If your family participated in the holiday celebrations, you are probably overwhelmed at the sheer amount of candy your children have gotten in a few hours!

I admit that I don’t buy candy for my kids. When Halloween arrives, they absolutely love to trick-or-treat and they actually list the different types of candy they have gotten, along with the amount of that type of candy. Yes, they construct GRAPHS based on their candy. Then, they begin to trade amongst themselves – or fight amongst themselves. Our son was just old enough to go trick-or-treating with his sisters this year, but he really isn’t old enough to eat all of the candy he received.

Perhaps your little pumpkin went trick or treating and now you are wondering what to do with all of that candy. You may? be wondering exactly what kinds of candy are appropriate for your child to eat. I’ll share our system with you, but remember to keep your child in mind when making food decisions. Each child is different, and what is ok for one child may not be for another.

Lollipops are usually a good choice
They may be sticky, but older babies (around a year) are able to enjoy lollipops. Be sure to supervise your child and to make sure that they don’t bite off a small piece, which could be a choking hazard. I only allow my son to eat ‘regular’lollipops; not the kind with the candy in the center.

Avoid sticky and chewy candy
Candy that is sticky and chewy is a bad choice as these are bad for you child’s teeth and they can pose a choking hazard.

Avoid small pieces
If your child is young, small round candy pieces can also be a chocking hazard, even if they are easy to eat.

Avoid nuts and peanut butter
Nuts of course are a choking hazard. Peanut butter can cause allergies or a reaction. In some candy, the peanut butter is chewy or sticky, and can also be a chocking hazard. I actually don’t feed my children peanut butter until they are around 2 years old anyway but I’ve heard of people who wait until their children are around 3.

Chocolate is usually a good choice
I say usually, because the chocolate may have crispy bits, nuts or peanut butter mixed with it. I find that the ’snack bar’size is perfect for my son to eat. Be forewarned however – chocolate can get VERY messy and it’s hard to remove from the carpet and paint on the walls!

Remember that this is a great opportunity to get your child to brush his teeth too! After we eat a piece of candy, we make sure to brush our toddler’s teeth. He loves every minute of it and I’m hoping that we’re creating good habits for the future! Of course, it’s best to also limit the amount of candy that your children eat for a bunch of reasons. I usually allow the children a piece of candy a day.

What happens to all of the sticky, small, chewy, and peanut butter filled candy that our son can’t eat? Well, my husband and I can eat small, chewy and peanut butter filled candy – isn’t that a good thing. I guess you could say that everyone in our house got treated this holiday!

I recently saw an article written about how pregnancy changes a woman’s body and why these things happen. It’s true-pregnancy does change your body. I know, we all know this, but I was slightly shocked when I became pregnant. I had assumed that some things would change as a result of my pregnancy, but I wasn’t prepared for all the changes that Mother Nature had in store for me!

Some of the things that shocked me:

I got acne! I was surprised when I began to break out and when my complexion became blotchy during my pregnancy.

My gums bled! I remember the first time I saw red on my toothbrush after brushing my teeth and I freaked out. It’s normal for this to happen at times during pregnancy. However, it is best to get your teeth checked at least once during your pregnancy to make sure everything is ok.

My nose was stuffy! This is the one thing I remember that REALLY bothered me. My nose just felt stuffy most of the time during my pregnancy. I found a little bit of relief by using a vaporizer at night, but I didn’t get total relief until my son was delivered.

I was incredibly tired during the first trimester! Some women aren’t bothered by a decrease in their energy levels. I noticed a drop in my energy during the first trimesters of my pregnancies. I also noticed a huge difference between my energy levels with my first pregnancy (when I was 22 years old) and my most recent pregnancy (when I was 36 years old).

My vision changed! My eyesight actually did change during some of my pregnancies. Sadly, it changed for the worse and it didn’t change back after the baby arrived either.

My feet got bigger! This was the biggest shocker for me, and I am not alone. Many women have admitted to me that their feet grew during pregnancy and never returned to their original size. I asked a doctor once about this and he explained to me that it was due to the fact that ligaments stretch in your feet during pregnancy. Sadly, they don’t seem to shrink back after the baby is born. My feet have grown about a size larger than they were before I began bearing children.

Many of these oddities disappeared after my children were born. As for my eyes and feet: I got a cool pair of glasses and treated myself to new shoes! I suppose you could say that every cloud has a silver lining.

Here’s another reason to take your pre-natal vitamins. Moms who get enough vitamin D while pregnant have babies with healthier teeth, according to Canadian researchers.

Moms who were deficient in vitamin D while pregnant had children who had significantly more tooth problems, such as weak tooth enamel and tooth decay.

Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium, important for healthy teeth and bones.

There’s vitamin D in prenatal vitamins, and in vitamin D-fortified milk, soy milk, and breakfast cereal. Vitamin D is also found naturally in fatty fish like salmon, catfish and tuna, and in eggs.

The sun also makes vitamin D: going out in the sun without sunscreen for a couple of minutes a day produces vitamin D in the skin. The sun helps you make vitamin D year round in the southern US, but only in the summer in the northern states. So northern moms like me definitely need vitamin D supplements, especially so in the winter.

