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Adequate sleep is vital to leading a healthy life – regardless of age. For parents, it can be tough to know how much sleep your child should get every night. Here’s a quick guide outlining the amount of sleep your child needs for each stage of their development.  

Newborns (0 – 3 months): 10 – 18 hours

New parents understand one truth: sleep is hard to come by with a newborn baby. That’s because newborns need a total of 10 – 18 hours of sleep per day on an irregular schedule. Newborns will fuss, cry or rub their eyes when they need to sleep, so parent should pay attention to their gestures to understand when to put them to bed.

Infants (4 – 11 months): 10 – 18 hours

By the infant stage, babies are usually capable of sleeping through the night for 9 – 12 hours. In addition, most infants will take 2 – 4 naps per day, which can last between 30 minutes to 2 hours. Parents should put their infants to bed when they become sleepy, rather than waiting for them to fall asleep. This helps them to become self-soothers, and teaches them to fall asleep on their own.

Toddlers (1 – 2 years): 9 – 16 hours

Around 18 months, your toddler will begin needing less frequent naps, and may only take one nap, for 30 minutes to 2 hours. Many toddlers resist going to bed at bedtime, and nighttime awakening. This is incredibly common, and parents can help their toddlers sleep through the night by setting a consistent bedtime schedule.

Preschoolers (3 – 5 years): 8 – 14 hours

Preschoolers typically sleep between 11 – 13 hours per night, and only require one nap per day. As with toddlers, preschoolers can experience difficulty sleeping through the night, and some resist bedtime. Parents can help children get past this with a security item like a blanket or teddy bear, which can comfort children through the night.

Children (6 – 13 years): 8 – 12 hours

As a child’s schedule increases with school and social activities, their need for a good night’s rest increases too. Typically, children don’t need naps, but do need to get a solid 8 – 12 hours of sleep per night.  Try limiting TV and digital entertainment before bed, which can make it more difficult for a child to fall asleep.

Teens (14 – 17 years): 7 – 11 hours

By this point, your teen should be able to sleep comfortably throughout the night, and may only need one nap per day, between 20 – 40 minutes. In fact, your child may come to value their sleep and need no instruction to go to bed. Try to emphasize the importance of adequate sleep with your child, and establish a bedtime routine that takes TV’s and computers out of their bedroom, and avoid caffeinated beverages at dinner so that they don’t have extra energy before bed.

Does Your Child Snore or Miss Sleep?

If your child has difficulty sleeping through the night, or snores in their sleep, then they may have sleep apnea. Poor and inadequate sleep can lead to developmental problems, mood swings, and impact your child’s ability to learn. Talk to us about your child’s sleep routine, and pay attention to your child’s nightly routine to see if there are any routines that may be impeding their ability to sleep.

Chips give parents a quick way to satisfy their children’s snacking habits. Chips and other starchy snacks can stick onto teeth long after snack time, and can lead to tooth decay. 

The Problem with Cheetos and Starchy Snacks

Starchy snacks like crackers, bread and chips tend to stick to teeth after they are consumed. The starch breaks down and turns into sugar, which feeds unhealthy bacteria that attack and erodes enamel. This can make teeth more susceptible to cavities, which cause tooth sensitivity and pain.

Try these Mouth-Healthy Snacks Instead

1 - Celery

Celery is packed with water, which helps stimulates saliva production – which helps keep teeth clean of damaging acids. Celery also scrubs teeth as it is eaten, and that’s because it’s packed with fiber. Celery is a great dipping snack, and can be eaten anywhere on the go.

2 - Cheese

Cheese is high in calcium, which promotes strong teeth. It also contains a protein called casein, which strengthens tooth enamel and helps to prevent cavities. String cheese and other handheld cheese snacks are far better for teeth than chips and starchy snacks.

3 - Carrots

Carrots are full of fiber and vitamin A. Carrots stimulate saliva production, which cleans teeth and helps prevent the buildup of bad bacteria that can lead to cavities. Vitamin A also helps maintain healthy mucous membranes in the mouth, which help prevent oral disease.

4 - Nuts

Nuts contain calcium and vitamin D – both of which promote healthy enamel and teeth. They also have high amounts of healthy fats and protein that help promote muscle and tissue growth.

5 - Apples

Apples are fantastic treats that have earned the nickname “nature’s toothbrush.” That’s because the fibrous content and thick skins on apples are perfect for scrubbing teeth of damaging sugar and food debris.  Apples are great at fighting against plaque build up. 

6 - Yogurt

Non-fat Greek yogurt is a great snack for teeth, and it can be used as a base to add some of your favorite fruit and nuts. Yogurt is full of calcium, casein and protein – all of which build stronger enamel and teeth. 

7 - Kiwi

Kiwis are sweet fruits in the berry family. They’re packed with calcium, which helps build strong teeth. Their high fiber content cleans teeth as they’re eaten. Calcium also helps fight bad acids that damage tooth enamel. 

