Pediatric Dentists and Toddlers

If we've spoken recently you probably know my toddler's many visits to the dentist. She had a small cavity, we went the wait & see plus no candy/ good hygiene route. Well that back fired. The cavities got SO bad they were drilled & capped then 2 weeks later one side got infected and needed to be pulled (got a 2nd opinion). I'm devastated, having my child be hurt or sick hurts WORSE than waking up in a hospital not sure how you got there but through finding a second opinion I found Dr. Rubin at Smiles 4 Kids Pediatric Dentistry and for that I'm thankful. When you walk into the waiting room we were greeted by not only smiling office staff but also a very cool mural and lots of fun toys. It made Ava excited to go there and she has even asked to go back (even after the appointment weird right?) This dentist is not in our insurance plan and we are paying out of pocket THAT is how good an experience we had and how much I trust this dentist, tell them we sent ya. If you're not in the Cincinnati area or within driving distance here are some things to look for in a pediatric dentist:

• Fun & comforting office staff, whatever vibe the hygienist is putting off the child will pick up on and exhibit themselves. For cleanings its mostly the hygienist who's working with your child and the dentist only comes to look at the teeth for a short bit.
• Fun office - toys fun pictures/murals stuff to look at not only in the waiting room but where they will be getting their teeth cleaned.
• First ask friends, family, even your pediatric doctor but if they don't come up with any names that work for you, you can search the AAPD tool

Going for your first visit 

• Should be around 3 years old (our case earlier) its most important in case you have a dental emergency. If you have an emergency but have never seen the pediatric dentist it might be hard to be seen. 
• Don't OVER talk it but do tell them what to expect and what is expected of them. Your tone of voice is very important in this. "We are going to go to the dentist he wants to count your teeth and make them sparkle then afterwards we will go x and have so much fun." 
• Always do something fun afterwards so that the fun is associated with the dentist. 

Hope this helps 

iPhone App Of The Moment - Endless Alphabet

Stickman is still a big favorite in this house but we found a new favorite app today its so seriously cute, totally engaging, and addicting. You can put that mommy/parent/caregiver guilt away because its also educational. Called Endless Alphabet from Callaway Digital Arts, little ones can learn the alphabet, spelling, and vocabulary but most importantly they have fun, fun and FUN.

A word comes up and a voice says the word. Then hilarious interesting creatures come knock them off so the word then is in grey & the letters are mixed around in color.

Click on a letter and it animates with creature like features then says and repeats the sound of the letter. When you match it to the correct spot, the letter is said. Then the creatures act out the word and a definition of the word is spoken. Its sometimes a funny definition. For example, the definition of tangle is "A tangle is a mess of rope or strings. Hair gets tangled all the time."

Callaway Digital Arts adds new words weekly. So letter sounds, definition, spellings, matching, oh I couldn't be more happy with this app but wait there are no advertisements or in app purchases (see this post to learn how to turn off auto in app purchases for other apps that may have it).

OH its FREE so go get it NOW!!

Do you have any other favorites from Callaway? I'm tempted to try all their other apps since I'm super impressed by this one

Car Seat Safety

To find your state's car seat law you can search the web - (Your State) Car Seat Law.

Besides obeying the law, more importantly its about saving a life. Car crashes are the number 1 killer of kids 1 to 12 I'll let that sink in.....NUMBER ONE!!!.

In a perfect world I would have my little one rear face till its time for her to drive a car...if only she would stay a little peanut, but I don't think I'm that lucky ::sigh::. I WILL proudly be THAT mom. If she complains about being the only kid her age still in a booster I will say "Hey aren't you late for college orientation?" (Totally joking...maybe) I don't mind the comments about her rear facing "that looks uncomfortable" "her legs are going to get broken" I know I've done what I can to ensure that she's as safe as possible, a broken leg is better than a broken neck you know.

There is no "perfect for all" seat, as one needs to fit your car and your child. Please see below for some links that I frequent.

NHTSA National Highway Traffic Safety Administration  choose the right seat

Nationwide Inspection Stations - you could have a nice rear facing seat with high limits but if its not installed correctly its worthless. 7 out of 10 are installed incorrectly


Got a question? FB page Car Seats for the Littles is full of knowledgeable car seat techs instead of "Write Post" click "Ask Question"

The Car Seat Lady FB


Great overview from Cincinnati Children's Hospital these people are in the Trauma Services Department and don't want to see anymore preventable heartache

More safety resources I just found out about today


If you have any amazing links to share please do so in comments.

Thanks for reading!

Pete And Repeat Were Sitting In A Boat

Pete fell out, who was left REPEAT          All. Day. Long.

Kids a little older than my 2 year old are usually repeating because they don't think you heard them. The toddler age totally WANTS to talk about something with you and the ONLY thing they can think of is "I like dirt" 5,000 times an hour. So I've found that expanding on what they are repeating helps them learn plus slows down the number of repetitions. So ask some questions to get that toddler mind rolling like

• What grows in dirt? 
• What else do you like? Do you like grass?
• Is dirt soft or squishy or hard?
• What happens to dirt if you add water?

Another one of my toddler's example is "I like to jump" ask questions like

• How many times can you jump in a row? Lets count!
• Can you Hop? (Skip, Twirl, etc)
• What animals jump? (hop)
• Can you jump high, can you jump low?

I have a friend who told me today of her daughter saying "The stove is hot" because the stove is hot and hey did you know its hot? So expand with

• Why is it hot?
• What else is hot?
• Is your drink hot?
• Is an ice cube hot or cold?

I could go on & on but you get the idea. :) Have fun!