How would you give a 14mo. xylitol?

[Yiskah64]

I'm still trying to figure out the best way to do this.

Should I buy it in the powder form and have her drink it after meals? If so, how much per how much water?

Or is the syrup method better? If so, how would that work?

I think she'd just eat the gum, and the mints probably wouldn't be worth it either.

What did you do?

TIA!

[possum]

It works topically, not systemically. We started my son with Epic mints at about 16 months. Now at 2.5 he also gets Epic gum which usually doesn't get swallowed. We also use Squiggle TP (with Fl and xylitol). They make one without the Fl if your LO isn't able to spit yet or if you prefer not to use Fl.
My son's dentist says to aim for 5-7 exposures of xylitol/day.
Oh, my son doesn't generally nurse TO sleep these days but he does nurse before sleep (and isn't ready to go to nursing, brushing, then going to sleep); I use a 5 mL syringe and slowly squirt xylitol water into his mouth after he is asleep. I dissolve a 4g packet in about 1/4c water to make the rinse solution. So, I guess my answer is to use a variety of xylitol sources.
Melinda

[Denali]

Originally Posted by possum

So, I guess my answer is to use a variety of xylitol sources.

I second that.

I have all kinds of xylitol products (in addition to the ones you mentioned, I'd also recommend the xylitol "spiffies" tooth wipes and the xylitol "rain" spray, both are also great for after snacks when you're on the road and can't brush...and I prefer the mints/sours from Emerald Forest to the ones from Epic), and I just use them at different times in different situations.

I am just curious about the gum you mentioned:
I do have the spry gum, but I have been afraid to give it to DS (also 2.5 years old), because I fear he might choke on it......is it safe to give gum at such a young age?