Your infant’s healthy start should include proper dental care. Just because you can’t see those little teeth yet doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Teeth start forming during the second trimester, so at birth, your baby could have 20 primary teeth.8
8 “Fluoride and Water,” kidshealth.org
Consult your physician or dental professional if using another fluoridated product.
Whether or not to use pacifiers is an age-old debate, but the American Academy of Pediatrics gives it the thumbs up through the first year of life. Sucking is comforting, familiar and calming to babies and a pacifier can be the ideal way to provide contentment between feedings.
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You’re always careful to protect your baby from the sun’s harmful rays with sunscreen, clothing and a hat when he’s outdoors. But did you know he also needs protection when he rides in the car for an extended period? The glass in car windows blocks some but not all ultraviolet rays that can cause sunburn, so if possible, move his car seat out of direct sunlight and apply broad spectrum children’s sunscreen to his exposed skin.
Are you wondering whether your baby will be right-handed or left-handed? Be patient; it may be months or years before you know for sure. Most babies start showing a preference for reaching for things with their right hands between six and nine months, but it’s not until they’re 18 months or older that they start using their preferred hand more consistently. By age three or four, their handedness should be fairly evident. If it’s not, you may want to talk to your pediatrician.
Source: “How Handedness Develops in Infants,” by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P., www.drspock.com, June 10, 2001