i've never brushed my LOs teeth

[bumpy_j]

well he's 8 months and he cut his first 2 at 5, he now has 5 teeth altogether

i haven't brushed them because a) i have no idea how to! surely babies can't spit out toothpaste?

b) my mum never brushed my teeth when I was a baby - she said that they self clean?? and my teeth were fine, never had a filling.

but i kinda have a feeling i'm doing it wrong, can someone tell me what to do and have i left it horribly late? also his teeth are like little stubs and not really 'proper' milk teeth yet.

 

[iHeartbaby#1]

They make flavored toothpaste that doesn't contain flouride so babies can swallow it. The infant ones come with a little rubber toothbrush that you can put on your finger.

I wouldn't worry about waiting this long. I actually started at 6 months but 1/2 the time forget to brush because he falls asleep so soon after eating. I've heard that it's a good idea to get them used to it though so they don't fight it as much as a toddler.

 

[Rosie06]

ive been brushing lo's sinece they came through, well at first i gave her the toothbrush to play with and as with everything it went straight in her mouth then i held it with her and gave them a little brush,

You should check with your dentist to see if you should use adult toothpaste or a baby one because depending on were you live depends on what levels of flouride there is naturally in the water.

You only use a little smear of toothpaste so it doesnt matter that babies dont spit it out

 

[mrsb599]

We started brushing as soon as Phoebe got her first tooth, to get her used to it but I know a few people who left it until they had 4 or 5 teeth.

We got a wisdom toothbrush which is really small but "o" shaped too so really easy for Junior to hold.

I just put a small drop of toothpaste on the end of the brush and gave it to Phoebe to hold. If your baby is anything like mine, as soon as anything is in their hands, it goes straight to their mouth! Once Phoebe has the brush in her mouth, I move it side to side for her to get the teeth and then take it back of her.

I was quite daunted the first time, but with practice we got into a good little routine

Good luck

 

[vaniilla]

we use green people toothpaste which is fluoride free and a finger brush which makes it easy to brush his teeth

 

[Mindy_mini]

We started brushing the day after LO cut her first tooth.

Teeth don't self clean!!!!!

We bought a baby tooth brush and some milk teeth tooth paste WITH flouride in it (I spoke to my HV today and she confirmed we should use a flouride tooth paste or it's pointless using anything!)

We use a tiny smear - literally hold the tube and dip the end of the brush in it - you can bearly see the toothpaste we use so little of it.

Then we just give it a little wiggle around the teeth and the gum area.

 

[KayBea]

I just let my LO chew on a wet toothbrush at the moment, (just a cheap one).. She only has two half teeth but its just so she gets used to it. Xx

 

[KatieB]

I just use a baby toothbrush with some baby toothpaste (low fluoride) and brush on the evening using the tiniest smear on the brush. He loves having his two little teeth brushed x

 

[Vee_Bee]

well he's 8 months and he cut his first 2 at 5, he now has 5 teeth altogether

i haven't brushed them because a) i have no idea how to! surely babies can't spit out toothpaste?

b) my mum never brushed my teeth when I was a baby - she said that they self clean?? and my teeth were fine, never had a filling.

but i kinda have a feeling i'm doing it wrong, can someone tell me what to do and have i left it horribly late? also his teeth are like little stubs and not really 'proper' milk teeth yet.

Dirty girl!

Just kidding

I've also got the little toothbrush with the "o" shaped handle. I wouldn't worry - at least you're starting now xxxx

 

[Emmy1987]

I was wondering how you cleaned a baby's teeth, how you got around the toothpaste issue lol. I've been to scared to try! Lol but she doesn't have teeth through yet

 

[Babushka99]

In our generation they gave fluoride drops for babies so I wouldn't worry about them swallowing a tiny amount! I have a little mam toothbrush for lo and lavera (no fluoride toothpaste) and Aquafresh Milk teeth as well. She thinks its really funny when I brush her teeth

 

[bumpy_j]

I feel a bit thick now bought a finger toothbrush and fluoride free toothpaste got some milk teeth stuff from my bounty pack lying around too. thanks everyone!

 

[myasmumma]

when mya was tiny without teeth i used to get a wet cloth and wipe her gums, then once she got teeth i used the baby toothpaste and let her chew it

 

[Hippietea]

I like the milk teeth toothpaste you get in the Bounty pack as it's minty, it's worth starting with a minty one because some children grow up disliking minty things and I remember there was a girl at school when I was young with manky teeth because she said she hated minty things including toothpaste! Lame excuse but really worth getting them used to it ASAP! The most important thing is the brushing, the toothpaste is just for freshness and the fluoride benefit, which in the baby toothpaste is a safe enough level with a little dab on the brush, and good to give them some protection for when they're older.

 

[Babushka99]

That is true the children I used to babysit would only use bubblegum toothpaste that you can't even buy in the UK!

 

[bump#1]

We're not brushing teeth yet as we're still gummy.

However it is worth finding out whether the water in your area contains flouride as it will affect what toothpaste you buy. If your area has flouride in the water then buy baby toothpaste as it has a low flouride count to accomodate for there being extra in the water. If your water contains no flouride then HV & dentists are now recommending using normal adult toothpaste as it has the right amount of flouride in.

 

[MissGx]

Mekai loves having his teeth brushed! So I guess that makes it easiar I just use the milk teeth toothpaste and a colgate baby toothbrush

 

[3011busyyear]

The oral health lady who came To our
Baby group said to start brushing when they get their first tooth. Even if you can't do much brushing it will wash around in their saliva and kill any built up bacteria etc.
I do lo's in the bath, I get a few brushes in then let her chew on it. I try to leave half an hour after brushing before her bedtime bottle so it has time to take effect.

 

[MissyMojo]

i brush maddoxs wwhen hes in the bath, i use baby toothpaste and tell him to open up and i rub the brush across his teeth, then i let him play with the brush / chew it! while i brush mine, and hes start to try and copy me