We started cleaning my dd’s gums when she was like 3 months old with a little towel and water. When she was around 10 months old westarted brusing her teeth with tooth paste (no fluoride). At the beginning she was fine with it because she loves it when I brush my teeth, but now it is a battle. We sign, do games and some times she let’s us do the bottoms in good spirits, but then she starts fuzzing an daddy just holds her arms and I brush her teeth. We are waiting for the time when she will be ok with it.
It is important to remember to check whether or not toothpaste contains fluoride, since fluoride is not a safe ingredient and you would want to avoid it.
Fluoride in small quantities is safe and has been proven in epidemiological studies to prevent tooth decay. Fluoridated water has reduced tooth decay significantly.
Here is a quote from the British Dental Health Foundation
http://www.dentalhealth.org.uk/faqs/leafletdetail.php?LeafletID=3
“Fluoride comes from a number of different sources including toothpaste, specific fluoride applications and perhaps the drinking water in your area. These can all help to prevent tooth decay. If you are unsure about using fluoride toothpaste ask your dentist, health visitor or health authority. All children up to 3 years old, should use a toothpaste with a fluoride level of at least 1000ppm (parts per million). After three years old, they should use a toothpaste that contains 1350ppm-1500ppm. You can check the level of fluoride on the packaging of the toothpaste. Children should be supervised up to the age of 7, and you should make sure that they spit out the toothpaste and don?t swallow any if possible.”
See next post about dental fluoridation
The main danger of too much fluoride intake in a young child is:
"Dental fluorosis
Too much fluoride at an early age can cause a child’s adult teeth (which form underneath their baby teeth) to stain. This is called dental fluorosis. Dental fluorosis looks like fine, pearly-white mottling, flecking or lines on the surface of the teeth; it is usually very hard to see. It cannot develop after teeth are fully formed and does not affect the function of the teeth. Dental fluorosis can occur in areas with or without water fluoridation.
Young children, aged 0 to five years, should not use full strength fluoride toothpaste if the drinking water supply is fluoridated. Avoid any use of fluoride supplements in the form of drops or tablets to be chewed or swallowed."
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Dental_care_fluoride
Here is a comprehensive list of links on dangers of fluoride, so you can do your own research starting from there.
In some countries that I lived in fluoridation is banned, based on that, and there are more commercial reasons behind it in US. I guess it is similar to panacea of C-sections, doctors talk on the safety of them, promote them, and cause them by their own interventions that endanger laboring woman, and then there is a safety of natural physiological birth… 
But I thought it would be important to mention this information for those who are making their decisions on fluoride ( both in water and in toothpaste/supplements), so you can start your own research from here. Hope it helps.
http://www.mercola.com/article/links/fluoride_links.htm
http://www.fluoridedebate.com/
http://slweb.or – scientific literature on fluoride
http://www.orgsites.com/ny/nyscof/ NY State coalition opposed to fluoridation
http://www.tldp.com/fluoride.htm
http://www.all-natural.com/fleffect.html – more scientific acts on fluoride
http://www.fluoride-journal.com/ – fluoride research journal
http://www.zerowasteamerica.org/Fluoride.htm – interesting article, Lynn Landes (Includes e-mail correspondence inwhich an ADA spokesperson refutes news reports that non-fluoridated bottled water causes cavities, and what you can do to ban fluoride and educate others.)
http://ehpnet1.niehs.nih.gov/docs/1997/105-11/forum.html – Fluoridation Debate (Environmental Health Perspectives, Volume 105, Number 11, November 1997
http://atlaschiro.com/great_stuff/fluoride_research/
http://www.holisticmed.com/fluoride/
http://doctoryourself.com/fluoride_cancer.html
http://search.mercola.com/Results.aspx?q=fluoride&k=fluoride
Thanks Skylark. It’s interesting to see read websites and their scare mongering about the fluroride debate. It’ll be interesting to read the articles listed on the all-natural website (I wonder how to get a hold of them - do you have copies of articles that you’ve read that you can put on the website?)
I certainly hold concerns about too levels of fluoride intake (which is why I put the comments about fluorosis on teeth).
