How to clean baby's mouth

When the baby is young, parents must pay attention to all aspects of the child's health. It is particularly important for parents to keep their babies’ oral hygiene clean. Everyone knows? Bacteria enter through the mouth. When children are young, they don’t understand and will put toys or other things in their mouths, which will invisibly bring a lot of bacteria into their mouths. Entering into the child's body, affecting the child's health. How to clean the baby's mouth? Let’s discuss it together today.

1. Food Residue in the Baby's Mouth

Food residues left in the mouth will mix with bacteria to form a thin film that adheres to the teeth, forming dental plaque. After staying in the mouth for a long time, it will decalcify the teeth and slowly cause tooth decay. Newborns do not have this bacteria in their mouths and it is usually passed to babies through the saliva of their mothers or caregivers. In addition, breast milk or formula milk contains lactose. If a child often goes to sleep with a bottle in his mouth or has the habit of drinking milk at night, it may cause tooth decay. Especially after the baby finishes drinking milk, if the mouth is not cleaned in time, there will be milk residue in the mouth, which can easily breed bacteria and cause oral ulcers or pharyngitis. The baby's mouth is relatively small, so you need to pay attention to the techniques and skills when cleaning the baby's mouth. Below, Xiaoru will share with mothers the correct methods to clean the baby's mouth.

2. Steps to clean baby's mouth

First, prepare a few pieces of gauze, about the size of the mother's palm, and a cup of warm water. Then, the mother holds the baby with one hand and uses the other hand to clean the baby's mouth and teeth. Wrap gauze around your index finger and wet it with warm water. Insert the gauze-wrapped index finger into the baby's mouth and gently wipe the baby's tongue, gums and oral mucosa.

3. Notes

Remember, for babies who have already grown teeth, since their deciduous teeth are smaller and fatter than their permanent teeth, they should be brushed using a horizontal brushing method. Therefore, please wrap the wet gauze with your index finger and wipe horizontally to clean the deciduous teeth. Choose an environment with ample lighting so that you can clearly observe every part of your mouth. When brushing your baby's teeth, you can sing and talk to him to make him feel that cleaning his mouth is a pleasant thing.

4. Special Reminder

In addition, for babies under two years old, you can feed them boiled water to clean their mouths after meals; for babies over two years old, you can start teaching them to rinse their mouths. Let your baby hold warm water in his mouth, then puff up his cheeks and lips, and stir the mouth with his tongue, so that the mouthwash can hit every corner of the mouth repeatedly at high speed to remove food debris and some soft plaque in the mouth. Before doing these actions, it is best for parents to demonstrate how to gargle first, as children have a strong ability to imitate. One thing to note is that to prevent bottle-induced tooth decay, avoid letting your baby sleep with a bottle in his mouth. If your baby must have a bottle to fall asleep, you must clean the bottle nipple first and only fill it with boiled water.

All mothers have learned and understood some of the above methods. Also know how to prevent bacteria from entering the child's mouth. When your child is young, you must always care about him or her, especially when it comes to his or her health, diet and safety. A lively and happy baby who can grow up healthily and happily is the greatest comfort for parents, don’t you think?