OMG. Out of all of the totally adorable things that dogs do when they interact with babies -- teaching them a valuable skill has to be at the top of the list, right? The parents of one 5-month-old baby boy know this all too well -- because their two dogs actually showed him how to properly chew on a teething toy, even though they probably didn't realize they were doing so.

And while parents definitely need to be careful not to treat their dog as a babysitter, I think it's safe to say that sometimes babies really can learn a thing or two about navigating the world just by watching and taking cues from the family pet. Who needs all those fancy baby teaching tools when Fido is around?

If baby bites, it can be very effective to calmly remove baby from the breast and say nothing (or perhaps make a calm comment like "Oh? Don't want to nurse right now?"), then end the nursing session for a bit.

That was the sort of advice I found online several years ago after my child bit me. I'd launched into a full-panic Internet search using terms like "BABY" + "HAS THE BITE FORCE OF A RABIES-INFESTED ROTTWEILER" + "WHAT IS INFANT RETURN & DEFECTIVE POLICY," and I'd hoped for something more useful. You know, like a scientific article assuring me I hadn't given birth to Damien from The Omen.The thing was, he didn't bite me while he was nursing or anything like that. He hauled off and bit me because he was pissed off.

If you've got a baby growing teeth, or you just want to prepare for cold and flu season, you may notice something different in the infant medicine aisle. Instead of Tylenol's concentrated infant drops, a new formula is coming to a drug store near you. In fact, it's possible you haven't even seen any infant Tylenol or Motrin products on the shelves of your local stores in quite some time. There's a reason for that, and there's a reason these new formulas should replace your old ones.

So take a peek in your medicine cabinet, and see what you've got in the way of baby acetaminophen. Ready?

Toddlers are a very curious bunch -- so curious, in fact, that they like to SWALLOW FOREIGN OBJECTS while investigating their surroundings. Where we might take a look, toddlers take a lick.

Remember the toddler who swallowed a screwdriver or the other kid who swallowed a lithium battery!? Yikes! And you'll never guess what the latest tot has swallowed down -- GULP! -- why, a most delicious writing instrument, of course. No chewing involved. A ballpoint pen completely in tact. OUCH!

Well, if nothing else, this little girl's very accomplished skills (it just couldn't have been that easy to get that thing down the hatch) can serve as a big lesson for all parents of little ones.

Being a responsible parent means being prepared for all sorts of natural disasters, but what about the unnatural ones? Sure, you might know how to survive on melted ice-cream during a two-hour brown-out, but have you considered the importance of keeping your flame-throwers well-oiled in case of chupacabra attacks? Have you begun stockpiling water-proof tasers for the impending giant squid invasion? Have you decided how you will welcome our new alien overlords? 

Of course you have. Because that’s what responsible parents do. But what you might not have done is consider who in your family is most likely to survive in the event of an unnatural disaster. Which is fine, because I’ve done that for you. Because that's my job.

When caring for a brand-new baby, we’re so careful about checking every little thing we give them -- but sometimes, when someone mentions a traditional remedy, we can be tempted to try it. Hey, if it (allegedly) worked for the last thousand years, it can’t be all bad, right? Tylenol, bad ... chamomile, good! A recent look at some traditional, all-natural supplements says what smart moms already know -- that we should look at anything we put in our kids with the same skeptical eye. Because as my mom used to say, “Poison ivy is natural, too.” Is your favorite natural remedy as safe as you think?

Teething can be a pretty miserable experience for all involved, but most of all for the baby. Back in the day, our moms rubbed whiskey on our gums (well, at least mine did) and hoped for the best. Moms today are less likely to give babies alcohol, but more likely to try more natural teething solutions, especially since Orajel became unsafe for children under 2.

The FDA issued a warning about benzocaine, which is found in Orajel, Anbesol, and other over-the-counter meds used to help soothe baby gums. The quiet happiness didn't just help the babies, it also helped parents who may now have to resort to pulling their hair out to get through the first teeth.

Not to worry. There really are safe teething solutions that don't contain benzocaine. These include:

Amongst the numerous things moms get into arguments over, there's one argument that never fails to baffle me: When to take your baby to their first dental appointment.

It doesn't help that many dentists still cling to very outdated ideas, like a cavity in a baby tooth isn't a big deal or that kids don't need to go until they're 2 or 3. Some dentists even just "count teeth" at first appointments, which also is not recommended, nor really helpful.

The fact is, babies need to see the dentist by their first birthday, or within 6 months of getting their first tooth, whichever comes first.