Below are just a few tips that can contribute to your child’s healthy mouth.

Preventing Cavities:

While you may consider cavities to be a normal childhood occurrence, tooth decay in children can be prevented. Be sure your child brushes and flosses at least twice a day to maintain healthy teeth and gums. All of a child’s primary teeth have usually grown in by the age of 2 and a half, which is when your dentist may begin fluoride treatments to help prevent cavities. Applying topical fluoride to the teeth helps to harden the teeth’s enamel and prevents harmful acid from penetrating the teeth and causing tooth decay.

Your Child’s Diet:

What your child eats affects the health of his or her teeth and gums. Sweet, sticky foods and frequent snacking between meals lead to a higher risk of tooth decay. To avoid your child developing cavities, limit the amount of snack foods that stick to your child’s teeth, including not only candy but also some dried fruits, cereals and crackers. When you do give you child treats, try to make them a part of a meal, as too many snacks between meals means that cavity-causing bacteria are constantly attacking the teeth. Nutritious snacks, such as fruits and vegetables, help to promote good dental health.

Thumbsucking:

Babies and young children often suck their thumbs as a natural reflex that helps them feel comforted and secure. While thumbsucking can be soothing and can even help children sleep better at night, as the permanent teeth are growing in, this habit can affect the growth and alignment of the teeth, mouth, and even the roof of the mouth. Rather than scold your child for sucking their thumb, praise your child when not reverting back to this habit for more positive reinforcement. If your child sucks the thumb as a comforting technique, try to correct the problem by determining the cause of anxiety. Your dentist may also suggest using a sock, bandage or mouth appliance to help stop thumbsucking.

Visiting the Dentist:

Most children make their first visit to the dentist around the age of 1 year old. Be sure to see a pediatric dentist who specializes in children’s dentistry and can check for any signs of early problems in your child’s mouth. A strong relationship between your child and the pediatric dentist will help your child become more relaxed in the dentist’s chair. Getting into the habit of regular dental checkups will ensure your child grows a healthy, happy smile.

Do you feel more comfortable with a family child daycare or a group child daycare? Both are very different. A family child daycare is usually run by one person who is the owner, and usually out of someone’s home. A group child daycare is usually out of a commercial building with staff on hand. Children are divided according to ages. For example all babies are in one room, all toddlers in another, and so on.You get the idea. Family child daycares usually mix all ages together, but family daycares are small- only about 8 children per center. Group centers can be very large. Perhaps up to 250 children in one center.

What is the policy of the child care center? Be sure to ask what there rules are regarding sickness, time off, vacations, paid holidays, emergencies. Make sure that you are clear on what these policies are; be clear on what the child daycare center is expecting of you and vice versa. Many times this is how parents and child daycare centers get into disagreement. Not over the actual childcare provided but over the policies established by the center.

Do you trust the provider who will be taking care of your child? If you don’t trust the provider chances are you will leave the center. Also understand that child daycares aren’t perfect. Anytime you leave your home you take the risk of error. I’m not trying to protect the child daycare center, but people do make errors and understand that children will be children. They will argue, get dirty, hit their friends and so one but realize that they are learning and this is their nature at such a young age.

Things to keep in mind while buying Always buy enough clothes for you’re newly born to cover the three clothing changes in a day. Always opt for soft material, which are comfortable to wear and remove. Buy durable material, which is washable and long-lived. Buy baby clothes, which are durable else just one wash, would make them useless to wear. Always go for elastic waistbands and trousers. They are more comfortable for toddlers and easily adjustable. Try buying loose clothes they give plenty of room for a child to move his legs, such as leggings and sweats. Buy shapeless heels socks as they grow with your child. Avoid buying patterned socks, as the loose yarn from inside can catch in your baby’s toes.

When you go to the toy store to look for a new child learning toy, your first instinct is to go with one that will likely keep your child occupied for some time. While this should be a concern, your primary one should be choosing a child learning toy that teaches a skill or a concept that is new to your child. This should be in key with your child’s development. The toys you buy your child will need to be constantly updated to ensure that they are learning and developing at the proper rate.

The most important thing you can do for your child is to send them off in a positive manner. If you are upset over your separation, they will be to, whereas if you seem confident that all will be well and you will see them at the end of the day they will pick up on that attitude. Remember, it is not uncommon for your child to cry when you leave them. Most children settle in within fifteen minutes of seeing their parents leave. Simply say good-bye and walk out the door-you’ll be able to give them hugs and kisses for being so brave when you come back.

You help your child to learn by giving them opportunities to:

* Look at interesting things, in the garden or in the home
* Touch a variety of objects
* Listen to a range of sounds like songs, rhymes, stories, music
* Taste a range of flavours
* Investigate things that open, close, float, sink, twist, turn
* Explore objects like large boxes, things that make noises and things that move
* Play for uninterrupted periods, alone or with others, with help from adults, and in their own way
* Talk to other children and adults

The second, reading together.

Everywhere you go with your child you have a chance to read together. Whether it’s on the bus, in shops or at the post office, you can point out the words around you and that’s the beginning of reading. Reading stories with your child, even if for just 10 minutes a day, will help to build important skills, as well as capture your child’s interest in books.

Next, learning about numbers and shapes.

Counting things and noticing shapes come naturally to children, so you can use your child’s interest in these activities to help with maths. Maths skills can be developed through stories, songs, games and imaginative play. Even helping in everyday tasks like telling time or measuring ingredients for cooking, gives children the chance to learn new maths skills.

And the last one, spending quality time together.

Turning off the television or computer and spending time with your child creates valuable opportunities for learning. Here are a few ideas about activities that your child can learn from:

* Pottering around the garden together teaches children about plant life, insects and animals
* Simple kitchen tasks, like letting your child spread the jam on sandwiches, can give an early lesson in cooking and improve motor skills
* Playing games together teaches fair play and cooperative behaviour
* Family and holiday photos can give lessons in family history and geography