Oral habits

Is there anything sweeter than toddler kisses? Our little coyote has finally mastered the closed-mouth smacker kiss. Not that the open mouthed kiss wasn't sweet, but it always reminded me of baby birds waiting for tasty tidbits to be delivered.

Unfortunately, she's started biting again. My shoulder is carrying teeth marks from last night's tired baby chomping. Most of the resources I've read say a firm "No biting!" and putting the child away from you is the best response. She laughs when I tell her no, but the being set aside appears to make a statement. Her tears hurt me worse than the teeth, but then, it's not about me.

Speaking of oral habits, the teeth brushing thing is quite a challenge. I remember when I used to try to brush my dogs' teeth. Eventually I gave that up and decided various tarter bone treats would be good enough. I guess that's not going to work on our little girl. Luckily, her Daddy seems to be having better luck with it than me. Guess who's job that's going to be from now on?