Pittsburgh Teen Athletes: Parent Guide

Helping your teen recover
from three-a-days.

For parents of high-school athletes who are training harder than their nutrition is keeping up with. Expert nurse IV support, pediatric-aware protocols, parent-consent always. Not a substitute for your kid's pediatrician.

Talk to Megan First Call 412-440-8702

✓ Ages 14+ only✓ Parent consent required✓ Pediatric-aware RN intake✓ Mobile option for team facilities

For parents to read first

IV nutrient support is not pediatric care. We will not promise injury prevention, performance gains, or recovery guarantees. We will not drip an athlete who screens out for safety. If your teen is dealing with persistent fatigue, weight loss, or signs that worry you. Please start with your pediatrician. We will be a small part of a bigger picture, not a substitute for it.

The Reality of Training

Modern high-school sport is a lot.

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Three-a-day camps

Multiple practices a day during pre-season football, soccer, and field hockey camps deplete fluid, electrolytes, and B-vitamins faster than typical adolescent intake replaces. Add Pittsburgh humidity and the gap widens.

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Two-sport athletes

Kids running soccer in fall, basketball in winter, lacrosse in spring with travel ball on top. They often spend 4+ months of the year with no real recovery window. Recovery debt accumulates.

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Summer travel ball

AAU, club teams, showcases: 3+ games in a weekend, hotel sleep, fast food on the road. The recovery infrastructure that exists at home (mom's cooking, regular sleep) disappears.

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The depletion adds up

Persistent fatigue, slow recovery between practices, frequent minor illness, sleep that doesn't restore. These are signals worth paying attention to. Sometimes the answer is more sleep and better food; sometimes it's a conversation with the pediatrician about nutrient status.

What a youth recovery IV includes

Electrolytes

Sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium: replaces what training sweats out. Dosed for adolescent body weight, not adult.

B-Complex

B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12: energy metabolism cofactors. Sport demand can outpace dietary intake when training volume spikes.

Amino acids (selectively)

L-glutamine, taurine: building blocks for muscle recovery. Used cautiously and only with parent + RN agreement on the formulation.

IV fluid carrier

Normal saline or lactated Ringer's, dosed by weight and intake. Adolescent IV volumes are smaller than adult standard.

Final formulation set by the RN at intake based on the athlete's weight, training load, and screening. Not all components are used for every athlete.

What we will not do

✕Promise to "prevent injury." We cannot, and no IV can.

✕Promise to "guarantee performance." Performance is built in practice and recovery, not in a drip.

✕Drip an athlete the day of a game without prior intake. Same-day IV in a competitive setting needs additional screening.

✕Drip a teen without explicit parent consent and a screening conversation.

✕Drip an athlete who screens out for dehydration severity, weight loss, or signs that need pediatric workup instead.

RN-Led, Pediatric-Aware

Run by real nurses.

Every visit is led by Megan or Lauren, RNs with 10+ years of clinical experience. Intake is pediatric-aware: we screen for hydration status, training load, sleep, eating-disorder flags, medications, and chronic conditions before any IV starts. If the screening surfaces something that needs pediatric workup instead, we will tell you, skip the IV, and route you appropriately.

We are nurses, not pediatricians. We work alongside your kid's primary care, not in place of it.

Megan can come to your team.

For team training facilities, summer camps, and full-team visits. Megan brings the mobile setup. Same parent-consent and intake requirements as a studio visit. Group pricing available when every athlete has consent paperwork in place.

Schedule a Team Visit →

Parent FAQ

Common parent questions.

What ages do you drip?

Ages 14 and up with explicit parent consent and a pediatric-aware screening. We will not drip younger athletes. At those ages, the right approach is sleep, food, hydration, and a conversation with the pediatrician.

How is this different from an adult IV?

The formulation, dose, and IV volume are scaled to adolescent body weight, not adult standard. We use a smaller fluid carrier, lower nutrient concentrations, and stay conservative on additives. An RN runs the entire intake and infusion.

Do I need to bring my child to a doctor first?

We strongly encourage you to mention this conversation to your pediatrician, especially if your athlete has any chronic conditions, takes medication, or has dealt with eating-disorder concerns. Our intake screens for fit. We are not a substitute for pediatric care.

Can you come to my team's training facility or camp?

Yes. Megan does mobile visits to team practices, training facilities, and summer camps. The same parent-consent and intake requirements apply for every athlete dripped on-site. No exceptions.

What if my child is afraid of needles?

Common at this age. We will not pressure or proceed if the athlete is not comfortable. Often a conversation, a slow start, and a parent in the room is enough. If the athlete is not ready, that is fine. They can come back another time or not at all.

Is this going to make my kid a better player?

No drip makes anyone a better player. The honest framing: a well-recovered athlete trains better and stays healthier. IV nutrient support is one tool, alongside sleep, food, and good coaching, that some families find useful for filling depletion gaps. It is not a performance shortcut.

What does it cost?

Pricing is shared at intake based on what the formulation will actually be, and on whether we proceed at all after the screening. Mobile visits to team facilities and camps carry an additional service fee. Group rates available for full-team visits where each athlete has parent consent.

Not sure if this fits your family's situation?

Start with a no-commitment conversation. Megan will be honest about whether IV nutrient support is the right tool for your athlete, or whether the answer is a pediatrician visit, more sleep, or just being patient.

Talk to Megan Adult Athlete Recovery →

Helping your teen recoverfrom three-a-days.