Please HELP with My Concerns. TIA

My daughter actually hasn't got her eye teeth in yet either. She is about the same age. Some kids teeth come in at different times. My son got all his teeth in very early and very fast. Yes toddlers eating habits change all the time and will continue to change for the next few years or so. I have actually been having constipation problems with my son who is 4. I have just found children's Benefiber. A little bit in his drink does wonders. He has to have it everyday but it works great.

As a dental hygienist who usually is involved with the first check-up, I find it easier to work with children around the age of 3. All the baby teeth should be in by then. Occasionally the molars will come in before the canines. If her first teeth came in later, it sometimes follows that the permanent teeth will come in later, so don't be surprised if she's in second grade before she loses her first tooth. The statistics show that half of all 2 year olds have at least 1 cavity, so it's important to look for anything that doesn't seem right. (Don't check after the child has eaten oreos or cheetos though--some kids have had someone do a visual check at school and been referred in to check at our office, and it was just remnants of lunch on the teeth). Waiting for the kindergarten form to be filled out for the first check is not nearly as successful a visit as one done earlier. Five and six year olds seem to be more suspicious, uneasy, and fearful of unfamiliar situations. It also allows more time for them to have fallen and put their teeth through their lips. THAT is not what you want for your child's first dental experience.
Be sure to brush her teeth before she goes to sleep at night. She won't have the dexterity to do a thorough job herself before she's 7 or 8. Once she masters spitting out the toothpaste, you can use a fluoride mouthrinse, but don't let her swallow it. (It may cause vomiting, which you don't want to associate with toothbrushing.) Good luck!

Hi C., I asked my trusted dentist the same question yesterday. He said first check up should be around 3 or even later if the teeth are comming in okay and there are no problems. Just brush the teeth in the morning and evening. If you do it too early you might traumatize the child. In my child care book it said 2 and until then have the Pediatrician regularly check. So I'm going to wait till about 3. But a Pediatric Dentist because they know how to handle kids. No. #2 I keep hearing about Miralax. Now to problem 3 - Eating. I have a big problem with that too. My 20 month old son ate very well. And a few months ago he barely eats. So since he eats so little I try to give him foods that are nutritious and hardly any snacks because that would fill him up. It's driving me nuts trying to get him to eat somehing good. And when he does I have to distract him with a toy or a book. From what I hear toddlers eat less because they're too busy experiencing everything else. Ohhh! I feel your pain. Good Luck.

The dental association says age 1, but this came up recently when someone else asked, and it seems like a lot of dentists start later. My kids went for the first time at 3.

I haven't dealt with constipation in my kids, but I have a couple of friends who swear by something called miralax. I think there's an adult and a child version. Check with your pediatrician first, though. I really don't know how it is used or dosage or age recommendations.

Regarding the dentist, you want to call your local PEDIATRIC dentist. The dentist will tell you what age they recommend. I've heard some doctors say two years old, others say three for their first dental visit. I highly recommend starting young like this. Not only does it help set the groundwork for good dental habits, but if there is any kind of problem or accident down the road then your child will already be comfortable with the dentist.

My son was around three when I started him at the pediatric dentist. Shortly after, he tripped and fell into a table at his daycare. I rushed him to the dentist, since his mouth took the full brunt of the fall. Thank goodness he already knew the dentist and trusted him. My son took the exam and tests in stride, and it was far less traumatic for him. Fortunately everything turned out fine. Now that he's older (almost 11), he LOVES the dentist, and he doesn't have the dental phobias his mother has.

C.,
I took my son to the dentist when he was three. He was late in getting his teeth also. One nice thing is that he was also late in losing his teeth since he was late getting them. He at age 9 has only lost 5 teeth. The dentist thinks this is a good thing because he is getting better and better at taking care of them while they are still baby teeth. He had cavities early on but all those teeth are baby teeth and falling out. :)

On his first visit I sat in the chair with my son in my lap. Then they lowered us back and cleaned his teeth while he was on my lap. He did not get scared at all.

