The best baby toothbrush ever! And other infant toothbrushing tips.
Why am I writing about toothbrushes? Well, I’ve spend a lot of time, money and energy testing various kinds out on my baby. Additionally, as a pediatric occupational therapist, I spend a lot of time noticing what happens in the mouth, especially since the mouth is the most organizing (or disorganizing if things aren’t quite right) place in the body. I have also worked on toothbrushing for somewhere between 50-100 or more children over the last decade of being an occupational therapist. I know a thing or two, but I’m not a dentist. Chat with your dentist to get the final word, and as always, do your own research!
What I’ve written below is a combination of my experience as an occupational therapist, my confusion as a new parent and some information from pediatric dental literature we have collected from the pros.
When can you start brushing
My dad told me that in India they used to wipe baby gums down with a washcloth from day one. I was horrified by this, but it turns out he’s right! It’s perfectly fine to use a lightly wet/moist soft washcloth (I love muslin!) to wipe your babes gums down. I guess I should have listened to my dad, but…
I didn’t do this. Oops.
However, I did start using a “training toothbrush” early on (before she had teeth) to get her used to it, and also for the sensory input.
Once they have their first tooth you can start brushing more consistently. We started 1x at night and then increased to 2x a day (morning and night) closer to 9 months when she was eating more solid meals. You can do more than we did. This was what I had the capacity for at the time, and my daughter was putting so many things in her mouth, I knew that she was breaking up that biofilm someway or the other all day long.
Definitely start brushing in some capacity when the first tooth arrives.
when to head to the dentist
You guys, I called 10 pediatric dentists (or at least it felt like that many?) before I got some good information on this. Many places told me not to bother coming in until my child was 2 years old, but that felt…weird, too late, mildly neglectful?
The best and clearest advice I got was to come in right before age 1 or when your child has 6-8 teeth.
do i need toothpaste
Just brushing to break up the plaque that can form in just a few days without brushing is enough, but you can use a grain of rice sized blob of toothpaste. I preferred to just use water, though we will introduce some toothpaste (made from excellent ingredients and no weird dyes and stuff!) closer to 1.5 years of age. From my research, it’s not required very early on. If you have more questions (I.e flouride or not?), you should chat with a pediatric dentist and/or check out this awesome blog by a functional medicine dentist (the best kind of dentist there is!): Ask The Dentist
Toothpaste is not required. These are the two brands of toothpaste we have, for when we switch from water only: Attitude, Strawberry and Jack N Jill, Flavor Free
What is the best toothbrush?
Overall favorite: Brilliant Baby Toothbrush by Baby Buddy
Had I known about this one, I might have used this immediately or at least right after the training brush.
However, every kid has different needs, and some days we need to try two brushes before our one year old has her teeth completely brushed. I’m okay with that right now. Also, on days when my child is actively teething, I like having a softer brush or a silicone one to help her feel more comfortable.
I am a big fan of giving even little babies choices (obviously both choices are approved choices, meaning I’m fine with either one, but you feel like you have some control of what’s going into a very sensitive part of your body type of thing). I like to offer her one or the other, and then after I brush, I let her brush/roll the brush around her mouth too!
Here are the other brushes we used and the order we introduced them. NOTE: I tried more than are listed here. I’m saving you the pain of doing the same by short listing these!!
(Also the one the dentist gave us from Colgate sucked AND the kids toothpaste they gave us from the same brand was full of crap. Just throwing that out there! I still love our dentist though!)
NUK Grins & Giggles Training toothbrush SET
NUK Grins & Giggles 3 Sided Silicone (started at 6 months once teeth came out further)
Cactus Baby - Teething Toys Toothbrush; This Nuby banana one is popular, too. (started at 5 months with first teething, still a fan favorite)
RADIUS Pure Brush - Dye free, ultra sensitive (started at 9 months to get her used to real bristles)
BRILLIANT by Baby Buddy my favorite, if you only buy ONE BRUSH it should be this one, in my humble, non-dentist opinion. I would not mind using this lovely brush myself, haha!
You do not have to transition your child as gently through this as I did, it was the OT in me thinking about her sensory system! But I felt really good about how we did this so thoughtfully, and I think our kid cooperates (relatively) well for toothbrushing (mostly? partly?) because of this!
any other tips?
Start early to get your kid used to having the brush put in their mouth sensory wise
Have them help you as soon as they can
For me toothbrushing is a non-negotiable. It has to get done. If you start early and make it fun, it can be less painful. Some days are better than other days…..
Oral health is indicative of all health; your mouth is the beginning of your digestive system! Help your little ones keep their oral health on point by hitting up the dentist as early as you feel is necessary, even if that means it’s just for parent education!!
Don’t be afraid to have a few different brushes for weird days, cranky days, teething days, highly opinionated days, grumpy days….etc…..! For me, it’s just important that it gets done.
Incorporate tooth brushing into morning and evening routines so you don’t forget & so your child knows to expect it
Make it fun, sing a song, tickle your child’s arm all the way up with (soft) bristles, etc.!
Flossing: you can do it, you might need to or not depending on how close your child’s teeth are coming in, but you need to talk to your dentist about this. We have this reusable floss aide from our dentist for when we are brave enough to start! I will be using COCOFloss when we start, (my partner and I already use this) as “regular” dental floss can have some scary chemicals in it….
Our favorite tooth brushing song, no idea where I learned it, you can sing it to any tune you like because I have no idea what the correct tune is…
Brush your teeth!
UP and DOWN!
Brush your teeth!
ALL AROUND!
Brush your teeth!
Left to right,
Brush your teeth in the morning and the night!
this is not a substitute for dental advice. go to the dentist!
P.S. I only link to products I love/use! I may earn a commission from some of the links above, which helps to run this website!