Brushing baby teeth: tips for baby oral care

Be rest assured though that brushing your baby's teeth for the first time doesn't have to be as daunting or as stressful as you may think. If you follow the right guidance and have the right tools you will both be fine.

When to start brushing baby teeth

You can start to brush your baby's teeth as soon as their teeth start to appear – no need to wait for a full set of teeth to come in. Hopefully, your child will already be familiar with chewing on a brush during the phase of teething.

"It’s best to start healthy habits straight away. Baby teeth have a thinner outer layer of protective enamel than adult teeth, so they are more vulnerable to decay" shares paediatric dentist Zoi Tzelepi of Happy Kids Dental.

Brushing your child's teeth is important from the get-go to prevent tooth decay and to help keep milk teeth aligned and in order ahead of adult teeth forming. It's also a healthy habit to learn for personal hygiene. Make it a part of your baby's daily routine and aim for doing this twice daily.

There are loads of baby teeth-friendly toothbrushes and toothpaste out there that you can buy to start cleaning their little gnashers, just make sure to replace baby and toddler toothbrushes every 3 months to avoid bacteria build-up.

How to brush baby teeth

For really small babies, you can use a damp muslin cloth or silicone finger toothbrush with baby fluoride toothpaste as your cleaning tool.

For bigger babies with more teeth, you’ll probably find it’s easiest to begin by sitting them on your lap with their head resting against your chest. Apply a tiny smear of age-appropriate toothpaste to the toothbrush and proceed to gently cover all surfaces of the teeth with the brush in tiny circular motions.

You can do this for about two minutes and then that's it – you're all done. There’s no need to rinse afterwards as that will wash away the protective fluoride. Feel free to have fun with it by singing to your baby as you brush.

Don’t worry if you don’t do it perfectly – at this stage, what’s most important is simply getting your baby used to teeth cleaning.

How to teach your toddler to brush

Use a small, soft, age-appropriate toothbrush with just a little fluoride toothpaste on it. For children aged 3-6, you can use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste on their toothbrush.

Stand or crouch behind your toddler and tilt their head backwards, then proceed to gently cleanse each of their teeth.

Bear in mind though, at the toddler stage, you may find that you start having battles with your child about brushing. If this occurs, it’s a great idea to let your child imitate you. Get into the habit of brushing your teeth in front of your toddler, by showing them how you clean your teeth they’ll soon want to copy you.

If you’re worried your toddler isn’t reaching all their teeth when having a go at brushing their own, another idea is to share the brushing with them. Having your input in their teeth-brushing will ensure that their teeth are clean until they can do it all by themselves which happens from around 7 years old.

What to do when your baby doesn't like brushing their teeth

If your child is making a fuss about having their teeth cleaned, try to make it a game. We love the idea of brushing a teddy's teeth first or a doll’s. Or consider investing in a special toothbrush that plays songs or flashes, making the habit of teth-cleaning fun may make your child more willing.

It's important to not completely neglect brushing your child's teeth as food and sugars can sit on their teeth leading to tooth decay.

Pics: Getty Images

Read more:

• 11 of the best toothbrushes for babies, toddlers and children
• What order do baby teeth appear in?
• What are the signs your baby is teething?
• How to soothe your baby when their teething