Hi to all the Huggies Mums

Brushing your baby's teeth can sometimes be a little trying. Do you have any tips or advice for other mums on how to care for their baby's teeth? In fact how do you manage to get a toothbrush into their mouth at all?

We look forward to hearing your tips.

Cheers
Lauraine

Hi everyone,

My little man at 8 months has got his two bottom teeth. I use a wet clean washcloth to clean them after each meal and when I do them I try and make it fun so he lets me do it by making funny noises or sing to make him open his mouth and smile. Another tip for them liking a toothbrush is to give them their own little toothbrush just to chew on so they can get used to the texture, etc. My Mum done this for myself and my sister.

Hope this is of some help.

smile

There is a toothbrush you can buy which is basically like the finger section of a rubber glove only a little stiffer, it has soft bristles on the end just like a toothbrush. It gets put onto your finger and makes brushing bubby's teeth and gums easier. The fact you can feel the gums and teeth through the rubber allows you to use as much or as little pressure as you need without hurting there tender mouths. My son loves the feeling of it. You can buy them from chemist. Just watch your fingers don't get chomped. lol
Cheers!

Hi all,
My son is 13 months and he knows when I say "brush your teeth" what I mean because as soon as his teeth appeared (6 months) I have been gently giving them a quick brush with a baby toothbrush (the type that is a small version of an adults). I give it to him while he's in the bath. First I give them a quick go while a sing a silly "you brush your teeth chhhh chhhhh" song (I think playschool does it) and he loves it, he lets me do it for short amounts of time. Then I just allow him to chew on the bristles a bit. I also try to show him when I brush my teeth too and make it look fun, often singing with a lovely mouthful of toothpaste. I figure I will introduce very small amounts of child's toothpaste soon too.

After reading these tips I thought I better start my man on his way to looking after his teeth. We bought the colgate my first toothbrush. I give it to him in the bath so he can chew and splash with it. Just before we're finished in the bath I give his two teeth a light brush.Hopefully by starting so early it will make life easier down the track.

Hi all,
I was a Dental Assistant for a few years, as the other mums have posted starting early is a great idea & saves you having to get a three year old in a headlock to brush their teeth smile

Brush up & down instead of across,
Gums are just as important as teeth, cos there what hold them in!, so making sure that you massage the gums SOFTLY whith the toothbrush whilst brushing is just as important as brushing them, also the smaller & softer the toothbrush the better (this is the same for adults aswell).



Hope this helps!

Elz

Hi all,
I found that giving Ryan his toothbrush to play with in the bath, right from when he was first teething (and before any popped through), has helped with brushing his teeth. He knows that when he sees mum and dad brush their teeth, he has to do his, and he loves it when we make silly noises to get him to smile (easier for me). He's 11 months with 6 teeth, and loves having his teeth brushed. Only problem now is to teach him how to spit the toothpaste out. Any suggestions???

I found that the only way to get my daughter to open up her mouth to brush her teeth is to sit her with me in front of a mirror, and then we both brush our teeth at the same time - she immitates everything I do. After she has had a good go, she is then generally content to let me finish the job. She is now almost 3 and this is still working.

My son saw me brush my teeth one day and I happened to have his baby toothbrush at hand and he wanted to do the same so now we do it everyday and I sing the same song as Laura does (we brush our teeth chcchchchch) and he loves it . Prior to this I used to use a face washer during bath time to rub his gums and at first the first few teeth but now he has more teeth and he's happy with the brush.

ava is 11months old and has had 6 teeth since she was 6 months old. i too give her her toothbrush while she is in the bath and then we both brush our teeth together. i spose it is all a novelty for her as she is copying what mummy is doing

Hi,

We've been brushing our bubs teeth for a good few months now. She's now 14mnths and we've just got her some toothpaste in the last month (Macleans 'Milk Teeth'). She quite likes having her teeth brushed, but I also can't figure out how to get her to spit out the tooth paste. I'm only using a teeny smudge on the end of the brush (almost invisible) but am having no luck. It's funny actually, she makes these really cute noises trying to spit it out but I just don't think she gets it.

Any ideas??

Hi Shanna,
Most kids don't understand the concept of spitting until they are at least two. That is why it is not recommended you use toothpaste until they can. "Milk Teeth" and other child toothpastes are really low in Fluoride but if they do get too much it can make them sick but it doesn't sound as though you are using much so it shouldn't be a problem. Keep up the good work!
Naomi

Hi Naomi!

Thanks for the advise, it's much appreciated. I guess we'll just continue on and one day have a celebration when she suddenly understands. It's so beautiful to watch them grow.

Have a great day,
Smiles!
Shanna

Hi
I'm new here but had to let you know my 18mth old LOVES brushing his teeth! After breakfast and lunch he is hardly down from his chair before he's walking towards the bathroom saying "teth, teth". If I can't help him straight away because I'm busy with his little brother he is heart broken, standing at the door sobbing. Once they're done, he gives his reflection the biggest, toothiest smile possible and walks out, happy once more. We also started in the bath with a 'brush' with rubber bumps rather than bristles. He chewed it for a few months before I bought him the colgate first toothbrush and paste. He loves looking at himself in the mirror and jiggling to the Play School "Brush My Teeth" song. Hope this gives you more hope for the future,

Cheers

Hi
Im actually having trouble with my son brushing his teeth no matter what I try!!
They look dirty too and its really starting to worry me! It's only just started and I was wondering if any one else has this problem and how to fix it! And should I be concerned about him not brushing always. I must add he will let me in for a second but thats it he will only chew on it and Ive heard thats bad for them????? Help I dont him to loss his baby teeth before he should!
meli

Hi meli,
If your son's teeth look dirty it may be the early stages of decay. It would probably be wise to see a dentist to have them checked. I have seen so many two year olds who have had to have all their teeth removed due to decay but it could have been prevented if it was treated earlier. Best to be safe than sorry.

