Why does the baby put its hand in its mouth?
When a baby puts its hand in its mouth, parents almost always have one reflex: there's definitely a tooth coming. If I wanted to live from hand to mouth (not in the original sense, of course), I would have realised my brilliant idea long ago - and invented the so-called dentiometer for the U4 examination.
My plan: to make a device that resembles a Geiger counter. And when the children come to me at U4, i.e. when they are three or four months old, I run the device over their mouths, make a funny noise and tell their parents: "It will be another six, eight, maybe even ten weeks before a tooth breaks through at this point."
What makes me think that? Because I'm asked at every U4: "Don't you think there will be teeth coming soon because our baby is putting his hand in his mouth so much and he's drooling so much?"
The fact is that most babies don't get their first tooth until they are six to eight months old. And children don't put their hand in their mouth at four months because they are about to teethe - but because they can. In the weeks before that, the child is not yet able to coordinate its movements properly. But after three months it gets the hang of it:
a) My hand
b) My mouth
c) I can put my hand in my mouth.
And that's exactly why they do it so much and drool accordingly.
But in most cases it has nothing to do with teething. And if they don't believe me, then maybe I'll introduce the dentiometer examination for 20 euros an hour and predict the first tooth for parents. You know: in six, eight or ten weeks.
Further interesting tips
Sun protection
When it comes to sun protection, as is so often the case, there are rules - but you also have to approach things with common sense. Please don't lock your children up out of panic about UV damage. Because both are possible: outdoor exercise and safe sun protection - if you follow a few rules. What never hurts: when adults set a good example.
Ticks
My conclusion after almost 15 years as a paediatrician in private practice: tick-borne diseases are probably the most overestimated health risk - at least from the parents' point of view.
Moles
Children are not small adults. One topic where this beautiful phrase once again applies is the mole, medically known as a nevus. Dealing with brown moles and the need to have them looked at by a dermatologist is very different for children than for adults.