Sure you think about dentist appointments as an adult… (we hope) and even for your younger children who are learning how to brush brush brush! But what about for your baby? When should you take your child for their first dental appointment?

We asked Dr. Daniel Steckler, DMD a Lexington pediatric dentist to fill us in on the importance of dental care for your baby.

What is a dental home?

Did you know that tooth decay, even in the earliest stages of life, can have serious implications for a child’s long-term health and well-being?  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) compared the dental health of Americans from 1988-1994 and 1999-2002 and found a 15% increase in cavities among 2-5 year olds.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry strives to begin lifelong programs of preventive dentistry by recommending that a “dental home” is established by the infants 1st birthday.

During this first dental visit, pediatric dentists check for proper oral and facial development to determine whether the teeth are growing in properly and to detect early tooth decay.  It also gives the pediatric dentist a chance to walk through home dental care and proper diet habits for their children.  Establishing a dental home is also very important if children every experience any dental trauma.

Early preventive care is a sound health and economic investment.  Avoiding dental care to save money is usually a reason why kids are not seen until it’s too late. Studies show that the dental costs for children who have their first dental visit before age one are 40% lower in the first five years than for those who do not see a dentist before age one.

Here are some precautions to help prevent tooth decay:

• Brush your child’s gums twice a day with a wet washcloth or baby toothbrush.
• Talk to your pediatric dentist about the importance of fluoride and how it helps build strong teeth
• If your child must sleep with a bottle, do not put anything other than water in it.  Other liquids that contain sugar (even milk) can cause cavities
• Never dip a pacifier into honey or anything sweet before giving it to your child
• The best times to brush your child’s teeth is after breakfast and right before bedtime
• Limit frequency of snacking on foods that can lead to cavities
• Be a good example for your children! Take good care of your own teeth!

We at Smith and Steckler Pediatric Dentistry strive to provide the very best dental care to the infants, children and adolescents of Central Kentucky.  If there are ever any questions, please do not hesitate to call our office and ask! We would be glad to answer any questions you may have.

Visit us on our website at www.kykidsdentist.com and our Facebook page “Smith and Steckler Pediatric Dentistry”

Daniel Steckler DMD

Who doesn’t want to capture the first precious moments with their little one? Priscilla Baierlein – a Central Kentucky photographer  shares some tips with us that can help make your first family photo session a stress-free success!

Itty bitty tiny toes, cute little puckered lips, cuddly, cozy, snuggly, and oh so perfect…there’s nothing more precious than a newborn. It may sound cliché, but they grow so fast and are only this small once. It can go by in a flash. What’s a better time to celebrate your new family and capture all those little details with a photo session? As a photographer who focuses on little ones and families, I know that, although this is a beautiful time, it can also be a stressful time.  Here are some tips to help ensure you have a successful and enjoyable newborn session that will produce images your family will truly enjoy for many years to come:

1. Do your research and pick the perfect photographer for YOU. Be sure to find someone who has a photography style that matches what you are looking for, whether it be more lifestyle or more posed. Don’t overlook personality. Picking the right photographer can be the key to a relaxed session.
2. Plan ahead. Once you find the perfect photographer, find out when they suggest doing the session. This can vary based on the photographer’s style, but most will suggest doing them within the baby’s first 10 days of life.  Sessions that early will need to be booked before you’ve ever delivered. Remember that most photographers schedule sessions a month or more in advance – so make sure that newborn sessions are scheduled during the eighth month, at the latest. If you deliver early, let the photographer know as soon as possible and adjust your session date as needed.
3. Relax! That’s the number one rule on the day of the session. Always…relax. Not only will you feel better, but the session will go smoother, and baby (and photographer) will be more relaxed as well. Above all else, this is the key to a successful session. This is much more important than what you wear or anything else that may cause stress.
4. Be sure baby has a full belly. Do a feeding just before, but don’t be surprised if baby seems a little more hungry than usual and you need to take breaks during the session.
5. When it comes to clothing for baby, think minimal. At this age everything seems so big, not to mention with minimal clothing you can truly capture all the little details. Consider no clothing (don’t worry, photographers can hide all the bits you don’t want exposed), a diaper cover, or just a solid white onesie. Gather all your favorite blankets and hats to add a little color. If you do opt for no clothing, loosen the diaper ahead of time so there aren’t any marks left on the skin. Don’t be surprised if baby soils blankets or the photographers’ props. No need to apologize, all newborn photographers should be prepared for such an eventuality, as it is a fact of the job.
6. Crank up the heat! If the session is in your home, be sure you are warm or even hot, this means baby will be comfortable when all the blankets and clothing are removed. Remember, cold and hungry baby, equals a cranky baby.
7. Remember the whole relax, don’t worry philosophy? Don’t worry about cleaning! This should be the last thing on your mind. If something is in the photographer’s shot, they will move it.
8. Now…sit back and enjoy. Take this time to not worry about the camera in your face, but the baby in front of you. These images will be works of art you will enjoy for generations to come.

