Brushing your child’s teeth before bedtime is a good routine to get into. Most toddlers will think brushing their teeth is exciting if you use toothpaste and a toothbrush made specially for kids. My daughter loves to brush her teeth with her pink toothbrush and her Cinderella toothpaste.

Even though a toddler can’t brush their teeth properly on their own, it’s good to let them try anyway. What I do is brush my teeth and let my daughter brush hers at the same time. Then when I’m finished my own teeth, I brush hers to make sure we clean every tooth.

You can start the oral hygiene habits early by cleaning your baby’s gums, even before they cut their first tooth. Use a clean, wet washcloth and gently massage their gums every day. This is usually an enjoyable experience for your baby, especially if they are teething.

Once teeth start coming in, you can switch to a soft bristled toothbrush for babies and use a small amount of flouride toothpaste. Once baby gets older and back teeth start to appear, you can increase the toothpaste amount to a pea-sized drop. Always be careful that your child doesn’t swallow any toothpaste, even though it may taste like bubblegum!

Brushing your baby’s teeth is one way to prevent tooth decay. Another way to avoid tooth decay is to limit sweetened drinks like juice and soda and give your child water instead. Breast milk, formula and cow’s milk can also cause tooth decay if it is left in contact with teeth for a prolonged period of time. By not allowing your child to go to bed with a “night-time” bottle you’ll help prevent the milk from pooling in your child’s mouth and causing damage.

Once your child has reached 2 1/2 to 3 years of age, they can have their first visit to the dentist. Usually, the dentist will have a look at your child’s mouth and then provide you with additional information on how to care for your child’s teeth. After that, you can expect to help your child brush their teeth until they are around 6 years old when they can properly brush on their own. So you might as well get into the habit now!