Your baby’s first tooth is an exciting milestone. This means it is time to start brushing that tooth (or teeth). While some babies may let you do this, it is very common for your baby to refuse you trying to brush their teeth.
You are not alone if you are struggling with this, most if not all parents go through this.
Let’s look at some tips on how we can keep those little teeth clean!
Have The Right Tools For The Job
Your baby’s first tooth may have appeared when they were about 6 months old, although there is a wide range for when this can happen. At this stage they will need you to clean their teeth for them.
For now it is best to use a little toothbrush that is designed for young babies. These are easier to use than a traditional toothbrush with a handle and bristles. These bristles can easily be chewed off! Some first baby toothbrushes look like little silicone finger puppets, which are easy to use and can help sooth sore gums too during teething.
Another option, if you baby only has a few teeth, is a clean cloth or piece of gauze wrapped around your finger for a little tooth cleaning. It is best to use age appropriate tooth paste (adult toothpaste has too much fluoride in it) but you can buy baby toothpaste at the super market. Look out for tubes that say under 12 months, that is a good place to start.
You can get different flavours of baby toothpaste, such as fruit as well as gentle mint. Maybe get a few flavours to see which your baby enjoys best.
“We tried lots of different toothpaste flavours, and my daughter was particularly into an apple flavour when we first started brushing!”
Helen, Team Happity
Keep Calm And Give It A Go
Make sure both you and your baby are calm and happy when you brush their teeth. If your baby picks up on any stress, that may unsettle them so they are less likely to sit to have their teeth cleaned.
For now, do not worry too much about a thorough clean or full coverage of every tooth. It is just about getting your baby used to having a toothbrush in their mouth and letting you help. Once they are used to it and know what to expect, it is a lot easier.
Have Some Fun
Make it into a game, or choose a toothbrush that looks like something your baby loves. Some first toothbrushes are shaped liked animals or other items (the banana toothbrush is a popular one) which may intrigue your baby into allowing the brush into their mouth. Also combine it with a story about how fun toothbrushing is (there are many fun picture books on this subject, such as “How to Brush Your Teeth with Snappy Croc” by Jane Clarke). Or sing a nice song and make brushing part of that.
We often sing “this is the way we brush our teeth”, with the tune of “here we go round the mulberry bush”
Helen, Team Happity
These two songs, Brush Your Teeth by Super Simple Songs and another from KidsSongs have been very helpful with our kids!
Lisa, Team Happity
If you show your baby toothbrushing is a fun activity, they may show more intertest.
Persevere But Don’t Stress
Even if your baby outright refuses, don’t worry and try again another time. As you are just trying to establish a routine and get your baby used to this gradually, it does not matter if a few toothbrushing sessions are missed in the early days.
You can show your baby how you brush your teeth too. As they get old enough to hold the toothbrush themselves they can copy you.
We had a toothbrushing app that sang a song for 2 minutes and they earned different outfits etc for consistent brushing. Mostly though I think it was just having them see us doing it every day as routine – I used to just give them a brush to hold whilst I was brushing my teeth and they would naturally start trying to copy. (Then you can brush their teeth properly after they’ve had a go)
Sara, Team Happity
See What Works For You
Whatever way of toothbrushing works for you baby, we hope these tips helped you. This will hopefully set up a good habit as they get older, but for now we can take it one day and one toothbrush song at a time!
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