2. Don't try to potty train until you have the constipation worked out. My son has a medical condition that caused encopresis. If this is a continuous issue please ask your pediatrician about checking her for it. It took me years of drs and specialists before someone believed me that he just wasn't being stubborn about potty training. Now at 9 he still struggles, rule out encopresis BEFORE potty training. I wonder if we had caught it early if we would be done with this.

P.

Hi C.,

We go to Dr. Kolb in Wheaton at Grove City Dental. They have a big pediatric dentistry practice and they don't like to see anyone before age 3. If you are trying to make the stools softer, maybe switch to a soluable fiber product like Miralax instead of the milk of magnesia. I don't think that would make things so runny, but still keep her regular. Yes -- eating habits do change! First, they aren't growing as much, so they aren't as hungry. And, since they can do more, they are more easily distracted. My oldest went through a phase where she really didn't like to eat at all. If she ate poorly for too many meals, we would strap her in the car seat with some food and go for a drive, that way she couldn't escape. Sounds weird, but it worked for us. Try to make meal times quiet, no tv, no toys around, and sit and talk with her and that might help. Good luck!

#1 - My pediatrician recommended the first dentist visit at 2 years old. I've heard other doctors say other things. It seems to be all over the place as far as opinions go.

#3 - I can't speak for the toddler population as a whole, but I do know that my son went from eating everything in sight to eating significantly less. We're talking he'd inhale a quarter chicken (leg and thigh) along with the vegetables, fruit, and milk to only taking like a spoon of vegetables, one nugget, and a banana. Our pediatrician wasn't terribly concerned so neither were we. We just make sure that, over the course of the week, he is getting a balanced meal plan so he gets his vitamins and minerals and other essential nutrients.

#1: My dentist said not to bring my son in until he was 3 as long as all the teeth were coming in and he didn't seem to have any problems. Since your daughter doesn't have her canines in yet--I would talk to your pediatrician and possibly your dentist to see if you should bring her in sooner.

#3: Yes! My son used to eat everything in sight, then he got pickier about foods he would eat. We have a hard time getting him to eat try new foods now also. Some days he eats a ton, and others he just picks at his food. Just keep offering foods from a balanced diet and as long as she is gaining weight normally, don't worry about it. Hope this helps and good luck!

#1) I took my children at 3 years old. Unless there are concerns with their teeth, you don't want them to go much later because you don't want them to develop any fears of going.

#2) Yes, this is a concern that you need to try and work out before potty training. That doesn't mean you can't begin to introduce her to the potty and start getting things in place. (i.e. small toilet seat over big toilet seat, reading in the bathroom, stickers...etc... ) See answer #3

3) Yes, toddler's diet changes all the time and so can their attention span. Children can go from eating everything to becoming very picky. Offer LOTS of variety...fruits, vegetables, etc... Be careful about the amount of juice that you are offering in a day. It is filled with lots of calories. Also, don't let her graze - get her in the habit of eating at meal time and if she doesn't eat well during that time.... wait until her next meal time. Don't let her snack. If she doesn' t like a particular food - don't be afraid to offer it a week or two later, possibly prepared the same or differently. Don't get in the habit of only offering her cheese, meats, mac & cheese, crackers, etc... foods that just may bind her up.

4) She has a beautiful name.

Hi C.-
My daughter sounds similar to yours.... She turned 2 in january and just got all 4 of her canine teeth this week. I wouldn't worry about it, kids get teeth at different times. While most of her friend were getting their first teeth at 7-8 months, hers didn't appear till after a year!I was told a trip to the dentist wasn't necessary until they had all their teeth.

