I’ll wash your mouth out with soap!

“I’ll wash your mouth out with soap!”

If you do things right, there (hopefully) won’t be any need for that!

Raising your babies isn’t as aesthetic as the Cerelac advertisements portray it to be, is it? There’s no neatly tied mom hair, no cheery background music, and definitely no young angel sitting on their high chair, keeping the contents of the bowl where they’re supposed to be.

Those two little signature pearly whites are there though, adorably visible on the rare laugh out loud. And you’ve got to keep them safe, don’t you?

0-6 months

Here are some things you can do start taking care of your baby’s oral health from the very beginning:

  • After feeding, make sure to wipe their gums with a soft, wet washcloth wrapped around your finger.
  • Don’t put the baby to sleep with a bottle in their mouth. Do you ever sleep and eat at the same time? No, so they shouldn’t either.
  • Here’s a star one, don’t try their food before putting it in their mouth. If you want to test if it’s too hot, find a different judge, because tooth decay can be transmitted. The bacteria in your mouth can transfer to theirs and cause decay.

Teething

When the whole house is up and at their service because they’re teething (usually around the age of 6 months), a good suggestion is a clean, cold teether or a cold wet washcloth. The cold helps to soothe, so putting teethers in the fridge for some time helps.

Soothers and pacifiers

A soother can help (sometimes you more than the baby). Here are a few tips regarding their usage:

Choose the right size of soother for baby’s mouth

Check the soother nipple often; if cracked or torn, throw it away.

Don’t dip it in honey or any other sugary things. That is definitely asking for decay.

It’s recommended to stop using it by the time all the baby’s teeth are out, so around the age of 3 years.

6-12 months

  • When teeth start to appear, don’t stop cleaning the gums, and also introduce a small soft brush for the teeth.
  • Avoid letting them play with their food, so no walking around with the bottle.
  • Don’t put sweetened drinks in the bottles. Let them hydrate themselves, let them have water between their feeds.
  • Keep them away from sweet things as much as possible.
  • Know what your baby’s mouth looks like. Lift their lips and look for any brown spots on their teeth.
  • And schedule a dental appointment for them around their first birthday, a great baby’s day out present.

12-18 months

  • Keep up their oral hygiene, help them brush regularly using just water and a soft brush.
  • Keep up the sweet monitor for both liquids and solids.

18 months to 5 years

  • By the age of 2, toothpaste can be started, but just about a smear amount. It will definitely make brushing time more interesting, because now you have to make sure they’re spitting! Teach them to, but it’s okay if they don’t. That’s why you’re using a smear amount. Just read the Barbie toothpaste before you buy it, and make sure it doesn’t have a Fluoride content of more than 1,000 ppm.
  • Start to teach them how to brush their teeth, and take them to a dentist regularly.
  • Continue to check their teeth by lifting their lip, and talk to the dentist if they have any habits you’d like help to get them to stop, like thumb sucking.

It’s all part of the package isn’t it? Maybe someday you can try doing these looking like a Cerelac baby’s mom.