We are so excited to announce that Priscilla’s work will be featured in the 2010-2011 Edition of Baby in the Bluegrass! Copies will be delivered this August! But if you can’t wait to get a peak at some more of her fantastic work, please visit here.

]]> http://www.babyinthebluegrass.com/blog/2010/06/28/these-are-the-moments-dont-let-them-pass-you-by/feed/ 0 http://www.babyinthebluegrass.com/blog/2010/05/11/mays-mom-of-the-month-shares-her-struggle-with-her-weight/ http://www.babyinthebluegrass.com/blog/2010/05/11/mays-mom-of-the-month-shares-her-struggle-with-her-weight/#comments Tue, 11 May 2010 04:42:59 +0000 Addie http://www.babyinthebluegrass.com/blog/?p=314

Former journalist, Sarah Lane, of Lexington is May’s Mom of the Month!

Sarah, mom to 2 year old “J” lives in Lexington and works in Communications and Advertising. Below, Sarah bravely shares her experiences of struggling with her weight post baby. Check out her inspirational story below, we are sure you’ll be moved by her honesty. Some of the Baby in the Bluegrass team will be accepting her challenge. Will you?

I am struggling to come to grips with a bad word that has worked itself into my everyday vocabulary. It shares some of the shock value of the four-letter mainstays, but it only has three letters. Ready? Here we go. It’s F-A-T. (Insert obligatory shudder.) There, I’ve said it. Spelled it out, in fact. I think about F@! in some capacity at least 72.5 times a day. How I became F@!. How I don’t want my family to be F*^. How I am tired of F#@. Disguising it with keyboard symbols as I would other bad words doesn’t even hide the level of awful contained in this word.

Sarah and "J" at 10 months old

My problem with Fat doesn’t stem from a distorted body image, nor an over-exposed-to-media sense of vanity. It roots itself in truth. Truth, coupled with a desire to eradicate it from my life. I want to be healthy. Even more than that, I want my two-year-old son, J, to grow up normally, eating healthfully, and having the energy we expect kids to have—running, jumping, climbing, crawling, reaching, hopping, spinning, chasing, exploring—just plain having fun. So far, he’s well within the normal weight range for an average two-year-old, and so far, I’ve been able to keep up with him. But just barely, and certainly not without a lot of huffing, puffing and panting.

My very independent J playing outside

How did I get this way? Quite simply, I ate too much, and didn’t exercise enough. Oh sure, we can go deeper than that, and explore pregnancy, where I gained a little too much weight; post-pregnancy where apparently, I kept eating like a pregnant woman; a metabolism which has suddenly put on the skids; and most problematic of all, some medical issues, which through the prescribed use of steroids, really packed on the pounds. That last part has obviously been out of my control. I listed it last for a reason though, because there are plenty of things that have been within my control.

Apparently, I am not alone. Statistics show that more than half of you reading these words are at least overweight, if not downright fat.

Between the over-produced ads for giant mouth-watering bacon cheeseburgers, pizza and other sugar-rich, carb-loaded, grease-laden fare (all cleverly engineered by food scientists), are the news stories, documentary features, and reality television shows, which are painting one ugly picture: America is fat, and getting fatter. The Center for Disease Control cites data from the 2007-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which basically says 17% of kids and teens ages 2-19 are fat. The increases within sub-sets of that survey are just as upsetting. For example, a couple of decades ago, only 5% of kids ages 2-5 were fat; today, that number has more than doubled.

The picture may be grim, but let me make this clear—the paint has not dried. We still have the brushes in hand, and plenty of palettes that can replace the ones we’ve been using.

The change begins with me. With you. With the people whose lives we may be able to touch for the better in some small way.

Let’s do this. Together. Want to join me?