As for the constipation, my daughter has been battling this issue since she's been 9 months old. I used to be able to control it with diet, but that stopped working about 5 months ago and i finally gave in to the advice of 2 different GI doctors and give her miralax every morning. I hate having to give her meds, but it's the only thing that works. And like you, if I lower the dose even a little, she stops going. It makes me so sad watching her try....she'll squeeze and grunt and complain that her 'poopies are giving her ouchies.' She knows she takes medicine every morning and will even say 'I have to drinkk my juice (what i mix the miralax into) to make my poopies all better.' While I too would love to work on potty training, i've been advised by both her pediatrician and 2 GI docs to not even attempt it until the constipation is under control. At this point, i'm assuming i'll have a 4 year old in diapers ;).

As for your 3rd question...can't help with that one. My daughter is a great eater and would eat 24 hours a day if we let her.

Hope this helps.

The first dental appointment is sometime after the age of 1. It is usually a lap to lap appointment to check on the number of teeth at what age and to make sure there is no signs of early decay. They will show you how to brush their teeth and start to keep track of growth to make sure their dental development is okay.

Kids change diet so do their bowel/bathroom habits. Sometimes a new food will back them up or loosen them up. Also a new food sometimes has to be introduced 10-12 times before they are used to it and accept it as normal. My concern is putting a child on any medicine daily, especially for bowel habits, I'd rather focus on the cause. Is the child getting enough fiber/fruits and veggies. Is the child either allergies or intolerances like celiac disease. Celiac disease causes a problem with absorbing nutrients from the food that is eaten. In turn causing slow development or underdevelopment of nerves, bones, muscle.

Good luck.

On question 2: Miralax has worked for my daughter. I would check with your ped, since the change in diet has not worked. The Miralax just sends more water to the area so the kids can go. I have never had a problem with it being runny.

dentist - I didn't take mine until they were 3 1/2. But the recommendation currently is to take them in to the dentist at 1 yr old. I think the dentists make that recommendation to make money though, I know of NO instance of a kid under 2 that ever had dental work done of any kind.

Potty training - I believe the best way to potty train is to consistently make sitting on the potty part of your daily routine. If you change a diaper, have her sit on the potty for a bit. If she is watching TV bring the potty in and let her sit while she watches. After she gets up from sleeping, sit her. Before nap or sleep for the night, sit her. This makes it a natural and easy process.

Eating - yes, eating changes from infancy to toddlerhood becuase the amount of calories needed changes. The growth in infancy is at a huge rate, but after that it slows down. You may want to try the Picky Eater Plan. I'll post it below.
There is a great book by William G Wilkoff, MD called Coping with a Picky Eater that every parent or provider of kids should read and have a copy of. http://www.amazon.com/Coping-Picky-Eater-Perplexed-Parent...

This book has what I call the Picky Eater Plan. I have used this plan with kids that literally threw up at the sight of food and within 2 weeks they were eating normal amounts of everything and trying every food.

First you need to get everyone who deals with the child on board. If you are a provider it's ok to make this the rule at your house and not have the parents follow through but you wont' see as good results as what I described up above.

The plan is to limit the quantities of food you give the kid. When I first start with a child I give them literally ONE bite worth of each food I am serving. The book suggests that every time you feed the kids (breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner) you give all 4 food groups. So, for lunch today I would have given the child one tiny piece of strawberry, one spoonful of applesauce, 3 macaroni noodles with cheese on them, and 2 oz of milk. Only after they ate ALL of what was on their plate would you give them anything else. They can have the same amounts for seconds. If they only want more mac and cheese, they only get 3 noodles then they would have to have more of all the other foods in order to get more than that. If they don't eat, fine. If they don't finish, fine. Don't make a big deal out of it, just make them stay at the table until everyone else is done eating. They don't get more food until they are sat at the next meal and they only get what you serve. When I first do this with a child I don't serve sweets at all. So no animal crackers for snack but rather a carrot for snack. Or one of each of those. I don't make it easy for them to gorge on bad foods in other words. Now if they had a meal where they ate great then I might make the snack be a yummy one cause I know they filled up on good foods.

Even at snacks you have to limit quantities of the good stuff or else they will hold out for snack and just eat those snacky foods. I never give a picky eater the reward of a yummy snack unless they had that great lunch prior to it.

It really is that easy.