My childs teeth are cutting exposed gum!

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 13:11:14 GMT

Has your toddler starting cutting his gums with his newly acquired baby teeth? Was there blood-did you freak out? It's ok-so did I.

Your toddler is experiencing lots of new things right now. Cruising, walking, babbling more, and cutting teeth. Those little pearls that you were so proud of are now the enemy-and there's not much you can do about it.

Your toddler is going to fall down-just like he's been doing, but this time he's going to fall and the teeth he currently has are going to cut into the exposed gum opposite them.

Try to stay calm. Here's what you need to do:

Stop the bleeding by applying a clean burp cloth or towel.
Calm baby down.
Wait until the bleeding has stopped before trying to access damage.
Wet another clean burp cloth and put in freezer, or cover a large piece of ice with a thin layer of towel or burp cloth. Allow your child to chew on the ice or cold towel. Don't worry, if it hurt him, he wouldn't chew on it. Make sure the piece of ice is big so that there's no danger of choking.

If the cut is massive, or there is a huge, deep flap of skin-if bone is showing: take your child to their dentist immediately.

If your child is bleeding profusely and it cannot be stopped, go to the emergency room!

Otherwise:

The cut is simple and the gum tissue will bruise, give your child some baby tylenol and spoil him some. Massage his legs and help him relax, he could also use a nap.

Watch for fever: it may be a sign of something more serious-if one occurs, call your doctor and be sure to explain the accident earlier. If this happens over the weekend, call the hospital nurse first and then if necessary take him to the emergency room.

Don't be surprised to find small amounts of blood on his mattress or some on his toys.

Also, if there are any large, hard objects in your child's play area (ie. coffee table, etc.) you may want to remove them; they're prone to accidents.

When all is said and done-it's ok if you feel the need to cry a little too. What mother doesn't hurt when her child does?

Babies and baby gates

Wed, 14 Mar 2007 19:57:38 GMT

The everyday hassles of raising children can be taxing on even a team of "experts," but you don't get a team, do you? You have yourself, and if you're lucky, a family and a partner. You can read every book there is on what you should expect when expecting or how to raise the new little bundle in your life. I can all but garauntee that things will not go as smoothly as the books may lead you to imagine. Being a new mother of six month old twins, there have been things that no amount of reading can prepare you for. Feedings on the hour every two hours-round the clock, projectile vomit, explosive diahrea, and; the cursed six o'clock witching hour which for some reason causes every living being under the age of five years to cry uncontrollably for no apparent reason. Of course, these things fade as your child grows and as you become more aware of what each cry actually signals. The first true smile, the tiny squeeky giggles, the first time a stranger holds them and they look to you for reassurance; all things that confirm you are a mother and you never knew you could love so completely, these are the times you remember.

And then, one day they begin to roll-fast, and crawl-quickly, and you wonder exactly how you're to keep them in their designated blanket area and still clean dishes or fold laundry. This is where we were several weeks ago before we found our baby enclosure. And I must say, it has been wonderful. The usual "it's too quiet" instinct seems to have subsided since we purchased our gate. I know that when they're in it, they are unable to reach anything haphazardly laying on the ground (the dust bunnies my daughter has a knack for collecting between her fingers). I personally recommend purchasing the puzzle foam alphabet as a foundation to put your baby enclosure around. Spit up is made easier to clean with the foam, and there is nothing for them to pinch or pull out of the carpet, as well as no carpet burn. A safe way to keep your eye on them and know exactly where they are and what they're doing. We went with the honeycomb enclosure versus the bar enclosure so that I was reassured they couldn't reach their arms out and grab anything or pull anything down.

So there it is, my tid bit gate promo. Seriously though, it's nice to have but I would say a must for moms of multiples.

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My childs teeth are cutting exposed gum!

Babies and baby gates