https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 24 May 2026 00:46:21 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whenhow-to-start-brushing-teeth#post-2404652 Wed, 30 Dec 2015 14:46:32 +0000 californiadreams 2404652@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>i can't remember when i started, probably sometime after his tooth came in and i used the finger brush for a while. at some point i switched to an infant brush and non flouride toothpaste. we have always let him have milk after brushing his teeth even though i knew it wasn't the best. He just had his first dentist appt at 3 years old and they emphasized no food or drink after brushing so we just told him he can have water or has to brush his teeth again and he is fine with it. Lucky he had no cavities, but i was worried because i heard stories from other moms whose toddler had several cavities at a young age. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whenhow-to-start-brushing-teeth#post-2404565 Wed, 30 Dec 2015 13:53:01 +0000 MoonMoon 2404565@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>LO didn't get teeth until 10 or 11 months, but I started having him in the bathroom with me earlier then that in the mornings when I brushed my teeth, and he had a rubber brush shaped teething toy to chew on to get into the routine.</p> <p>We started brushing his teeth at night around 1 year old, then twice a day by 18 months.</p> <p>Our dentist is pretty strict about not nursing to sleep, but we still do sometimes. I ordered xylitol wipes off Amazon, and I usually do a quick wipe down of his teeth after he falls asleep. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whenhow-to-start-brushing-teeth#post-2404542 Wed, 30 Dec 2015 13:35:21 +0000 jhd 2404542@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I used the finger toothbrush as soon as he had teeth. Then he used a regular baby toothbrush around a year. At 16 months we switched to a kids electric toothbrush and he loves it. </p> <p>My niece had to have fillings at age four and a tooth removed because her parents put her to bed with a bottle so it freaks me out to not brush his teeth. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whenhow-to-start-brushing-teeth#post-2404530 Wed, 30 Dec 2015 13:31:32 +0000 BabyBoecksMom 2404530@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I used the finger toothbrush and non-fluoride toothpaste until about a year old, and then I started with a baby toothbrush. The hardest thing for me was switching to toothpaste WITH fluoride because I had to teach them how to spit it out. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whenhow-to-start-brushing-teeth#post-2404521 Wed, 30 Dec 2015 13:26:31 +0000 Alivoo01 2404521@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We brush DS's teeth during bath time at night. We always just used a regular toothbrush and tiny bit of paste. We started around 9 months? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whenhow-to-start-brushing-teeth#post-2404506 Wed, 30 Dec 2015 13:14:54 +0000 LuLu Mom 2404506@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have a Banana toothbrush i use twice a day, she loves it! She only has 1 tooth so it's not a big deal to me, i don't use paste yet even though the doc said we could. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whenhow-to-start-brushing-teeth#post-2404493 Wed, 30 Dec 2015 13:04:19 +0000 gingerbebe 2404493@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We cut out the bedtime milk and he was night weaned by the time we started the toothbrush. After dinner, its only water and now he looks forward to his water cup after a hot bath. We give bath at 630pm and started handing him a small baby toothbrush with a drop of training toothpaste while he was in the tub. We would guide the brush into his mouth initially and then we would brush our own teeth while sitting next to him so he got an idea of what he should be doing. Most of the time, he's just sucking the paste off and sorta wiggling the brush around, but we feel that's good enough for now and that its more important to get him into the habit without building a negative association. If he's not into it, we'll sometimes try to brush his teeth gently a few times for him, or as long as he'll tolerate it, but we try to avoid any struggles. After age 1, we started using a flouride toothpaste, so we feel like he's getting a little extra help that way. We have been handing him a toothbrush with paste in the mornings during his diaper change, but not super regularly, so I think we need to get better about that in the new year. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whenhow-to-start-brushing-teeth#post-2404477 Wed, 30 Dec 2015 12:48:19 +0000 snowjewelz 2404477@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have this finger tooth brush thing, and we all do it together (just in the morning for now, DD is 1). For some reason she likes it! She thinks it's funny. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whenhow-to-start-brushing-teeth#post-2404472 Wed, 30 Dec 2015 12:45:15 +0000 edelweiss 2404472@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>i started gently rubbing his gums with my finger or washcloth during bathtime before he had teeth, at the advice of a dentist friend. when he started growing teeth, i used a little toothbrush with non fluoridated toothpaste. i tried to do it morning and night but wasn't super regimented about it. then around 8 months we went to the dentist because LO knocked a tooth out, and the dentist said we could use fluoridated toothpaste, and actually the advice on using non-fluoridated toothpaste has changed (as in, they now say go ahead and use fluoridated). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whenhow-to-start-brushing-teeth#post-2404421 Wed, 30 Dec 2015 12:13:36 +0000 regberadaisy 2404421@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We started using a Zoli teether. We'll give it to her while we're all brushing together. Then we gave her a toothbrush. Again, we try to brush together as a family. She is much more reluctant about letting us get in there than her sister was. But usually I can get a few brushes in before she clamps down! Most days it's just her sucking the water off the toothbrush, but it's a start! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whenhow-to-start-brushing-teeth#post-2404409 Wed, 30 Dec 2015 12:08:17 +0000 T.H.O.U. 2404409@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>As bad as it probably is we ignore the last milk and just try to do it morning and night. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whenhow-to-start-brushing-teeth#post-2404406 Wed, 30 Dec 2015 12:06:45 +0000 Astro Bee 2404406@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DS is almost 9 months old, and eating solids 2x per day. The rest of the time he nurses on demand, so many times per day, including as part of the bedtime routine, and sometimes during the night. He now has 6 teeth, and I can feel another about to erupt. I really feel like we should be brushing his teeth by now, but I'm not sure how to start. </p> <p>I bought those tooth wipes, but never used them. We have the rubber finger "brush" (which I have used sporadically), a Safety 1st infant toothbrush set, and some training toothpaste safe for his age. Should I just start using the toothpaste and toothbrush? What times of day to you brush your infant's teeth? Same as adults, after meals/before bed? Ignore the milk? When did you start brushing? </p>