You GUYS – this stresses me out!! I’m posting about it in case you feel the same way. My babies got their first teeth SO early – I think their first bottom teeth poked through when they were only 4 months old, which for them adjusted is less that 2 months. How crazy is that? And after that they all came so fast, so that now at 18 months they have all but their two year molars, which I suspect are already coming through by the way Romy’s been acting this week ;).

It’s not THAT bad!

I’ve been (admittedly) horrible about brushing their teeth because I was so intimidated by it. I felt overwhelmed by adding one more thing to our routine, and thought they’d fight it. When I finally started doing it, I was surprised to find that the girls LOVE it. It will depend on when your baby’s teeth come in, but here are the tools I’ve used that make it easier:

  • 0-6 months – we love these cute banana teethers that also have a little brush head on the end. I’d just let the babies play with and chew them on their own terms! At this stage, you can also just wipe their gums/teeth with a washcloth.
  • 4-12 months – I used a soft silicone finger brush and no toothpaste. I like these ones, and I also love this Nuk one that’s a little different shape.
  • 8-18 months – I used these little silicone brushes from Green Sprouts. We’d put a little bit of toothpaste on it and Blake or I would brush for a bit, then let the girls finish. They love them, and I love that they have a little stopper so they can’t shove it too far back and gag themselves. For toothpaste we’ve been using Tom’s training toothpaste, but there are lots of natural options out there! I would just check ingredients on whatever you decide!
  • 18 months – We JUST got these little electric toothbrushes for the girls and they LOVE them. I actually have to try and distract them to take them away, or they’d “brush” their teeth for an hour!! I love that they light up because I always have such a hard time seeing in the girls’ mouths. Since the girls like having their teeth brushed, it gives me a chance to actually see what’s going on in there – see if their teeth look ok and if they have any new ones coming in. They also vibrate, which makes me feel like their teeth get so much cleaner since it’s hard to scrub a wiggly toddler’s teeth with a regular toothbrush!

More Tips and Tricks

Another thing that’s really helped me with teeth brushing is a little song the girls love that talks about it. It’s simple and silly (from Super Simple Songs) and they sing about brushing teeth while a puppet does it. The song is “This is the Way” and it’s actually the very first song in the YouTube video below if you want to show it to your toddler:

Another great way to get them interested is to read them books about brushing teeth! This book called Brush, Brush, Brush! is great for babies/toddlers. There’s also this fun one from Sesame Street and this one called Brush Your Teeth Please.

Hope that helps!! Good luck ;).

xx

Jen