Care for tiny teeth

[penstamon]

What do y'all do to take care of LO's teeth? Our pedi gave us flouride drops, which we have never used, and frankly I haven't been doing anything to take care of DS's teeth. He is 10.5 mo and has just about 4 teeth. He still BFs a lot but also eats three large meals of solids and snacks throughout the day. I cook all his food at home so I know he is not getting any refined sugar here, but recently I found out he is getting some the few days he goes to daycare which made me realize it is time to take better care of his teeth.

What to do while they are still too young to brush?

[akind1]

We would just brush with a flouride-free toothpaste, or just water. You can get little baby toothbrushes - they are either hand-held or slip over your finger. We are going flouride free for everybody at our house, so I wouldn't do drops myself.

[hildare]

I was going to ask something similar..

when did you guys start the toothbrushing thing?

[jammomma]

We use a little baby toothbrush and water after meals and before bed. We started when he started getting his teeth. He has 4 teeth and is 11 months old. We usually end up giving him the brush after his nightly bath, he chews on it a bit and we sing the "brusha brusha brusha" song while he watches us brush our teeth.

[MsVyky]

I just started wiping Lyra's gums and tooth (she only has one, LOL) with a washcloth after she eats solids. I'm scared of ruining her teeth after reading an article about teeth that come in already decaying

[kismetbaby]

I've been told to just wipe off his teeth with a washcloth after he eats/nurses. haven't done it yet (whoops), but I should start at least after the solids. I refuse to wake him up by cleaning his teeth when he nurses to sleep!

[lkmiscnet]

I tried the silicone brush on the finger, but my DS bites down HARD when my finger is in his mouth and it doesn't seem to work well for me. He won't let me use a toothbrush on him either.

So, I use a washcloth or burp cloth (which are thicker), but he still bites down on my finger, and it's still very painful. I still haven't figured a way to clean his teeth without him doing so.

I try to clean them in the am and pm, but typically only get in once per day (late afternoon or just before bed). I also don't clean his teeth after he nurses because he still wakes up to nurse at night and we are both able to drift off to sleep. I'm not going to wake a sleeping baby!

[newmomroxi]

My DS actually likes to brush his teeth. He bites really hard as well so I don't stick my finger in there anymore. I use a baby toothbrush and he likes to suck the water off. I don't use any toothpaste or drops. I'm really bad about doing it though, just whenever I think of it. I should be more consistent though since he has quite a few teeth now and eats solids frequently.

[AndtheStars]

DS and I brush our teeth together in the morning. He has his own toothbrush (it says for 2+ but the dentist gave it to him so that means its ok, right?). He loves to chew on it and watches me intently when I brush my front teeth. We don't put anything on it and don't do drops either. Both DH and I have good teeth (only one cavity each) and I've heard that teeth are hereditary. I should probably brush with him more than once a day but that's all that we are capable of at this point.