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Baby Bottle Tooth Decay

Baby Bottle Tooth Decay is a certain kind of tooth decay that occurs in babies and young children. This happens when the child:

• Goes to bed with a bottle filled with milk, formula, or a sweetened drink
• Sleeps all night at the breast
• Drinks from a bottle through the day
• Uses a pacifier dipped in sugar or honey

Baby teeth are important. When they are decayed, a child may suffer pain, eating and speech problems, and poor self-image. If baby teeth are lost too early, the permanent teeth may come in crowed or out of line.

Preventing measurements:

• Put your child to bed without a bottle
• Do not let your baby sleep all night at the breast
• Begin teaching your child to drink from a cup around six months
• Avoid pop and other sweet drinks
• Wean your baby from a bottle by one year of age
• Clean your child's teeth and gums with a clean washcloth
• Check with your doctor or dentist if your child is getting enough fluoride each day, since it protects teeth from decay

* Based on about Tots and Tooth Care. 1988 Channing Bete Co. 2000 Edition

Parents of children over the age of six months should ask about the need for a fluoride supplement if drinking water does not have enough fluoride. Also, do not let a child younger than six years old use a fluoride mouth rinse unless the child’s doctor or dentist recommends it.

Thermometer:

Digital thermometers are now the gold standard for taking your baby's

temperature, says the American Academy of Pediatrics. For the most accurate results, use one to take a rectal reading. Glass mercury thermometers carry the risk of mercury exposure if broken, and tympanic (ear) thermometers, which can be unreliable, are not recommended for infant under 3 moths old.

New Parent Spring/Summer 2003, p.14

How to take temperature correctly: American Academy of Pediatrics

Precious Cargo, rules to live by:

Starting with your baby's first ride home from the hospital, always use a car safety seat.

Your infant should ride in the back seat of your vehicle, in a rear-facing safety seat until she or he is at least 12 months or age or weighs 20 pounds.

New Parent Spring/Summer 2003, p. 30

The ABCD's of Rash Prevention:

More than half of babies between 4 and 15 months develop diaper  rash, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. The rash will appear as red skin or red bumps on a baby's bottom and sometimes in the genital area. The bumps will often go away in a day or so do the following:

• Let the baby go diaper-free for a few hour, allowing the area to air dry.
• Creams or ointments containing zinc oxide or petrolatum cover the skin, creating a protective barrier letting the skin heal.
• Change diapers often, and dry your child's skin with a cloth before putting on ointment.

New parent Spring/Summer 2003, p.36

Newborn's head seems very flat in the back:

Babies most sleep on their backs to reduce their risk of dying from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). But all the time spent in this position can flatten your baby's skull. There is a solution. Several studies have proven that tummy time-putting your infant on his stomach to play-can prevent your infant's head from becoming misshapen. Implement tummy time as early as possible four times a day, five minutes at a time.

American Baby, May 2005, p. 24.

A teething time-Mommy can make it better:

When your child is cutting a tooth and she looks at you with that " fix it, Mama!" expression, there are several things you can do to ease the pain. In fact you can start long before the first tooth ever appears. Begin a regimen of massaging and cleaning the baby's gums as soon as he is born. Whether you breast-or bottlefed, clean his mouth out after feedings, using a clean piece of gauze or washcloth, rub your finger along the gum pads. If you continue this through the teething stage you will accomplish two things: your baby will be used to having something stuck in his mouth after meals, which will make tooth brushing easier down the road. And the pressure from the massage will make teething just a little less painful; it feels good, and it helps break down the gum tissues slowly.

American Baby, May 2005, p. 42

Burping your baby:

Trapped air can cause immediate discomfort, make a baby feel full before he has finished his feeding, or pass into the intestines, causing flatulence.

For most babies, burping midway through the feeding and afterward will relase any air bubbles. Try burping your baby during his natural pauses in feeding, such as when he slows down after finishing the first breast.

Infants sometimes spit up after feedings:

Feeding your baby is gratifying, but it also can be a messy experience, considering hat as many as half of all healthy fullterm newborns spit up daily. The medical  term for spitting up is gastroesophageal reflux, abbreviated as GER or simply reflux. With GER stomach contents back up into the esophagus and sometimes out the mouth. Reflux typically occurs after eating. In infants, GER peaks at 4 months, equally affecting nearly 70% of breastfed and bottlefed babies. In most instances, they outgrow the condition between 6-12 months of age, after they learn to sit up.

American Baby. August 2005. P.29

NEW SIDS GUIDE LINES

Below is a news release on a presentation given at the 2005 National Conference and Exhibition (NCE) of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). John Kattwinkel, MD, FAAP, will give a presentation entitled, "The Changing Concept of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: Diagnostic Coding Shifts, Controversies Regarding the Sleep Environment, and New Variables to Consider in Reducing Risk" on Monday, October 10, at 10:00 a.m. (EST) at the AAP National Conference and Exhibition in Washington, DC in Room 209B.

For Release: Monday, October 10, 2005
12:01 am (EST)

WASHINGTON, DC -Despite major decreases in the incidence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) over the past decade, SIDS is still responsible for more infant deaths beyond the newborn period in the United States than any other cause of death during infancy. In an updated policy statement on "The Changing Concept of Sudden Infant Death
Syndrome: Diagnostic Coding Shifts, Controversies Regarding the Sleeping Environment, and New Variables to Consider in Reducing Risk," the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) addresses several issues that have become relevant since they last published a statement in 2000.

