When to start using toothpaste? And brushing post milk?

[amberj]

When do you start using toothpaste on LO's teeth? ATM we just use water on his little rubber toddler toothbrush, but I realised I didn't know when to change that.

Also, DS still has a bottle of milk before bed- I know milk sugar is not a good thing to leave on teeth. Should I be brushing his teeth after it?

TIA!!

[STARRYSKY]

hi Amberj, I have only just bought Ds a tube of milk teeth toothpaste, he now has 10 teeth, before that he just used to chew on his toothbrush in the bath and I would give them a good scrub with the flannel.
Im trying to teach him to spit it out and rinse but Im not really getting anywhere at the moment. I brush my teeth at the same time to raise his interest a bit.
No idea about the after milk thing, Ds feeds to sleep, so I wouldnt be waking him up to brush his tteth! but thats just me!
HTh somewhat...

[Janie]

About 3 is an okay time to start using toothpaste. Although, if you live in an area with fluoridated water, make sure it is a children's toothpaste. DS is 2.5 and we just use water . We don't worry about spitting right now, as he is pretty bad at it . So I'll wait until his technique improves a little before introducing toothpaste.

To answer your second question, yes you should be. But I know it's not always that easy in reality. If you can, then that is by far the best way. But if not, don't stress, just be aware, and hope to change the habit in the future. The main thing is that he is not falling asleep with the bottle in his mouth. If he has the bottle, then is still awake for a little while, his saliva will do some of the job of washing the milk out. I hope that makes sense!

ETA SS, breastmilk is unlikely to do any significant damage to your LO's teeth, so don't worry about falling asleep on the boob ! It's formula and other milks that are the concern.

[Rouge]

Definitely not before 2 when it comes to toothpaste, and like Janie says non fluoride if you can. But something else to remember is that no toothpaste should be swallowed, not even children's toothpaste. Teach to spit water before you use toothpaste. And as for brushing definitely go for a toddler soft tooth brush, and definitely brush after milk.