus on fitness, intro to sports and enrichment, structured play, and nutritional education, all in a fun and nurturing environment!

Session information is as follows:

Session 1: June 24th through June 28th
Session 2: July 1st through July 5th (no camp July 4th or 5th)
Session 3: July 8th through July 12th
Session 4: July 15th through July 19th
Session 5: July 22nd through July 26th

$350 per session ($225 for session 2, Independence Day week)
$75 per day drop in rate
10% sibling discount & 10% multi-week discount
  
Please email us with questions or visit FitCamp Website.
REGISTER FOR FITCAMP HERE!

16 pools worth the cost of membership in and around Washington, DC

An updated version of this post can be found here

Summer is right around the corner! There are several great pools in the area you can become a member of if you want a go-to place to splash around and become a regular swimmer at, offering you a sense of community as the number of members are typically capped at a low number. Many of these pools offer multiple pools and some have swim lessons and even swim teams! If you aren’t looking for a paid membership at a pool, DC DPR has a pool for you, free of cost if you are a DC resident. Here’s an old post of recommended swim lessons collected from readers.

(Photo: Adelphi Pool)

This post is sponsored by Adelphi Pool; a family-friendly, affordable pool right around the corner.

Join the family-friendly Adelphi Pool in Hyattsville and spend your summer lounging by the Olympic-sized pool or keep cool as you watch your little ones play in the 30′ x 30′ fenced-in wading pool! With long hours and fun events like karaoke, raft night and s’mores night, everyone will be happy and cool at the Adelphi Pool this summer!

Surrounded by trees and open spaces, the Adelphi Pool also has plenty of places to sit and relax or enjoy a picnic lunch — choose shade or sun! On the hill overlooking the pool is a shaded picnic area where families can enjoy food from home or cookout on one of the pool’s grills. 

This private pool offers free swimming lessons at the beginning of the season for your little ones, a swim team for the older kids, as well as yoga classes. The pool also offers volleyball, ping pong, badminton, and horseshoes. 

Beauvoir Pool (NW DC)
*Family and individual memberships sold out for 2019, early bird and evening memberships available.

Tilden Woods Pool (Rockville, MD)
*The pool comes alive with activities for the entire family, both day and night. Swim in a heated pool, enjoy cookouts, raft nights, or relax in the sun or shade. They also have a top-ranked swim team. 

Omni Shoreham Hotel Pool (NW DC)
*Pool memberships for purchase in addition to joining the health club.

Cleveland Park Club (NW DC)
*Cleveland Park, North Cleveland Park and Woodley Park residents.

Living Well Health Club at Washington Hilton (NW DC)
*Health club and pool memberships.

JBAB Base Pool (SW DC)
*Active duty service members and Air Force club members receive free pool access during the entire swimming season. Swim passes available for purchase.

Palisades Swim & Tennis Club (Cabin John, MD)
*Current waitlist time is approximately 8 to 10 years for new applicants applying.

Northwest Branch Pool (Silver Spring, MD)
*Current waitlist time is approximately 2 years for new applicants applying.

Palisades Swim & Tennis Club (Cabin John, MD)
*Current waitlist time is approximately 8 to 10 years for new applicants applying.

Chevy Chase Recreation Association: CCRA (Chevy Chase, MD)
*Memberships may be offered only to those residing within a specific geographic area of Chevy Chase, Maryland. Permanent memberships are unrestricted, but have a waiting list of about 5-7 years while partial summer membership has a waitlist of 1-3 months.

Connecticut Belair Club (Silver Spring, MD)
*Membership is not limited in any way by geography.

Tuckahoe Recreation Club (McLean, VA)
*Open year round that offers its members a healthy family environment with many outstanding facilities and activities for everyone in the family to enjoy.

Columbus Club (Arlington, VA)
*Open to non-council members as well.

Overlee Community Association (Arlington, VA)
*Limited to families living in Arlington, Falls Church, and McLean.

Arlington Forest Club (Arlington, VA)
*Has a waitlist of over 500 families.

The Children’s Art Studio: A Creative Summer in Washington, DC

The Children’s Art Studio is founded on the belief that young people reap tremendous emotional, intellectual and developmental gains from making art and that this opportunity should be made available to all.  Small class size, thoughtful instruction and the inventive use of high quality materials is what it is all about.  We hope your child will join us!

