Caring for Your Baby’s Teeth

At around 4-6 months, most babies get their first tooth. Baby teeth preserve the spacing for future permanent teeth and are necessary for a baby to chew & speak. For those reasons, it’s important to start cleaning your baby’s teeth as soon as that first tooth sprouts.

Caring for Your Baby’s Teeth:
Simply wrap a wet washcloth or moistened gauze around your index finger and rub it gently over your baby’s tooth and gums, wiping away plaque. You don’t need to use any toothpaste yet. Getting your baby used to having his mouth cleaned as part of his daily routine should make it easier to transition into tooth brushing later on.

Once your baby has several teeth, you can begin using a baby toothbrush and tiny amount of toothpaste. Avoid using fluoride toothpaste at least until the child is 2 years old. Fluoride can be toxic to children if ingested in large quantities. Brush gently, getting the inside and outside of each tooth, brush the tongue as well, to dislodge bacteria that can cause bad breath.

Depending on the child, you may not manage to brush much at first, but keep trying. The important thing is to get your baby used to teeth-brushing as part of their daily routine. Set good examples by letting them see you brushing your own teeth.

Baby Food Jar Party Favors

Party time! My daughter’s first birthday is just around the corner, an awesome excuse to finally upcycle all the baby food jars I’ve been collecting. Being creative and thinking outside the box, I re-purposed the jars for party favors. See Below:

Simple Instructions: fill jar with selected candy, wrap jar lid with cupcake paper baking cup, screw lid onto jar, wrap jar with ribbon.

Simple Instructions: fill jar with selected candy, screw lid onto jar, cover lid with cupcake paper baking cup, tie ribbon around the paper baking cup in the groove just below the lid.

Simple Instructions: fill jar with selected candy, wrap lid with cupcake paper baking cup, screw lid onto jar, tie ribbon around the jar in groove just below the lid.

Reading Together: The Importance of Reading to Your Baby

Reading together with your baby is the most important way to help her get ready to read. The more words your baby is exposed to, the better she’ll be able to talk and eventually start reading on her own. Babies can pick up the rhythm and tones of your voice; reading to babies is a great way to engage them in the sounds and rhythms of speech, which is crucial for language development.

Below are 7 reasons why reading to your baby is beneficial:

1. Promotes listening skills

2. Increases the number of vocabulary words babies hear

3. Develops attention span and memory

4. Helps babies learn to understand the meanings of words

5. Promotes bonding between baby and parent

6. Stimulates the imagination

7. Instills the love of books and learning

Get your baby hooked on books while building her language skills. Develop a daily interactive reading routine with your baby and she will naturally associate books with fun.

Below is a list of my personal favorite children books, perhaps you can enjoy them with your little one as well.

Handmade Baby Shoes : Free Pattern

I searched and searched for just the right baby shoe pattern, to my luck I finally found just what I needed on http://myhomespunthreads.blogspot.com I downloaded the free, yes FREE, pattern, and in a few hours came up with a finished product. (Free Baby Shoes Pattern)

 

For all my homemakers out there, this easy to follow pattern can be completed in just one day. Feel free to share your designs, I look forward to seeing them.

~valene warren~