Thank you First Alert for sponsoring this post. October is Fire Prevention Month! Help ensure your home and family are ready for the unexpected by installing smoke & CO alarms and having fire extinguishers!

With our busy lives, it may be easy to let discussions about fire safety take a back seat. But fire safety is an important topic and should be talked about on a regular basis. 

October is National Fire Prevention Month and this fall weather is the perfect time to snuggle together as a family and talk about fire safety. You can review your family’s fire safety checklist and ensure that your whole house is protected by installing alarms and having fire extinguishers within reach. 

Read on to see what to include in your fire safety checklist and how to make sure your whole home is protected! 

Fire Safety Checklist

When was the last time you took inventory of your safety products? Did you know that smoke and carbon monoxide alarms need to be tested regularly, at least every 6 months and replaced at least every 10 years? 

It’s okay if you didn’t! I didn’t either and I totally get it. Between work, kids’ activities, and normal family life, I didn’t even know when our smoke alarms were last tested.

A fire safety checklist ensures that your family is always ready for the unexpected. Here are things to include on your fire safety checklist. 

As you complete items on the fire safety checklist, check them off! So satisfying, right?

Download your own checklist here and you’ll also find other fire safety tips and an emergency escape planning worksheet. 

Fire Prevention with Fire Extinguishers

Now that you have a fire safety checklist and everybody in your family is on board, it’s time to talk about fire extinguishers. Believe it or not, fire extinguishers are easily overlooked as necessities in the home. 

But fire extinguishers should be placed on every level of the home, especially in common places like the kitchen, laundry room, garage, or by the grill. The #1 cause of fires is unattended cooking, so it’s especially important to have a fire extinguisher close by. 

While it’s important to have fire extinguishers in your home, it’s even more important to know how to use them! An easy way to remember how to use a fire extinguisher is with the acronym P.A.S.S.

To make it even easier to protect your whole house in the event of a fire, First Alert fire extinguishers and other fire safety products can be found at Lowe’s. You’ll see that we are using the First Alert Home Fire Extinguisher. I especially like it because it’s lightweight and rechargeable.

How Our Family Does Fire Safety

Fire safety and prevention is a very important topic for families to discuss. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make it fun! Now that Remy is 3 years old, we included him in our most recent fire safety talk. He helped us review the fire safety checklist and used his counting skills to make sure we have smoke and CO alarms on every level and in every bedroom. Remy also counted the number of fire extinguishers we have in and around the house.

After confirming that our whole house was protected, Remy received his Junior Fire Marshal badge and he wore it with pride! We even printed out coloring and activity sheets found on the First Alert website here!

As you are celebrating the month of October, don’t forget about Fire Prevention Month! So snuggle up with your family with some apple cider and talk fire safety!

The dentist. *cue dread and doom*. (I apologize to any dentist reading this) Dentists are scary even for adults, not to mention toddlers! We all celebrate the milestone of a first tooth, but as parents, we forget that a dentist appointment should soon follow.

This blog post will go over when a baby/toddler should visit the dentist for the first time, what to expect at that visit, and how to prepare you and your child. So after you’re done celebrating that first tooth, read this blog post and then call your dentist!

When should a child visit the dentist for the first time

Every child sees their pediatrician within days of being in this world and sees them a handful of times before their first birthday. But what about the dentist? According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, it is recommended that a child go to the dentist by the age of 1 or within six months after their first tooth erupts. After the first visit to the dentist, regular check-ups should be scheduled every six months. 

Why is dental care important for baby teeth?

Even though the baby teeth will eventually fall out and make way for adult teeth, regular dental visits now are important for your child’s oral health. Baby teeth are very important to your child’s health and development. They are necessary for a baby to start speaking and chewing.

They also save space for the child’s future permanent teeth. If a baby tooth is lost too early, a permanent tooth could drift into that space, making it difficult for other permanent teeth to find room when they start to come in. This can lead to crooked or crowded teeth.

