16-Month-Old Child

Now that brushing teeth is a regular part of your toddler’s routine, it’s important to make sure she’s using toothpaste that contains fluoride, a mineral that helps fight cavities.

Your tot only needs a small amount of toothpaste — about the size of a grain of rice is safe, since at her age, she isn’t usually able to spit it out rather than swallow it.

Most kids get all the fluoride they need from toothpaste and tap water, which has fluoride added to it (depending on where you live). If your child only sips on bottled water, consider buying a brand that’s been fortified with fluoride.

By now, you’ve likely stored your house plants well out of reach of your reaching toddler, who was probably more interested in trying to eat the leaves than admire them. But when it comes to poisonous plants, you might want to keep them out of your house altogether.

Here’s a list of some (but not all) of the more common poisonous houseplants: 

• Poinsettia

• English ivy

• Peace lily

• Philodendron 

• Arrowhead vine 

• Devil’s ivy

If your little guppy loves the bath, you may be wondering if you should sign her up for swim classes.

While the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) supports swimming lessons for tots ages 1 and older, the classes aren’t really designed to teach toddlers to swim on their own — rather, they’re structured so that parents and kids can have fun in the water together. They’re also a great way to introduce water safety skills early on.

Look for swim programs that are taught by professionals who are certified in CPR and trained and certified through a nationally recognized learn-to-swim curriculum. Remember, too, that swim lessons don’t protect a toddler from drowning and aren’t a substitute for constant adult supervision.

Your tot seems out of sorts — is it a headache? A tummy ache? Since young toddlers lack the vocabulary needed to describe their symptoms, you may have to look out for certain signs that can give you a clue as to what your tot is feeling.

• Headache. Your toddler may grab or rub her head, or act uncharacteristically irritable. If a serious head injury, like a concussion, occurred, she may also vomit. 

• Stomach ache. Your child may bend over and grab her belly, or walk carefully so as not to upset her stomach.

• Throat pain. Sore throats are tricky to spot, but look for signs that your little one is having trouble swallowing — hesitancy or discomfort, for example. 

• Chest pain. This can also be hard to ID. Your tot may hold or rub her chest or may take shallow, rapid breaths. In other cases, the only symptom may be uncharacteristic irritability.

Take a deep breath: Biting isn’t necessarily the aggressive behavior you think it is. In fact, toddlers are known to nip for lots of innocent reasons: boredom, teething pain or simple curiosity (“What happens if I chew on Mom’s shoulder?”). 

Still, that doesn’t mean you want to encourage the behavior — especially if your child bit someone on the playground or at day care.

To nip the nipping habit in the bud, make it clear that biting is never okay — that means no giggling when she gives you a “love bite” on your cheek or even taking a playful chomp of her toes yourself.

The quickest way to gauge whether your toddler has a fever is by putting the back of your hand on her forehead. But the only way to get a reliable reading — and therefore, determine whether you need to call the doctor — is by taking her temperature with a good quality thermometer.

Rectal readings yield the most accurate results (try lubricating the tip of the thermometer with some petroleum jelly), but if you’re met with resistance, you can try taking a forehead reading. Your best bet is to take a few readings, since forehead thermometers can be inconsistent.

You don’t have to thumb your nose at your toddler’s thumb-sucking habit. Like a stuffed animal or blanket, thumb-sucking provides some much needed comfort to children, especially when they’re tired or upset — and, unlike a cherished lovey, their thumb is always on hand.

At this age, thumb-sucking won’t affect her teeth or mouth development, so it’s probably best not to make a big deal out of it, although you can certainly try keeping your toddler's hands busy by giving her push-pull toys or blocks to play with. Most children kick the thumb-sucking habit by the age of 3.