Cancker Question and How Do I Dress My 18 Mo for Bed?

OK as I understand it canker sores are typically caused by herpes virus. Best way to avoid a little one getting infected is to not share any cups, toothbrushes, food etc w/ anyone, and especially not with someone else who has ever had a canker sore. So if you have ever had one, don't share a cup w. your little one as you have the virus. Once you have the virus you will always have it. People think I am nuts as i do my best NOT to let my 21 month old share cups with anyone but I figure the longer I keep her herpes free, the better. Also, my pediatrician recommends no more than 4 oz of DILUTED juice/day ie 1 oz of juice plus 3oz of water. We only give it on weekends, otherwise she drinks lots of water and milk at mealtimes. If he's already used to juice you might have to dilute it gradually for him.

As for dressing at night, here's my method of determining what to dress her in. I check weather.com for the overnight low temp and the hour by hr to see how the temp looks in her sleep period (8pm-8am). If it's going to be under 60, I use layers. A thin pair of two piece non-footed pjs under and another pair over. The weight of the second pair is determined by the temp. If under 50, definitely the second pair is fleece. If mid to high 50s a light second pair w/feet. If it's hotter (like Thur/Fri night) I put shorty pjs on her and lay out a second longer pair. I check her around midnight before I go to bed and if it's cold in her room put the other pair right over the ones she is wearing to minimally disturb her seep. We also have a ceiling fan which I'll put on if it's warmer and then just turn off before i go to bed to make sure it doesn't get too cold. We always have two fleece blankets in her crib so she can cuddle with them but she really isn't adept at covering herself properly yet.

So, my point is that you understand what your son is like, so I recommend you gather the appropriate data on the temp etc (and factor in how your house cools/heats inside in response to outside changes). Ok maybe it sounds complicated but it isn't, and we usually end up with my little one very comfortable.

Hope that helps!

My oldest runs hot and has slept in shorts since he was a few months old because he sweats and gets very warm at night. My youngest likes to be swaddled still so I put him in a onesie and wrap him up and leave the boys fan on all night this time of the year.

If your son bit his tongue I would stay away from acidic foods like juice and tomatoes right now if he had a canker sore you'd see it. For now stick w/ water and milk for drinks. I know when it starts getting hot out some kids won't drink or eat a lot of dairy so get the calcium in other ways if this is the case w/ your son.

It is very normal to be worrying, checking them, undressing and redressing, we have all done it! No worries! At this time of year, I dress both my kids for bed (almost 4 and almost 2 years) in either long, footless pants with a short sleeved top, or shorts and a short sleeved top. Only on very cool nights will I do long sleeves and pants, and I did this evern when they were your son's age. Everyone, even babies and kids, gets warmer overnight as they sleep. With the heat we had at the end of the week, they were definitely in shorts. Leave a light blanket in his crib so he can put it on if he does get cooler. Very young babies should be dressed with one more layer than we would wear, but by 18 months, your son can wear more or less what you would, depending on the changing weather conditions.

As far as the canker sores, my older daughter gets them a lot! I don't think she did when she was 18 months, but you never know at that age! Just the other day she was complaining when she ate tomatoes and ketchup. She also gets upset if the toothbrush hits it. Most of them I can see on her inner lower lip or cheek, but some I can't even see. Just avoid the acidic foods for the next day or so and he should start to improve. It takes a few days to really go away. Canker sores are really just a form of a little virus. Hang in there and don't worry too much!

totally normal!! I used to worry a lot more and go in and check on him two times a night and put the blankets back on him, but now I don't worry. He is two. Last night I put him in bed with a sweatshirt on but realized the room was stuffy and pulled the sweatshirt off at midnight. Since it is warming up I dress him in lightweight pants and a longsleeve t-shirt or heavier pants and a short sleeve t-shirt. Both my husband and I run warm at night and leave the door open to the outside in our room and a fan running. One layer of light clothes for my son is fine at night because he usually sleeps on top of his covers, where as both my husband and I sleep under them and it is warmer in my son's room. I think if your son is sleeping through the night then just don't worry about it. When my son wakes up in the morning I usually go in and ask him if he wants to put socks on or a sweatshirt and he usually does, but I would rather have my son be more comfortable at night during his sleep then sweat it out. If he is sleeping, don't worry too much. You can put your hand on his arms and legs and see if he is really cold or warm. When my son is cold he usually sleeps on his arms and legs curled up in a ball and I just go in and put a little blanket on him and his is fine till morning. As far as his mouth, he could be getting some teeth and they are sore, or he could have bitten the inside of his lip or cheek and you just can't see it. Just stay away from juice and anything acidic for a little while. My son reacted the same way for a couple of days with oranges.

Hi K.,

I can relate to what you are going through with how to dress your son for the night! I also run cold and my husband runs warm, so we generally have different thoughts on how to dress our son for sleeping. I also do layering as others do, and I use a similar "check the temp" idea as Jackie, but a bit more tailored to my son's room.

A few months ago I bought a little temp/humidity reader that you could place on a window and I just leave it in my son's room near his crib. I originally used it to decide if we should run the humidifier in his room in the winter, but realized it was great for determining how to dress him at night. His room runs much cooler than other rooms in our house, so I was always worried he would get cold at night. I take a look at the temp before we get into PJs, have an idea of how cold it is supposed to get that night, and guess how much the temp may change in his room. It didn't take long to see an easy pattern as to how his room temp fluctuates with the weather outside, so now a quick glance at the temp in his room makes it easy to determine how to dress him.

I also take a peek at him before going to bed and put a cover on him if it seems a little cool in his room. I use a light cotton blanket or a wool blanket depending on the season/temp. We also bought a little space heater that I sometimes turned on in the winter when it was really cold and his room just would not warm up unless we had the heat everywhere jacked way up (not economical!). I was nervous about the space heater at first but found a child-safe one that works awesome, and am really glad to have it when we need it.

I figure we just "guess and check" until they are old enough to tell us when they are hot/cold... which won't be too far down the road! Good luck! You are doing great!

L.

HI K.,

ketchup and juice are high in acid, it might bother your little one...cut the juice with water. Or maybe he just does not like it.

I know your not sleeping out side, I always went by the temp of house inside. If your comfy inside then you will be sleeping comfy. This time of year I always put light weight pjs on my children. He will be fine. All this changing them through the night is just to much for anyone.

Your doing a great job, so relax and enjoy your little one!