Monday, February 10, 2014

Children Losing Baby Teeth

Portrait of little girl, showing tooth gap

When children lose their baby teeth they start to feel like a big kid.  Our six year old daughter always gets excited when one of her teeth is loose.  She constantly plays with it and wiggles it until it falls out.  When she lost her third tooth she came into our room in the middle of the night to tell us.  She wasn't in any pain and there's already a permanent tooth growing in its place.  Last night she lost the fourth tooth.  She was playing with her little sister and bit down on something and it fell out.  She's looking forward to a visit from the tooth fairy.  

Children normally start losing their baby teeth around age four.  When this happens it's important to reinforce good dental hygiene.  Make sure your child brushes his/her teeth twice a day and flosses at night before they go to bed.  Limit the amount of sugary treats they have and schedule regular dental visits.  You can also talk to your dentist about sealants to help prevent cavities.  Our six year old daughter went to the dentist and got a sealant a couple of weeks ago.  

Taking good care of your child's permanent teeth will help them last a long time.

 

Monday, February 3, 2014

Children Picking Their Nose

Portrait of a boy picking nose

A lot of children have a bad habit of picking their nose.  Even though it's a common behaviour for children it's probably one of the most annoying behaviours to parents.  Our four year old picks her nose sometimes and when my husband and I see her do it we tell her to stop.  We always tell her to wash her hands immediately after and use a tissue if necessary.  Recently our 20 month old started copying that behaviour and now picks her nose too. 

Children usually pick their nose because they have mucus stuck in there from an infection or they're just bored.  Mucus contains a lot of germs and picking their nose can cause nosebleeds.  My husband and I are trying to nip it in the bud.  The most we can do is encourage our children to use a tissue and wait to see when they grow out of this bad habit.