I have been brushing my babys teeth since he was 5-6 months old using baby tooth/ gum cleaser and soft finger tooth brush. He likes it a lot and I usually only put very little of the cleaser.
However, I have a friend who believes in not giving baby any of the artificial stuff. Instead when her baby started growing teeth, she gave her apple to eat. She said its like a natural brush when her babys little tooth rubs aganist it. And when her baby turned one she gave her apple in the morning and stawberries at night (as floss).
It kind of make sense to me, but I do not dare to try. Since I m myself grew up with the mainstream “Colgate” and “Crest”.
Just wondering if any of you heard of this, or how do you feel about it?
I’m sorry, but that just sounds insane. Does she not realize how much sugar apples and strawberries have in them? Sugar causes cavities and tooth decay. Why doesn’t she get a natural toothpaste?
MTB999, I studied most of those materials and others in actual scientific journals at the med library since I work with pregnant mommies and babies, so I would not have them on file. I am sure you can search for them.
MySunshine, no artificial stuff is a great choice, but after baby eats apple there is apple juice and remains on the teeth, so would be with stroberries ( both choices are good for nutrition and stroberry juice even believed to be a natural teeth whitener, but fructose in fruits would not be an ideal thing to have left on the teeth). So using using no artificial stuff, especially with all the additives and artificial sweeteners that they put in the toothpastes are good, you can do a search in the country where you are located for natural children’s toothpaste, and just check the ingredients.
lol…good thing I didnt try…I will stick with the tooth paste and tooth brush and just find one that doesnt have additives and artificial sweeteners
When did you start with toothpaste? My daughter tried yesterday but was swallowing it. i taught her to spit it out but she swallow and then spits (nothing Is she too young?
Teaching kids to brush teeth is more painful then potty training. I think you just teach them the right way, and hopefully it is not harmful all the toothpaste they eat. I am sure every kid eats their fair share of toothpaste and I haven’t heard of anyone getting sick, so I do not worry about it.
I have used a training toothpaste ever since we started brushing. My son still swallows it, so I will not give him any fluoride until he learns to spit it out.
Thanks for sharing your experience about brushing your child teeth.It was very useful for me.I start brushing my child teeth but she doesn’t like it.She is not staying still while I do it.I have to hold her head and arms because she is pushing me.I hope that she will understand what we are doing and will stop protesting against brushing.
Tanya
Yes, my daughter at first used to refuse also, I had to hold her arms . But I think she got used to me brushing her teeth that now she doesn’t do that anymore(makes my life easier, I don’t like to force her)I let het brush her teeh first,telling her is your turn and next will be mom’s turn, It is funny when her dad tries to brush her teeth ,she doesn’t let him, she is so used to me brushing her teeth, her dad cames to me saying OH OH She doesn’t want me to help her…I say ok, I think I should go and help her.
Purchase a toothbrush that is age appropriate for your imitation coach purses. At the top of any child’s toothbrush package, there is a general age range for that particular size. This is important because the toothbrush needs to be size appropriate for your child’s mouth.
Seems tooth brushing is a habit kids need to start early, then it just seems strange NOT to brush at least once a day. My eldest daughter started brushing her self at 3-1/2, but my two youngest are a different story. I have to stand beside them, prepare the toothbrush, talk them through the process every night! I must have missed a beat somewhere with them.
Thanks for this topic!
hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii i think she is new to this habit that y she is doing so.my son also did the same thing .but now he is habitual of it .noe he does brush by his own .he is 3 years old.so give ur daughter some time.javascript:void(0)javascript:void(0)javascript:void(0)
At the very begining, she refused to brush her teeth. When I sign the brush teeth song, she think it is playing game, she like to do so. In addition, you can also brush your teeth together with your children and also buy good taste brush teeth gel and interesting brush. 
I agree with Elysia- I think its important for our children to see us brushing our teeth. I would brush my teeth in front of my son from the beginning - and he actively wanted to brush himself. I allow him to pretend to brush his teeth himself first and then I brush his teeth for him. He does swallow toothpaste but he is getting better and better at spitting.