The AAP no longer recognizes side sleeping as a reasonable alternative to fully supine (lying on back) sleeping. Studies have found that the side sleep position is unstable and increases the chances of the infant rolling onto his or her stomach. Every caregiver should use the back sleep position during every sleep period.

Bed sharing is not recommended during sleep. Infants may be brought into bed for nursing or comforting, but should be returned to their own crib or bassinet when the parent is ready to return to sleep. However, there is growing evidence that room sharing (infant sleeping in a crib in parent's bedroom) is associated with a reduced risk of SIDS. The AAP recommends a separate but proximate sleeping environment.

Research now indicates an association between pacifier use and a reduced risk of SIDS, which is why the revised statement recommends the use of pacifiers at nap time and bedtime throughout the first year of life. The evidence that pacifier use inhibits breastfeeding or causes later dental complications is not compelling enough to discredit the recommendation.
However, it is recommended that pacifier introduction for breastfed infants be delayed until one month of age to ensure that breastfeeding is firmly established. In addition, if the infant refuses the pacifier, it should not be forced. There is a slight increased risk of ear infections associated with pacifier use, but the incidence of ear infection is generally lower in the first year of life, especially the first six months, when the risk of SIDS is the highest.

The following have been consistently identified as risk factors for
SIDS: prone (lying on stomach) sleep position, sleeping on a soft surface, maternal smoking during pregnancy, overheating, late or no prenatal care, young maternal age, preterm birth and/or low birth weight and male gender. Consistently higher rates of SIDS are found in black and American Indian/Alaska Native children - two to three times the national average.

The policy recommendations include:

• Back to sleep: Infants should be placed for sleep in a supine (wholly on back position) for every sleep.
• Use a firm sleep surface: A firm crib mattress, covered by a sheet, is the recommended sleeping surface.
• Keep soft objects and loose bedding out of the crib: Pillows, quilts, comforters, sheepskins, stuffed toys and other soft objects should be kept out of an infant's sleeping environment.
• Do not smoke during pregnancy: Also avoiding an infant's exposure to second-hand smoke is advisable for numerous reasons in addition to SIDS risk.
• A separate but proximate sleeping environment is recommended such as a separate crib in the parent's bedroom. Bed sharing during sleep is not recommended.
• Consider offering a pacifier at nap time and bedtime: The pacifier should be used when placing infant down for sleep and not be reinserted once the infant falls asleep.
• Avoid overheating: The infant should be lightly clothed for sleep, and the bedroom temperature should be kept comfortable for a lightly clothed adult.

• Avoid commercial devices marketed to reduce the risk of SIDS: Although various devices have been developed to maintain sleep position or reduce the risk of rebreathing, none have been tested sufficiently to show efficacy or safety.
• Do not use home monitors as a strategy to reduce the risk of SIDS: There is no evidence that use of such home monitors decreases the risk of SIDS.
• Avoid development of positional plagiocephaly (flat back of head):
  Encourage "tummy time." * Avoid having the infant spend excessive time in car-seat carriers and "bouncers." Place the infant to sleep with the head to one side for a week and then changing to the other.
• Assure that others caring for the infant (child care provider, relative, friend, babysitter) are aware of these recommendations.
  

EDITOR'S NOTE: In a related review article, "Do Pacifiers Reduce the Risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome? A Meta-Analysis," found that several studies show a significant reduced risk of SIDS with pacifier use, particularly when used during sleep.

RSV-More Than A Cold

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) causes an infection of the lungs that can make some babies very sick. RSV is a very common virus that causes mild, cold-like symptoms in adults and children. However, babies born prematurely and babies with lung disease are at high risk of getting very sick. RSV occurs in seasonal outbreak, usually from Fall through Spring. RSV may cause long-term health problems, including asthma. Babies born prematurely are at risk for severe RSV disease because their lungs are not fully develop.

Typically, RSV causes mild, cold-like symptoms, including a runny nose and get worse and include: coughing, wheezing, rapid breathing, difficulty breathing or gasping for breath.

Call your doctor for more information.

* New Parent News by North Country Prenatl/Perinatal Council, Inc. Winter 2006

NEW QUARTERLY MEDICAL JOURNAL ON BREASTFEEDING LAUNCHED

Breastfeeding Medicine is a new peer-reviewed journal about the complexities and benefits of breastfeeding. The journal, launched this month by the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM), will be published on a quarterly basis. Topics will include epidemiologic and physiologic benefits of breastfeeding; health risks of artificial feeding; impact of breastfeeding on physical and psychological health; breastfeeding management in health and disease; indications and contraindications of breastfeeding; use of medications by the breastfeeding mother; and related social, cultural, and economic issues. More information about the journal is available at http://www.liebertpub.com/publication.aspx?pub_id=173&crit=breastfeeding

More information about ABM and its programs is available at http://www.bfmed.org.

*From: mchalert-bounces@list.ncemch.org-Sent: Friday, March 24, 2006 7:31 AM

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