  • Camp will take place at Hearst Elementary School: 3950 37th Street
  • Camp is available from June 24 to August 2, 2019
  • You may enroll for one week at a time
  • The cost for each week is $450
  • There is an aftercare add on option!
  • Camp meets from 8:30am – 3:30pm
  • Camps are for children 5 -12 years old

There will be two classrooms/studios.  Each classroom will have two teachers and a max of 12 students. Children will thrive as they explore a bounty of cool art supplies in a calm, structured upbeat environment.

Enroll here!

Please see our site for more information about our programs.  Email or call with questions 202-247-1155. We look forward to speaking with you!The Children’s Art Studio will hold one day Workshops on May 27th and May 28th! Readers can use this link for a 10% discount.

This is an excellent way for kids and parents to try out our programs before committing to a full week of Summer Camp. If students like the Workshop, and we feel really confident that they will, sign up for camp!

Dr. Benitez answers, ‘Why save a baby tooth with a pulpotomy or an indirect pulp cap’?

Dr. Karen Benitez, founder & designer, board certified pediatric dentist at Chevy Chase Pediatric Dentistry writes a series of guest posts related to adolescent dentistry and questions for Beltway Bambinos based on questions and concerns she frequently receives from patients. If you have a topic you’d like to see her feature, leave it in the comments. Below is a list of previous topics Dr. Benitez has covered; an invaluable source of information for all parents.

I touched on the subject of cavities early on in my blog posts for Beltway Bambinos. The idea was to lightly introduce the various treatment approaches available to manage or treat cavities. In this post I speak on two very common procedures in pediatric dentistry, and in my opinion, very important procedures to be able to perform on a baby tooth: a pulpotomy or an indirect pulp cap. I hope this is insightful in your preparation for your child’s upcoming treatment.

Generally speaking, teeth that would potentially need these treatment options are affected with large cavities—more specifically, cavities encroaching on the neurovascular central mass of soft tissue, simply referred to as the nerve. It is the size of the cavity and the proximity to the nerve that warrants the question by all dentists of (1) vitality of the tooth– is it living? and (2) restorablilty–is there enough remaining sound tooth structure to build on?

At your exam visit, your dentist will share with you their need for x-rays to determine the depth of decay and if there is evidence of infection with the tooth in question. Sometimes, there is not yet evident infection, but there is too much tooth structure lost and no ability to restore the tooth. An extraction is warranted in either the situation of an infection or insufficient tooth structure remaining. Both a pulpotomy and an indirect pulp cap are procedures designated for teeth that are still considered alive (vital), but have decay encroaching upon or invading the nerve.

But why perform these procedures on teeth with large or deep decay? The truth is, that maintaining the baby tooth is hugely important for preserving space for the permanent tooth to follow. Baby teeth help the arches to grow in preparation for ideal facial development and speech. It is not a preferred practice to have to remove any number of baby teeth (unless otherwise better for skeletal growth accommodation). The procedure of a baby pulpotomy is mostly practiced on baby molars.

A pulpotomy is commonly referred to as a “baby root canal” because it is a cleaning out of the nerve tissue of the baby tooth. Unlike a permanent tooth, the baby teeth are only treated in the top part of the nerve within the crown. We leave behind the nerve tissue in the root lengths to allow for natural resorption during the transition of baby teeth to permanent teeth. A medicated putty is placed in the crevice that the coronal nerve occupied, followed by a full-coverage stainless steel crown or white-zirconia crown (if eligible). In cleaning out the infected coronal nerve tissue, you are preserving the remainder of the tooth to be able to carry out its job of holding space for the following permanent tooth. Remember there are circumstances of no permanent tooth, hence all the more reason to maintain the baby tooth!

An indirect pulp cap is practiced for cavities very close to the nerve, but not quite in it. It is not uncommon to leave a tiny amount of decay at the most inner, proximal part closest to the nerve entry. You place a fluoride-releasing glass ionomer material to protect that remaining bacterial cavity from growing into the nerve. Then a final filling of full-coverage stainless steel crown (1) or white-zirconia crown (2) is placed over the tooth.