Does Your Child Have a Mouth-Healthy Diet?

If you’re concerned about your child’s diet, and think that it may be affecting their teeth, then visit our office. We will work with you and discuss mouth-healthy foods that promote beautiful, healthy smiles.  

Teething can be a painful experience for an infant, and make life a lot louder for parents. Many parents will do anything they can to soothe their child, and ease their teething pain. But, parents should stay away from some common homeopathic teething remedies that are very dangerous for teething infants.

Teething Gels

One common type of homeopathic teething remedies are teething gels. Teething gels are applied directly to the gums, and contain some type of numbing agent that is designed to numb sore gums. But, the FDA has repeatedly warned against the dangers of the numbing agents in homeopathic teething gels, and advises parents to stay away. In extreme cases, teething gels can cause a rare and sometimes fatal condition called methemoglobinemia. You best bet is to stay away from numbing teething gels all together, to avoid any potential incident. 

Teething Tablets 

Teething tablets are designed to dissolve in a bay’s mouth, and numb tooth pain through “all-natural” ingredients. The FDA also advises that parents stay away from teething tablets, because some contain toxic levels of belladonna – a toxic substance  

that is found in plants commonly used to make teething tablets. In certain cases, The FDA has found that belladonna far exceeds the amount listed on the label.  Again, our advice is that parents avoid teething tablets, and instead try a more moderate approach.

Teething Tips for Parents

There are many things that parents can do at home to help ease their child’s teething pain. Parents can use a cool, damp cloth to gently apply pressure to the gums, which helps ease pain. Make sure that the cloth is cool, but not too cold, because exposure to extreme temperatures can cause more discomfort. Also, be sure to dry the drool on their face, since it can dry out your baby’s skin, and lead to skin irritation.

Teething pain and discomfort is incredibly common for infants as their first teeth arrive. Parents shouldn’t worry about teething pain, but they should bring their infant to a pediatric dentist when their first tooth emerges – around the age of 6 months, and before their first birthday. 

We would love to be your child’s dental home. Our office is designed to be fun and stress-free for children. This helps them enjoy themselves as they learn about the value of proper oral health. Call our office and schedule an appointment today.

Dental Caries, or cavities, are the most prevalent and preventable disease afflicting children in the United States today. Most people know that to keep cavities away it takes diligent brushing, and a mouth-healthy diet. But, cavities can form from more obscure circumstances that are often easily avoided.

Dry Mouth

Dry mouth is caused by a lack of saliva, which helps prevent tooth decay and cavities by keeping teeth clean of food debris. Saliva also combats the acid produced by bad bacteria. You can help your child avoid dry mouth by having them drink enough water every day – around 64 ounces per day, or 8 large glasses.

Sticky Foods

Sticky foods stay on teeth long after they are enjoyed as a meal or snack. Food like bread, sticky granola bars, chips, or gummy snacks will expose teeth to sugar for longer periods of time, and cause a sustained acid attack on tooth enamel. After tooth enamel has eroded, teeth become much more susceptible to decay and cavities.

If your child enjoys sticky foods, have them rinse their mouth out with cool clean water after a meal to remove any excess food debris. Or, advise them to brush their teeth to remove the sticky food debris.

Back Teeth

Tooth location actually plays a large role in where a cavity could occur. Molars and premolars (located in the back of the mouth) have a lot of grooves, pits and crannies that can collect food debris, and cause cavities.

To combat this, make sure that your child thoroughly brushes their back teeth when brushing, and doesn’t skip out on flossing teeth in the back of their mouth.

Infant Bedtime Bottle

It’s quite common for parents of infants and toddlers to give their child a bottle at bedtime. But, this is a mistake that can lead to early childhood carries – which are cavities in very young children. This occurs because milk and formula is high in sugar, and when sugar is left in the mouth without being rinsed, it can feed bad bacteria that causes cavities. If your child must have a bottle for bedtime, try giving them a bottle with water so that they avoid exposing their mouth to unnecessary sugar.

Frequent Snacking

Unchecked snacking can expose teeth to a steady amount of sugar, which feeds bad bacteria that erodes tooth enamel and causes decay. Try monitoring your child’s snacking habits, and make sure that they are drinking plenty of water with their snacks, which will help wash away food debris and accumulated sugar. Or, give them specific snacking times to reduce overexposing their teeth to sugar.

Worn out Dental Devices

Children and teens with crowns and fillings can develop cavities near the device if it becomes old, or worn out. Over time, dental fillings can weaken and develop rough edges. This allows plaque to flourish in a hard-to-reach area, and can quickly result in a cavity. If your child complains of pain near a tooth filling or crown, then schedule a checkup with your dentist to accurately diagnose and treat the pain.

Schedule an Oral Health Checkup

We would love to get to know your family, and help your child earn a healthy smile that grows with them. We suggest scheduling an appointment with our office so that we can evaluate the state of your child’s mouth, and offer relevant guidance that will help them achieve optimal oral health.