@awesomejc Thank you for this list. I appreciate it! Tell me, my daughter is nearly two. Should she have a toothpaste with fluoride? We live where fluoride is not added to the water.
@katrina2017 Yes, any fluoride toothpaste will be good, but just use a scrape for now. When she can spit it out you can graduate to a pea size. There is a picture in the main post showing how much to put on the brush.
And... to answer my own question (couldn't wait, googled it) children under two should not use fluoride toothpaste. Over two they can, as long as they can consistently spit it out. A pea-sized drop of toothpaste is enough to use each time.
@katrina2017 The ADA recommendations actually changed recently, and they now recommend fluoride under 2 as well. Despite the change, I have never seen toothpaste with fluoride made for babies in the US, possibly because the manufacturers just haven't caught up yet. After failing to find one I finally ordered a toothpaste with fluoride made for bigger kids, but I only use a very, very small amount.
@katrina2017 From the AAPD guideline on infant oral health:
"In children considered at moderate or high caries risk under the
age of two, a ‘smear’ of fluoridated toothpaste should be used.
In all children ages two to five, a ‘pea-size’ amount should
be used."
@awesomejc I saw a picture of a three year old with a tube up his nose while doing dental surgery. I've always brushed my toddlers teeth but I started doing it even better after seeing that. My son doesn't est sugar so I'm lucky there. The only sugar he's had in his life was ketchup for like 4 days. Gave him the serving size. Never again. Three teaspoons of ketchup a day completely fucked his sleeping. I have no idea how parents who give there kids lots of sugar do it.
@awesomejc Thanks for this! I've been taking my kids to dentist since they were around 10 months and by 4 my daughter stopped hating it and started looking forward to it (she is 5 now and wants to be a dentist). My son is almost two and hates it still. My question is about the going to bed with a drink. Is water bad? Obviously juice/milk but I let my son have a cup of water in bed. Should I cut that out?
My 3 year old HATES it. I know its a neccessity but its a kicking and screaming fit to get him to do it.
My 18m old just locks his jaw shut when I try to brush.