Thus, good oral hygiene care is very important, even at such a young age!

Pediatric dentist vs. Regular dentist

When booking your child’s first dentist visit, you have the choice of choosing your own family dentist or a pediatric dentist. Here are some differences between the two to help guide your decision:

We chose a pediatric dentist for Remy and we have been pleased with our experiences so far. Each exam room was decorated with a certain playful theme that captivated Remy’s interest and put him at ease. All of the staff were really friendly and were very knowledgeable in how to care for kids. 

What to expect when going to the dentist for the first time

The first visit to the dentist will most likely be short and involve very little treatment. This is so the dentist can be introduced to your child in a friendly manner and start the relationship off in a positive way.

They may check your little one’s existing teeth for decay or cavities and clean any teeth, if necessary. The dentist will also most likely ask you about your child’s oral habits, such as any thumb sucking, their nutrition, and developmental milestones, including teething.

They will then probably discuss oral health care basics with you and explain good oral hygiene practices for your child’s teeth and gums. 

Prior to going to the dentist, be sure to write down any questions you can think of so that you can discuss near the end of the child’s dental visit.

How to prepare your child for their first dentist visit

So now that you know when the first dentist visit should be and what you can expect, how do you go about preparing you and your child for the appointment? Here are some ideas that you can implement in the weeks and days leading up to the first dentist visit:

Curious George Visits the Dentist

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Just Going to the Dentist (Little Critter) (Golden Look-Look Books)

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How to care for your child’s teeth at home

Between visits to the dentist, it’s important to maintain good oral hygiene habits at home for everyone, including your child! Ask your dentist how to care for those tiny chompers at home. Here is an idea on how to take care of those little teeth:

Popular Picks for Toddler Toothbrushes/Toothpaste

Hello Oral Care Kids Fluoride Free and SLS Free Toothpaste, Natural Watermelon, 4.2 Ounce

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Colgate My First Baby and Toddler Toothbrush and Fluoride Free Toothpaste Set for Ages 0-2 Years

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Baby Orajel Elmo Tooth & Gum Cleanser with Finger Brush, Fruity Fun, 0.7oz

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Dr. Brown’s Infant-to-Toddler Toothbrush Set, 1.4 Ounce, Pink

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Final thoughts

In conclusion, your child’s first visit to the dentist doesn’t have to be scary! As long as you prepare you and your child in advance, it can be a positive experience. In fact, Remy absolutely LOVES going to the dentist, but probably because all of the staff pay him special attention. ???? (Don’t tell him that they do this with all the kids!) 

Hopefully this post will put you at ease and help set the expectations for dentist visits. Let me know in the comments below how you plan on preparing your child for their first dentist visit! Do you prefer picture books or pretend play or both?

Allergies can be a scary thing, especially for children. What’s even worse is if your little one has an appointment with an allergist and you not only have to prepare for their anxiety, but yours as well! Let’s go over what you may expect at a pediatric allergy appointment to ease some of your nerves. Please note, this is our personal experience and your experience may be different. The information provided in this blog post is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified healthcare professional and is not intended as medical advice.

Unfortunately, I get to write this blog post because Remy is allergic to peanuts! Of course, we only know that for sure now because of an office visit with an allergy doctor. When Remy was about 7 months old, we gave him some peanut butter with banana for breakfast. We didn’t expect any issue as there is no family history of peanut allergy or any kind of allergies, actually. About 5 minutes of Remy’s first bite of peanut butter, he broke out into severe hives all over his face wherever the peanut butter touched. And poor Remy, he would scratch his itchy spots and rub his entire face, and because he had peanut butter on his hands, he would make his rash even worse. In the photo below, Remy’s rash had decreased a bit as it was about an hour after eating the peanut butter.

We were able to see the pediatrician that day, who thought it was most likely the peanut causing Remy’s reaction. The doctor prescribed hydrocortisone (steroid) cream and told us to avoid peanuts until we could see the allergist to confirm the allergy. In order to allow Remy’s immune system to settle down, the allergy appointment wouldn’t be for another two months.