Hi,
We were told by our Plunket nurse to help prevent decay (even if they dont have teeth yet) if you are feeding your baby juice, to give them a small drink of water when they are done as the juice soaks into their gums & starts to decay their teeth (the natural sugars apparently do their damage that way - I was quite surprised at this as the baby juice is highly diluted anyway) and the water helps to rinse it off the gums.
Cheers

my mum gave my 2 year old nephew his own tooth brush just to chew on when he was about 6 months old. It helps massage the gums and stuff and get them used to it that way as they get a bit older you just need to put yummy toothpaste on and walla..they brush their own teeth.
Marc actually started to "brush" his own teeth about 18mnths but he is very independent on himslef sohe always wanted to everything mum did.
I will be doing that with my sone when he starts to chew on stuff to.

ok whats a pinned post and how did i pin it??

Hi to all,
I spoke to my dentist about this as my daughter got her first 2 teeth at 6 months he advised that as soon as her teeth appeared to use a baby tooth brush to allow her to get used to the feel of the bristles and start a routine everyday, this would promote good dental health and help the teeth cutting through and sooth sore gums, sure enough we have done this everyday and she loves having her teeth brushed smile

Hi everyone,

My daughter is 10 months old and has 5 teeth, we have a daily ritual in the bath where Hallie brushes her own teeth. I brought her a Oral B stages toothbrush and some My First Colgate which is mild in flavour and i let her do it herself. Im sure that not alot of cleaning is done, but it gets her use to the tooth paste flavour, and gives her a lovley sweet smelling breath.
Can anyone help me with some advise on teeth grinding?? Hallie grinds her teeth (her top and bottom teeth together)apart from making a terrible noise she has actually taken a small chip out of her top tooth. Im at my wits end as to what i can do to stop this.

Cheers.
Fiona H

Hi Lorraine I found with trying to get my little girl to brush her teeth and i found that the easiest way to brush their teeth is to just give them a babies toothbrush and just them chew on it like is a teething toy just so that they get use to having something in their mouth. It worked for my little girl

We have 2 tooth brushes, one that Linsley uses and the other I use on him. Him and I both brush his teeth at the same time. We use the Mcleans milk teeth tooth paste. Its a fun game for him in the bath at night.

I am so fussy with teeth and dental care I spoke with a dental hygenist about caring for his teeth, she said to let him swollow the tooth paste as he needs the flouride in his system and also to give him flouride drops as we are on tank water but even if we were on town water they dont add flouride in our area so would give them to him anyway. She even said that adults should swollow the last mouthfull of toothpaste at night and not rinse as we still need the extra flouride systemically to keep our teeth healthy.

Hi my son is 20 months and has all his teeth and has had them since he was 15 months old. I give him his tooth brush while hes in the bath so he can chew and play with it ( i watch him to make sure he doesnt put it anywhere unhygeinic) then when its time to hop out i put tooth paste on it and clean them myself quickly i find no arguments that why cause hes learnt when the toothpaste goes on its mummy turn

We took our 18 month old to the dentist and the dentist said we need not have bothered, since he couldn't get a good look in the mouth anyway! We had a quick chat about dental care and that was it. He didn't charge us for the consult. Said to bring our son back in another 6 months or so.

Brush your teeth gently using short strokes. Apply just enough pressure to feel the bristles against the gums. Replace your toothbrush around two to three months or when the bristles are worn. A worn-out toothbrush may injure your gums. Replace your toothbrush after you’ve had a cold.

Lucy's teeth erupted really early, first two bottom teeth around 4 mos, then it was just constant teething. I remember at 12 mos, she had 12 teeth and now at 16 mos, she has all her milk teeth but the last two back molars.
I started cleaning her teeth regularly (against great protest) before bed. I used gauze wrapped around my finger, you could actually feel every side of the teeth and for me, worked better than a wet face washer.
I've been using a baby toothbrush with a smidgen of Colgate 'My First Toothpaste'. Depending on her mood, she'll let me brush (for about 3 strokes) and I sometimes hand her the toothbrush to chew on. I try to make it a fun activity (I must look up this Playschool song that a few mum's have menioned).
Because she isn't walking yet, I have to hold her while doing this nightly routine. I can't wait til she can stand on a chair, learn to brush teeth and spit!

DD has had her teeth brushed since 4 months (when her first tooth came through) however once her molars came in she started to refuse to let me brush her teeth.

DH figured out if we sit her on the edge of the bathroom sink (us behind her so she's safe!), with her feet in the sink and the tap running on a trickle she will happily play with the water and let us brush. Easy!!

We have 2 tooth brushes, one that Linsley uses and the other I use on him. Him and I both brush his teeth at the same time. We use the Mcleans milk teeth tooth paste. Its a fun game for him in the bath at night.

I am so fussy with teeth and dental care I spoke with a dental hygenist about caring for his teeth, she said to let him swollow the tooth paste as he needs the flouride in his system and also to give him flouride drops as we are on tank water but even if we were on town water they dont add flouride in our area so would give them to him anyway. She even said that adults should swollow the last mouthfull of toothpaste at night and not rinse as we still need the extra flouride systemically to keep our teeth healthy.

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Thanks for nice information .I also try to show him when I brush my teeth too and make it look fun, often singing with a lovely mouthful of toothpaste. Thanks for sharing.