Taking care of a preschooler

Basic care
A preschooler seems born to help. He has developed many of the necessary motor skills to help you and himself and to perform a variety of everyday tasks. He'll help you unload the groceries, fold the laundry, pay the bus fare. He'll put on his own clothes and shoes, brush his own hair, wash his own hands. He may not do any of it to your standards or schedule, but he'll work with great pride of purpose whenever you let him try. Celebrate that independence, and help your preschooler to help himself.

Dental care
Your preschooler still needs your help with brushing his teeth. Once a week, you might like to have your child brush his teeth and then chew a disclosing tablet that will colour the plaque and tartar that he missed. It's an entertaining way to teach him proper brushing technique. You should ensure that your child brushes no more than two times a day with fluoridated toothpaste, and use water only or non-fluoridated toothpaste the other times.

Some children begin losing their baby teeth as early as their fourth year, others not until their sixth year. Your child may be quite alarmed by the fact that his teeth have begun to fall out -- it can be a little painful to lose a tooth, and there is sometimes a small amount of blood. For a child who hasn't yet developed a concept of money, the promise of the tooth fairy's visit makes no difference whatsoever. As soon as you notice your child's wiggly tooth, explain that the tooth will soon fall out but it will be replaced with a grown-up tooth that's already in his mouth.