Preparing for the appointment

In order to prepare for the allergy appointment, you may be asked to avoid antihistamine (allergy) medicine or steroid cream on your little one about a week prior. This is to prevent any false negatives during the actual skin tests. This wasn’t a problem for us as we were using the steroid cream only sparingly on some of Remy’s eczema rash.

Beginning of appointment

The beginning of our allergy appointment started like most other pediatric appointments where the staff takes vitals, such as length, weight, and oxygen saturation. Remy doesn’t particularly care for this part, but it’s important information to keep up-to-date, especially for growing babies! We made up for it by taking selfies while waiting!

The nurse then explained to me and my husband what the skin testing process would be. Since Remy also had eggs the same day as the peanut butter, the allergist also wanted to test for eggs. In order to test for the allergy, the nurse would use a small plastic toothpick that would prick the surface of the skin and deposit a small amount of the diluted allergen. She showed us a clean toothpick and allowed us to feel it and prick our own fingers. It didn’t hurt at all – just a little poke!

Allergy skin test

Once we felt we understood the skin testing better, we were ready for Remy to undergo his testing. Because Remy was a little young, they do the skin testing on the back so they can’t scratch their skin if it get itchy. Older kids and adults can have their allergy testing done on their forearm. My husband was asked to hold Remy as if he were hugging him and tuck Remy’s arms under his arms so they wouldn’t get in the way.

The nurse wiped Remy’s back with an alcohol pad and allowed it to dry. Then she wrote four letters space out on his back: “D, H, E, P”. D (top left) is for distilled water, or the negative control, since we know that will be no allergic reaction. H (top right) is for histamine, which is a control for a positive reaction. E (bottom left) is for eggs and P (bottom right) is for peanuts.

After this, the nurse then used a separate toothpick to apply a small amount of dilute allergen. Remy did so well at this part! He didn’t cry and he was more interested in “What’s going on back there?!”

The waiting game

After the allergens have been applied, it’s time for the waiting game! This game is not so easy with a squirmy baby who is probably itchy! We were advised to wait for 15 minutes to let any reactions to occur. We passed the time by nursing, playing peek-a-boo, and looking out the window.

Results

Once the waiting game is over, it’s time for the results! For a positive reaction, you will see a red, raised, itchy bump, also known as a wheal and it has a surrounding flarel. This wheal and flare is measured and recorded. The larger the wheal and flare, the greater the sensitivity to the allergen. A negative reaction will be flat and not itchy, but the spot may be a little red from the prick.  

Remy’s skin testing showed that he reacted to the peanuts, but not to the eggs. As you can see, the “E” for eggs (bottom left) looks very similar to the negative control, “D” for distilled water (top left). In contrast, the “P” for peanuts (bottom right) had a wheal that was similar to “H” for histamine (top right).

After the appointment

Based off of the skin testing results, the allergist confirmed that Remy was allergic to peanuts. We were educated to avoid peanuts, but to continue to expand his diet. Also, peanuts are not the same as tree nuts, such as almonds, cashews, and walnuts. Remy was prescribed the EpiPen in case he did come into contact with peanuts and had an anaphylactic reaction.  

TIP: If you are prescribed the EpiPen, ask for two separates pens so you can keep one at school and the other at home/diaper bag.

The allergist recommended for Remy to undergo skin testing again at age two as about 20% of kids do eventually outgrow their peanut allergy. ????So far, we have been managing very well without peanuts – Remy LOVES almond butter! Luckily, his school is a nut-free school, but we have an EpiPen there, just in case.

And that is our experience with a pediatric allergy appointment! Overall, Remy was a champ and did a lot better than I had hoped for. I hope this posts alleviates your fear if you have an allergy appointment coming up. Please remember that our experience may be different than yours. Have you or your little ones seen an allergist? I would love to hear your experience!