Tips for Healthy Baby Teeth Care –

This post is sponsored by MAM.

Taking care of baby’s teeth and oral care needs to start long before the baby’s first tooth erupts. As a matter of fact, oral care for baby needs to start during pregnancy with mom. Yes, heathy babies begin with healthy moms. During pregnancy, moms need to pay extra attention to their oral care because tooth decay and gum disease not only affects mom’s health but also the health of her baby. Did you know that an expecting mom with untreated tooth decay can pass on tooth decay causing germs to her unborn baby, increasing the child’s risk for developing tooth decay?

Here are some Oral Care Tips for Mom from MAM:

Brush twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste
When experiencing morning sickness use a teaspoon of baking soda in a cup of water to rinse away to rinse away the stomach acids from the mouth. Brushing after aide reflux or vomiting can further damage teeth by the combined action of the toothbrush bristles and acids.
Floss daily.
Use a fluoride mouth rinse.
Eat small amounts of nutritious foods throughout the day. Try to stay away from snacks that cause tooth decay such as sweet, sticky or starchy foods. Also, avoid constant sipping on sweetened beverages.

Now that you know how important oral care is for moms, let’s talk about the babies.

Since tooth decay causing germs can be present in baby’s mouth long before teeth erupt, baby’s oral cares should start when they are a newborn. After feeding baby, a good practice is to wipe the inside of baby’s mouth including gums, with a clean, soft cloth to remove germs and any leftover breast milk or formula. While any small cloth can work, I really like the MAM Oral Care Rabbit, which is a microfiber cloth in the shape of a bunny that makes cleaning baby’s mouth easy and fun!

Once the first tooth erupts, it’s time to start brushing! Use a soft bristled toothbrush that is age-appropriate and designed for parents to do the brushing. I really like the MAM Training Brush because it has an extra-long handle for the parent’s hand and the red indicator bristles help parents use the appropriate amount of toothpaste.

Speaking of toothpaste, did you know that you only need a smear (about the size of a grain of rice) of toothpaste for children under three years old? Once the child turns three, a pea size amount of fluoride toothpaste is recommended.

You should brush your child’s teeth twice a day and it’s recommended that the parents take charge of the brushing and do it themselves for quite a few years to ensure that the teeth are being properly brushed. That being said, it’s a great idea to teach your kids good oral care at an early age, and if your young child shows interest in brushing, definitely encourage them to brush his own teeth. However, a parent should always rebrush the teeth until the child reaches about 8 years old.

The MAM First Brush is a perfect toothbrush for a toddler to “do it himself” since it has a short, compact handle that is easy for toddlers to hold.

Finally, It is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry that a child have their first dental visit by their first birthday. If you have trouble finding a pediatric dentist, you can visit http://www.aapd.org and click on “Find a Pediatric Dentist button at the top of the page.

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by MAM.