There’s somewhat of a conflict between what we’ve all been told to do – wear a hat, wear sunscreen, wear sunglasses in the sun. I admit I do get lazy about sunscreen when I’m only out in the sun for a couple of minutes, so I guess I am making plenty of vitamin D, even though my dermatologist would tell me off.

So most dermatologists recommend covering up in the sun, and wearing sunscreen, and getting your vitamin D from food and supplements.

And once baby is born, breastfeeding moms should keep up their vitamin D supplements. Your baby’s pediatrician may recommend vitamin D supplements for exclusively breastfed babies. Formula has vitamin D added, but breast milk is naturally low in vitamin D.

Cleaning baby’s teeth is very important, not just to get them clean after mealtimes, but to set a good example, and hopefully encourage good dental hygiene for the rest of their lives.

Your baby’s pediatrican may also recommend Nursery Water, water for babies and toddlers with fluoride added, or fluoride supplements, like my son’s doctor did.

Fluoride has long been know to reduce tooth decay in people who drink fluoridated water, but not without controversy. Opponents disagree with mass-medication, and there being no way to avoid fluoridated water other than buying pricey bottled water. Critics of fluoridated water say that tooth decay can be totally prevented with good dental care: brushing teeth, and seeing a dentist regularly.

And too much fluoride can be very bad. Too much causes discolored, brittle teeth, and over time, causes bone damage too. And most worrying of all, a recent Harvard study showed boys who drink fluoridated water have a much higher risk of developing devastating bone cancer.

And what about babies who drink formula? If the water used to make formula is fluoridated, they have no choice but to drink it. (Is there fluoride in your city water? It varies across the country. If you google “city water” plus the name of your town or city, you should get the city’s water department website, which will tell you the amount of fluoride in the water, and whether any more is added.)

So is it a good idea to add fluoride, from Nursery Water or supplements, to your baby’s diet?

In the city where I live, fluoride is added to the city water. So this mom is not adding any more fluoride to my son’s diet. Rather, I’m trying to encourage good tooth brushing, limit sugar, and set a good example of dental care myself.

So what should you do if you are concerned about fluoride, and your baby’s doctor recommends Nursery Water or fluoride supplements? Moms who have most reason to be concerned are those formula-feeding and your city water is already fluoridated. Ask the pediatrician them exactly why they are recommending those products, and what they believe the health benefits to your baby will be.

A couple of years ago I went through a phase where I went to the dentist with toothache, he removed the tooth and then a week or two later I had another toothache and the process repeated itself. In the end I had 11 teeth removed in the space of a year. I went back to taking my calcium tablets and the problem cleared up, whether this was coincidence or not I don’t know, but now after a couple of years I have had no problems at all. Having asked around, I found that actually this is quite common for women in their forties to go through a phase like this.

We all know that diet affects our teeth, but I don’t think we all know how important it is. A healthy diet is essential for all parts of the mind and body. These days everybody has a reasonable idea of what they should be eating, even if they don’t follow those guidelines. We all know that we should be cutting back on sugar and salt increasing our intake of fruits and vegetables. On top of that I consider a good multinutrient to be essential, it gives a good foundation of everything that is required in a health diet and I shall cover here the most relevant nutrients.

Calcium is one thing that is very important, this is particularly the case with women who have had children, since pregnancy and breast feeding can deplete your calcium levels. Milk is often recommended as a good source of calcium, but, unfortunately, it is not very well absorbed. Green vegetables are also a good source of calcium or you can take a supplement and this can protect against osteoporosis as well. Calcium is best absorbed if take in conjunction with magnesium and boron. Vitamin D also helps the absorption of calcium.

As well as the teeth it is also important to look after the gums. If your gums are bad you can lose perfectly good teeth. Vitamin C is very good for the gums it reduces the chance of infection and helps the blood circulation, this is found mainly in fresh fruit and vegetables. A B vitamin deficiency can lead to bleeding gums and other mouth problems. CoEnzyme Q10 is highly recommended for many gum conditions, this has to be taken as a supplement.

Aloe vera is very popular for mouth disorders. It is recommended for the whole of the digestive system. It can be drunk or taken in capsules form and is particularly good for mouth ulcers and bleeding gums. It is also possible to get aloe vera toothpaste, which many people find helps various mouth conditions.

Further Information

Nutrition For Your Teeth

Nutrition and Gingivitis

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My son has lost his toothless grin. The arrival of those first few pearly whites was a bittersweet moment for me: it was wonderful to know that my son is growing and developing and yet, it was sad to realize how quickly that first year is passing.

Just how do you take care of an infant’s baby teeth? I talked with my pediatrician who assured me that just wiping down the gums, teeth and tongue once a day with wet gauze or a wet, clean washcloth should suffice.

But what about the baby toothbrushes and baby toothpaste that they sell in the stores? It is fine to use a toothbrush, but be sure to replace the brush when the bristles begin to look worn or become loose. Toothpaste isn’t necessary until baby learns to “spit” out the paste. In fact, the American Dental Association doesn’t even recommend using toothpaste with fluoride to brush a child’s teeth until the child is 2. Most dentists recommend making your child’s first appointment when he or she is around 3 years of age.