Teach Your Toddler to Brush

A great way to get kids moving progressively into brushing is starting as an infant with just a little finger wipe by the parent so they're used to having something in their mouth… The first few teeth come in right before age one. That's a great time for a parent to use a little cloth to clean the teeth.

During their ones and twos is a great time for them to have an age appropriate tooth brush to chew on and play with…followed up by a gentle brushing by the parent. Young children will chew on the toothbrush…though that's not as cleansing as the adult brushing, it definitely is helpful at getting teeth clean…and more importantly it's getting the child comfortable, familiar and accepting at just having a toothbrush…

Most of the toothpaste that's being packaged will have an age on it…which is appropriate. They're going to have infant—from age zero to two. They're going to have their toddler products, from age two to five and they're going to have their children's products for over age five. at age three to five there's great brushes designed for that stage of development.

Do you like Scooby Doo...

Main thing is to make it a habit, part of the daily routine twice a day in the morning and in the evening. Tie it to other activities whether it's getting ready for the day or getting ready for bedtime. It should be fun, so I always recommend brushes and toothpaste that the child's picked out, whether it's a character or a flavor that they particularly like. Age three to five is a great time for the little electric brushes to start using them—they're fun…

You go up and down on the front first…

And by age five the kids should be brushing on their own—being supervised.