I put my little boy to bed a night by rocking him and with a bottle of formula for his "last meal". He currently has 4 teeth and I was wondering how I get into the process of brushing his teeth? I dont want to brush his teeth and then give him his bottle of formula. I think that cancels each other out. Do i need to brush his teeth both in the morning and at night like we do?
Any ideas?
Man, I'm gonna have to admit that at 10 months, I wasn't worrying about it yet.
Wipe them with a baby washcloth.
The "baby bottle mouth" happens when they sleep with a bottle & formula pools around their teeth all night.
Just a quick wipe is fine.
You don't really have to brush them yet, but after his last bottle of formula, I would give them a quick gentle wipe with a clean cloth - you can do that after other meals as well.
totally agreeing with Penny lol...guilty!
Agreed that just a quick wipe is fine at night.
Although, I have let my kids "use" tooth brushes ever since they had teeth and would get them in the habit of "brushing" in the AM and PM although I knew they weren't doing anything more then chewing on the brush anyways. I would offer him a toothbrush in the AM and see what he does with it.
Give him his bottle. When he is done, brush his teeth. Even if you just use a cloth and water, get the formula off his teeth. Yes, brush his teeth morning and night. Just look up a few pictures of "baby bottle tooth rot" and you'll be convinced to remember this detail and not send him to sleep with his bottle.
To brush his teeth, either put his head in your lap or lay him on the floor and kneel over him and use a very soft brush and flouride-free toothpaste. You can also try using a rubber finger brush (but I stopped when DD thought it was great to bite me). If he cries, it's just "loud compliance."
By 10 months, my DD was found to have poor enamel and a precavity, even though I did brush her teeth. Please, those of you who haven't started, brush their teeth. And keep brushing (even if you have them try first) til they are competent, around 6-8 yrs old. You do not want your kid to have caps by the time he is 6 and have to have dental work done in a hospital. I've seen that happen.
I have read and or heard somewhere that the massive amount of drool babies make helps with keeping their teeth and gums clean. I know as a nursing mom with mine that the body releases hormones that make both you an baby drift off to sleep, so I figured that if we were designed to crash out while eating as babies, it couldn't be too bad for those teeth! If it were me I wouldn't worry about it and just brush them in the morning. That is what I did and my kids have beautiful teeth :)
