A complete guide to teaching your baby to brush his teeth

My baby is over 2 years old and all his baby teeth have grown. After reading an article by an expert, I realized that I should have brushed his teeth a long time ago. These days, I tried to get my baby to brush his teeth, but he didn't cooperate at all. I don't know if my method is wrong. How do you teach such a young baby to brush his teeth?

Ziqi’s mother: It is best to start teaching your baby to brush his teeth from infancy. Adults can use a wet towel or gauze to clean the baby's mouth and massage the gums once a day, so that the baby can get used to the feeling of freshness from an early age. For babies over 2 years old, you can let them watch while adults brush their teeth because they love to imitate and are curious. When he finds the action of brushing teeth interesting, give him a small toothbrush and let him learn to brush his teeth by imitating adults. You don’t need to use toothpaste at the beginning to prevent your baby from swallowing the toothpaste foam.

Qingqing: I think a 2-year-old is still too young to brush his teeth independently. When I first brushed my baby's teeth, I gave him a plastic doll and asked him to brush the doll. In this way, the baby's attention is on brushing the doll's teeth, and he will naturally let me brush his teeth.

niki-ai: When your baby is over 2 years old, you can teach him to brush his teeth. You can do this: let your baby stand on a small stool, facing the mirror. You stand behind or to the side of him, hold his hands, and teach him to place the bristles of the toothbrush close to the gums (the bristles should be about 45 degrees to the tooth surface). Brush the upper teeth from top to bottom and the lower teeth from bottom to top. After brushing the outer sides, brush the inner sides and the occlusal surface. Never brush your teeth horizontally like a saw, as this can easily damage your gums. After brushing teeth, teach your baby to rinse his mouth with clean water and spit out the foam. But remember, your baby is still young and it is impossible for him to master the essentials of brushing teeth all at once. You need to teach him repeatedly and patiently. Slowly, wait for your baby to develop a habit.

Qingqing Mommy: You can take your child to the supermarket and let him choose a set of toothbrush supplies by himself, such as a cute Mickey Mouse toothbrush, mushroom-shaped toothpaste, etc. Buy some pretty stickers. After returning home, you can let your baby choose his favorite stickers and stick them on the toothbrush as a mark. You can also write your baby's name on it to indicate that this set of toothbrush belongs to your baby personally, so that he or she will have a sense of belonging to the toothbrush. It is best for your whole family to agree on a time to brush your teeth together. This can increase the child's sense of participation and improve his interest in brushing teeth.