when do you start brushing kids teeth?

amother

Thu, Nov 12 2009, 4:56 pm

is it as soon as they have any teeth?

my dd is one years old, six teeth.
we got her a toothbrush, but it's very hard to brush her teeth, she does not like it...
also, she drinks formula in middle of the night, and when she falls asleep, so is there any point in brushing at night??
do you brush 'baby's' teeth during the day, whenever you get a chance...

how does it work?
how do you do it?
TIA

purplesquare

Thu, Nov 12 2009, 5:56 pm

I have a just 3 year old and 21 month old and they brush in the morning. We will start in the evening as well. the issue is that it takes hours b/c they like to do it themselves afterward, in the evening it's harder

malky613

Thu, Nov 12 2009, 6:20 pm

Have you tried putting a drop of infant/toddler toothpaste on the toothbrush? They are safe to swallow and super sweet, it's like dessert.

My 15-month old twins love brushing their teeth because it's sweet... they chew on the toothbrush bristles and like to move it around their mouths. They've been "brushing" their teeth this way since they were teething heavily, before the teeth cut the gums. I try to "help" them out a bit by brushing correctly while they are "brushing," but they like to do it by themselves for the most part.

NotInNJMommy

Thu, Nov 12 2009, 6:21 pm

Once they have some teeth, by 1 yr at the latest.

I start with the baby "toothpaste" that is sweet and after 2 move to regular toothpaste. I brush first "properly" and then let them go at it as they please.

gold21

Thu, Nov 12 2009, 9:57 pm

I started brushing pretty late with ds1, and I feel bad about it. I started when he was like three and a quarter. I started at a good time with my 14 month old, when he was about a year. I think its good to start at 1 year old.

geemum

Sun, Nov 15 2009, 6:38 am

I started brushing all their teeth when each was one (approx). at night before bed. I use the toothbrush suitable for that age. I try not to encourage them not to chew on the toothbrush as they get older, but kids will be kids and they often do. My DS (5) says he puts water on and sucks/drinks it!

I think the main point is to establish a routine of brushing teeth.

Motheroftwins

Sun, Nov 15 2009, 11:10 am

It is so important to brush kids teeth....they can get cavities just like adults.

I have 2 yr old twins, so everything takes double the amount of time. I brush their teeth after breakfast and at night before bed (right after they get their daily vitamin). Of course, they want to do it themself, which is good, they should be interested and encouraged - it's a good habit to get into. So I tell them you can do it after Mommy. I show them how to say AHHHHH so their mouth opens and I can get in their. Then I tell them to say EEEEEEE so I can get the fronts done well. Then I let them have fun for a minute doing it themselves, and then I tell them all done and take it away to clean.

I bought Elmo toothpaste and Abby Cadabby toothpaste from shoprite, which is safe to swallow and they love it cuz it has the characters on it and it tastes great (elmo is apple-banana and Abby is berry).

It was hard at the beginning cuz they had no clue what to do, but once they got used to it, it's not so bad and it takes a minute of my time.

Even if you dont get it 100% correct, you establish a routine showing them the importance, and you will get more gunk off their teeths than if you didnt do it at all.

SarahSpundah

Sun, Nov 15 2009, 11:35 am

frumamn wrote:

Officially, you're supposed to clean their gums even before they have teeth to promote healthy gums. For sure once they have a tooth or more

Yes. It's also a good way to have an official bedtime routine as once their teeth are brushed, no more eating or drinking for the night and it's off to sleep we go! Brush in the morning after breakfast too!

amother

Sun, Nov 15 2009, 11:39 am

I'd love to get my ds toothpaste to brush with. But, and I'm surprised no one has mentioned this yet, I can't find one that's kosher! I don't mean one with an actual hechsher on it, but we called our local kashrus org and were told that we can only get toothpaste without a certain ingredient. Haven't been able to find any toothpaste without that ingredient and also without flouride! So our poor kid brushes with water.

I'm in Baltimore. Has anyone who is aware of this problem found a good toothpaste somewhere?

SarahSpundah

Sun, Nov 15 2009, 12:50 pm

amother wrote:

Not sure what you hold by but this is what we use. Will it work for you?

http://www.tomsofmaine.com/pro.....;s4=1

Motheroftwins

Sun, Nov 15 2009, 1:09 pm

amother wrote:

What ingredient should these toothpastes should not have????

SarahSpundah

Sun, Nov 15 2009, 1:21 pm

From OU Kosher: "The most kashrus sensitive ingredient often found in toothpaste is glycerin, which is often animal based, and usually makes up one third of the product."

The link I gave above does not use glycerin from animals - it is vegetable based.

Aribenj

Sun, Nov 15 2009, 7:39 pm

From birth. It's part of their bathtime routine so it's never a struggle.

When they're little I use those soft rubber toothbrushes that fit over your finger and just do their gums. When they get teeth I do their teeth and once they want to do it alone like by 18 months, I get them a toddler one and we take turns brushing. So far no issues BH!

DovDov

Tue, Nov 17 2009, 12:38 pm

amother wrote:

Melaleuca brand children's toothpaste has a star-K and no fluoride.

Melaleuca is one of those funny marketing companies where you pay double the price if you're not a member, and you have to buy a lot to be a member, so it's best to find a friend who will order it for you (unless you are interested in teh rest of their products).

PM me for more information.

amother

Tue, Nov 17 2009, 12:43 pm

SarahSpundah wrote:

amother wrote:

Not sure what you hold by but this is what we use. Will it work for you?

http://www.tomsofmaine.com/pro.....;s4=1

Hm, it says "kosher and halal" on it. How did you find out it was okay? I"m assuming it doesn't have an actual hechsher? Thanks for the tip!