Dr. Kinshuki Sharma
Q. Could you briefly introduce yourself, share your journey into pediatrics, and tell us what inspired you to start PedsTalk with Dr. Kin?
My journey in pediatrics has been shaped by two things: my upbringing and my love for children. I’m Dr. Kinshuki Sharma, a pediatrician and neonatologist based in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. I completed my MBBS and MD in Pediatrics and have spent the last eight years, including my residency, working closely with children and their families across government and private healthcare settings.
After working and gaining experience in different setups, I felt that starting my own pediatric practice was the next step I really wanted to take. Medicine was always something I wanted to pursue, and growing up with a pediatrician father played a big role in that journey. I saw him care for children and build relationships with families, and in many ways, that inspired me to become a doctor. But I think I became a pediatrician for a more personal reason, my genuine love for children.
What I have always enjoyed most about pediatrics is that it is not just about treating an illness. A large part of it is counselling parents, understanding their concerns, and helping them understand what is normal, what needs attention, and what they really don't need to worry about. Even when parents would come to me with one particular concern, I would often find myself talking to them about vaccination, nutrition, hygiene, developmental milestones, or other aspects of their child's health.
Over time, I realized that these were conversations that could help many more parents beyond the ones I met in my clinic. That is what led me to start PedsTalk with Dr. Kin with the simple idea of making reliable, evidence-based child-health information more accessible, understandable, and less overwhelming for parents.
For me, being a pediatrician today is not just about treating children in a clinic. It is also about helping parents navigate the enormous amount of information they encounter every day, and hopefully making their parenting journey a little more informed and a little less anxious.
Q. Parents today face an overload of advice from relatives, WhatsApp, and social media. What are some of the most common child-health myths you come across, and how do you decide which ones to address?
It really feels like we live in a world full of both myths and facts, and parents are constantly trying to juggle between the two. We have many wonderful traditional practices that have been passed down through generations, but sometimes, along the way, the reasoning behind them gets lost. People continue following a practice simply because it is called “tradition,” without understanding whether it is actually appropriate for a child.
I commonly come across misconceptions around breastfeeding, newborn skin care, fever, teething, and normal skin changes. For example, parents may sometimes mistake a completely normal newborn skin change for a disease, or believe that every fever needs to be treated immediately with an antibiotic.
I try to address these misconceptions in a simple way, explaining not just what is right or wrong, but also the reasoning behind it.
Q. Your content spans newborn care, nutrition, lactation, and vaccinations. In which of these areas do you feel parents are still the most confused, and what is one simple truth every parent should keep in mind?
I think newborn care is one of the areas where parents have the most doubts. Most of the time, they are new parents, and even if it is their second child, every baby is different. Newborns may look very delicate and fragile, but they are actually remarkably resilient.
There are so many normal physiological changes in a newborn, skin peeling, rashes, newborn acne, different types of discharge, and changes in feeding or sleep patterns, that can make parents anxious.
Breastfeeding is another area where new mothers often need a lot of practical support because there can be several challenges in the initial days. Vaccination is another area where there is a huge amount of misinformation circulating online. So, I think the simple truth parents should remember is that understanding what is normal for your child's age is just as important as knowing what is not normal.
Q. Has becoming a public educator through social media changed the way you communicate with parents during face-to-face clinical consultations?
Definitely. Creating content has made me much more conscious of how I explain medical information. I have realized that knowing something medically and being able to explain it simply are two very different skills.
Over the years, interacting with parents has also taught me that medicine is not only about what is written in textbooks. It is also about understanding the practical challenges families face in their everyday lives. These experiences have helped me evolve not just as a doctor, but also as an educator and counsellor.
Q. As both a medical doctor and digital creator, how do you manage the challenge of creating consistent online content while making sure parents understand that social media advice can never replace a direct medical consultation?
For me, the most important thing is to use social media as a tool for education, not diagnosis. My content is meant to help parents understand common child health concerns, recognize what may be normal, and know when it is important to consult a doctor.
A social media post can provide information, but every child is different, and a real consultation involves taking a detailed history, examining the child, and understanding the complete context. I also feel that being a doctor comes with a responsibility to be careful about what we put online, especially because parents may trust what they see on social media.
At the same time, I always encourage parents to be mindful of who they are taking health information from. There is so much information available today, and unfortunately, misinformation can spread faster than accurate information. So it is important to check whether the person giving the advice has the right qualification and experience, rather than simply following something because it is trending.
And whenever there is a genuine concern about your child, I would always encourage a clinical consultation. You can learn a lot from social media, but it can never replace a doctor actually listening to you, examining your child, and understanding the complete picture. No matter how advanced technology or AI becomes, that human clinical interaction will always have its own value.
Q. After working closely with so many children and families, what is one key insight about parenting that you wish more parents knew before worrying about every little detail?
The biggest thing I would tell parents is: please don't compare your child with another child. Every child is different, and children grow and develop at their own pace.
Of course, parents should know what the age-appropriate milestones are, understand their child's growth, weight, height, and other parameters, and be aware of developmental red flags.
But we shouldn't be too quick to judge a child simply because another child of the same age is doing something earlier. Children are not meant to follow exactly the same timeline. Sometimes, the more parents understand what is normal, the less they feel the need to worry about every little difference.
Q. After spending so much time advising parents, what is the funniest or most unexpected thing a child patient has ever said or done during a consultation?
Children can completely change the mood of a consultation because they are so honest and unpredictable.
One of my favourite things is when a child who has been absolutely terrified of me suddenly becomes very comfortable and starts giving me instructions about what I should do or negotiating whether they really need the examination!
There have been hundreds of funny and heartwarming moments. One little girl once waited outside my OPD with her parents until I finished seeing all my patients, just so she could come and give me a hug. That was incredibly sweet.
And then there are the funny moments. Once, a child came to me for vaccination and asked me to play peekaboo with him before I vaccinated him! Another child came to me and very confidently said, “Mujhe uui ho gayi, Dr. Kinshu ke paas jaana padega.” It made me smile because somewhere in their little minds, they already know that if something happens to them, they have to come to me. Those moments remind me why I chose pediatrics in the first place.
Q. Finally, what is one message you would like to share with new parents who constantly feel confused or guilty about whether they are doing enough for their child?
First of all, you don't have to be a perfect parent. There is no such thing as a perfect parent. You will make mistakes, you will have doubts, and you will learn along the way, and that is completely okay.
Know your child's milestones, keep track of their growth and development, follow your pediatrician's advice, but don't constantly compare your child or your parenting with someone else's. And while you are taking care of your child, please remember to take care of yourself too.
A child's development is influenced not just by food, sleep, or milestones, but also by the environment they grow up in. A happy, emotionally secure, and positive family environment plays an important role in a child's overall development, including their developing brain. So don't forget your own happiness in the process of trying to make your child happy. Take care of yourself along with taking care of your child. Because a happy and emotionally healthy parent creates a happier environment for the child to grow in.
BIO
Dr. Kinshuki Sharma is a Gwalior-based pediatrician, neonatologist, and the digital creator behind PedsTalk with Dr. Kin. Utilizing her extensive clinical experience across government and private healthcare sectors, she simplifies essential topics in newborn care, childhood nutrition, lactation, and vaccination, empowering parents to make confident, evidence based decisions.
Interviewed By Lavish Singh Rajawat
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