Q: Well done Dr. May the good Lord reward you. Please, when can I start brushing my baby’s teeth? Please, tell me the right toothpaste to use. Secondly, when can I start potty training? Let me know when you post it. Thanks

A: Taking care of your baby’s mouth/teeth starts from birth. Yes…even before the teeth actually erupt. Be sure to clean your baby’s mouth with a clean, wet flannel wrapped around your finger at least twice a day. As soon as the first tooth erupts, teeth brushing starts in earnest. Brush your baby’s teeth (yes…even if they are only two) with a tiny amount of a tooth paste that does not have fluoride. The reason for this is that swallowing excessive amounts of fluoride can lead to disease conditions in children including the development of whitish patches on teeth. The use of non-fluoride tooth paste should continue until your baby learns how to spit out, at which time you can now switch to a fluoride paste.

For more on this, please click on the links below:
https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/01/28/daily-health-tips-baby-bottle-tooth-decay/

https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/09/12/daily-health-tips-is-it-bad-to-let-my-2-year-old-son-swallow-his-toothpaste/

When to start potty training? Well, usually between the ages of 18 and 30 months, a child shows some signs that he/she is ready for the next big step…potty training. Here are some of the signs to look out for:
• They can remove clothing, talk, climb etc
• They are usually aware of having soiled their diapers
• They have bowel movements at about the same everyday
• They no longer have bowel movements (poop) at night
• The gap between wet diapers is about 2 hours.
• They know when they are urinating
• They can tell you when they need to urinate

This process would usually take an average of 3 months. However, your child needs to feel ready, otherwise it will be a battle of wills…and trust me, you won’t win! Remember the one who has to clean up all the ‘accidents’? 😀 So, look out for the signs of readiness and remember that if a child is emotionally destabilized, he/she may relapse to pre-potty training ways. Patience is key. If you decide your baby is not ready yet and suspend temporarily, be sure to re-introduce as you observe the signs noted above.

Today is World Kindness Day. I hope you showed kindness to someone…someone who completely was not expecting it? If you didn’t, you’ve got a whole week ahead to do just that!

Have a fabulous week, people 😀