Both a pulpotomy or indirect pulp cap are optimal ways to preserve the design of baby teeth in preparation for the permanent teeth ahead. It is my first line of restoration for teeth involved with large cavities. Both are vastly considered the standard of care in pediatric dentistry. I hope this is insightful in your preparation for your child’s upcoming treatment.

We at Chevy Chase Pediatric Dentistry welcome your child to come in and have a look. It would be our pleasure to have you! You can also find us as Bethesda Magazine’s Face of Pediatric Dentistry, view our Top Docs video and read our stellar reviews on Yelp, Google and ZocDoc.  Follow us on Facebook to learn more about what Chevy Chase Pediatric Dentistry is all about focusing on your kids.

Location: 8401 Connecticut Ave #650 Chevy Chase, MD. 20815

Phone: 301-272-1246

-Dr. Karen Benitez, DDS

The Stuttering Association for the Young’s free camp

Since 2001, The Stuttering Association for the Young and most commonly referred to as SAY, has been working with children and teens who stutter and their families, offering innovative programs addressing the physical, social, and emotional impacts of stuttering. SAY believes every child has the ability to be a great communicator.

SAY invites kids and teens who stutter to attend this FREE Day Camp in Washington, DC, on April 27 and 28, 2019. It’s the perfect opportunity for kids and teens (ages 8-18) to meet new friends who stutter and participate in exciting activities that help build confidence.

This two-day event will take place in DC at the historic and inspiring United States Chamber of Commerce. On both days, camp will be from 9:00am to 5:00pm and breakfast and lunch will be provided.

Parents/caregivers are encouraged to attend camp to meet and mingle with other parents of children who stutter. They can also join an educational parent group, hosted by experts in working with young people who stutter and their families.

This event is free, but space is limited and registration is required, so sign up your child who stutters today! Questions? Contact Us!

202.919.4848

Camp SAY Across the USA is a program of SAY: The Stuttering Association for the Young, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization.

It may not always be a walk in the park for your child at the dentist and that’s okay

Dr. Karen Benitez, founder & designer, board certified pediatric dentist at Chevy Chase Pediatric Dentistry writes a series of guest posts related to adolescent dentistry and questions for us based on questions and concerns she frequently receives from patients. If you have a topic you’d like to see her feature, leave it in the comments. 

The first post was one that many parents wonder about; whether it is necessary for your child to visit a pediatric dentist and how the experience will differ from just taking them to the dentist you see. The second post addresses the topic of why x-rays are important for your child to have. The third post explained why your child may be referred to an orthodontist at what may seem like a young age, followed with an article all about cavities and how to proceed. She has also written the following posts;  Food and drink choice; an increased risk of cavities?,  Tips on brushing and flossing and fluoride and sealants. 

I present this subject because I am a realist on behalf of the parents for whom upon mentioning an upcoming dental visit to their children, are in turn facing endless questions or conversations of self-assurance by their kids. I often hear from parents that their child would not stop pep-talking themselves about how well they were going to do this time and how excited they were to get it all done this time. Sometimes, these kids come to the office and halt in the doorway, no longer so sure of their ability to comply. Again, this is OK! [Read more…]

Let’s talk fluoride and sealants with Dr. Karen Benitez

Dr. Karen Benitez, founder & designer, board certified pediatric dentist at Chevy Chase Pediatric Dentistry writes a series of guest posts related to adolescent dentistry and questions for us based on questions and concerns she frequently receives from patients. If you have a topic you’d like to see her feature, leave it in the comments. 

The first post was one that many parents wonder about; whether it is necessary for your child to visit a pediatric dentist and how the experience will differ from just taking them to the dentist you see. The second post addresses the topic of why x-rays are important for your child to have. The third post explained why your child may be referred to an orthodontist at what may seem like a young age, followed with an article all about cavities and how to proceed. The last two posts were Food and drink choice; an increased risk of cavities? and Tips on brushing and flossing.

Most of us have heard of these two things when going to the dentist. It is rather familiar territory, but let’s talk about why we provide them or discuss their home use (fluoridated toothpaste). These two discussion points are considered part of a cavity-reducing regimen. [Read more…]

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