Hello!

A friend is already giving her 9 month old baby a toothbrush to chew on in the bath even though she has no teeth. Have I missed something? When should I start brushing with my 10 month old (her first two bottom teeth are just through)?


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  • Our dentist said as soon as they have teeth you should be brushing them ( or at least cleaning them with a wet cloth if that’s easier) Also, that you should keep brushing them until they are at least 8 years old – once they’ve had a go first.


  • I did the same as your friend and started brushing before they had teeth or maybe just one teeth coming through


  • Yep. As soon as they have a tooth, you should be brushing their teeth.


  • As soon as they have them


  • I started early as possible with a finger tooth brush and a toothbrush to chew on for my kids to try out. Think mine were 4months or so.


  • It doesn’t hurt for bub to chew on a toothbrush in the bath, maybe this mum is just getting them used to the toothbrushing regime. But definitely start brushing the teeth as soon as they appear


  • I agree with your friend, my little one had several tooth brushes in her toybox before she had teeth, it turns it into a familiar object and sets them, up! Let your bub watch you brush your teeth and make it a fun time. Toothbrushes can also feel good on teething gums too!


  • yeah also start them early so that they are used to it and will keep the habit


  • brush a soon as their new tooth is in. they can brush around a year old but you will still need to help for a few years so it’s done properly


  • I have brushed my daughters and sons teeth with water as soon as they came through and once they hit 1 I used the baby toothpaste


  • I started both my girls at around 10 months (no tooth paste) I found they were naturally interested as they were watching me. Now they are 3 and 2 and ask me every night to brush their teeth! They love it


  • I gave my girls a tooth brush early on, I found it helped them cut their teeth too. It familiarised them with the bristles and looked like mummies when i was brushing my teeth – there is no harm in giving them one simply to get accustomed to. I dont think you need to brush in the sense with toothpaste for a while yet.


  • Like everyone has said, the earlier the better I think :) it will make life a lot easier when your baby gets older and you need to start brushing their teeth :)


  • As soon as they have some teeth to brush, but I have heard that tooth brushes can work wonders for helping teeth to come through as well (and perhaps ease the teething pain a bit)


  • Yes, earlier the better. It will help you down the track if your bub is accustomed to the feel of it.


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