Do you brush your LO's teeth/gums?

Sunny1inTucson · June 2009

When did you start? Do you use the gauze to rub their gums or what do you do?

cooperl788 · June 2009

I know you're supposed to start once they get teeth in. You're supposed to wipe them with a baby toothbrush (ours looks like a washcloth finger puppet) before bed. I think it wakes her up from her food coma and makes her difficult to put to bed, so we just give her a few swigs of water before we put her down for the night. We're working on the brushing part so that in the next few weeks, we can transition to that.

ADAC0507 · June 2009

Yes, every night at her bathtime. I just started last week, and I use Gerber Grins and Giggles w/ the finger brush. She loves it! The tooth & gum cleaner tastes good (yes, I tried it), and I think she likes the massaging of her gums since she's teething. When she was a newborn, I wiped her gums with a warm damp washcloth a couple times a week.

RobinLA · June 2009

Our Pedi told us at her 6 month appt, since we were going to solids 3x/day, that we should start brushing her gums twice a day. Sometimes I only get to it once but I use a baby toothbrush and flouride-free toothpaste. It actually comes with a rubber finger brush but we didn't like it. I brush over her gums first and then DD kind of brushes/chews on it for a while.

fall-love · June 2009

Yep, every day, just with a baby washcloth in the bath. I just opened up the finger toothbrush that's been waiting for him to get teeth but haven't used it yet!

Whirlgirl01 · June 2009

Yes, just about every night we do. We use a finger tip brush type thing, but I'm going to get a baby toothbrush soon. She bites too hard and it hurts.

actgrl22 · June 2009

We just started about a month ago. At DD's 6 month appt. pedi said we should start and he said it was mainly to get her used to something in her mouth and brushing. I just use the finger brush thing once a day and I only do it for maybe 20 seconds. DD actually likes it, probably because she is teething!

n&bcarlson · June 2009

My friend who is a pediatric dental hygienist recommended a clean, wet washcloth rubbed over the gums after meals. I did this until DD got teeth and started biting me. Now we use a small tooth brush and stage 1 baby gum and tooth cleanser from Oral B twice a day. It's fluoride free and safe for baby to swallow without spitting.

eris1995 · June 2009

My dentist told me to use a wet wash cloth after every feeding. We weren't able to do that though (wasn't going to wake my NB up after eating!) but every night at bathtime I wipe his gums with a wash cloth. He doesn't have any teeth yet.