Brushing Teeth

Your Questions Answered: Taking Care of Your Child’s Teeth Age 1-5

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May 21, 2025 Children
teeth
Keeping your child’s teeth healthy from an early age helps prevent cavities and sets the stage for lifelong good habits. Here are answers to common questions about caring for your child’s teeth and gums.

How Do Cavities Start?

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Everyone has bacteria in their mouth.
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When bacteria in the mouth mixes with food, it forms a sticky layer called plaque.
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Plaque bacteria use sugars and starches from food and drinks to make acid.

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Acid weaken tooth enamel and causes cavities.

Preventative Care

How Can I Prevent Cavities and Tooth Decay?

You can help protect your child’s teeth by following these steps:

  • Give your child healthy foods and limit juice, sugary drinks, candy, and desserts.
  • Brush your child’s teeth twice a day for 2 minutes using a soft toothbrush. Let your child watch you brush your teeth, too!
  • Never put your child to bed with a bottle unless it only has water.
  • Take your child to the dentist regularly to check for any tooth problems.
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When Should I Start Flossing My Child’s Teeth?
  • ✓ Once your child has two teeth that touch, start flossing.
  • ✓ Keep helping until they can floss on their own, usually between ages 7 and 10 years.
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What’s the Best Way to Brush?
  • ✓ Brush gently in small circles on all sides of the teeth.
  • ✓ Use a back-and-forth motion on the chewing surfaces.
What Kind and How Much
Toothpaste Should I Use?

Use fluoride toothpaste, as recommended by dental experts:

  • ✓ For babies and toddlers under 3 years, use a tiny smear (about the size of a grain of rice).
  • ✓ Around age 3, when your child learns to spit, use a pea-sized amount.
What About Fluoride Varnish?

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends fluoride varnish every 3-6 months. Fluoride varnish is like a vitamin boost for your kid’s teeth. It’s a safe, sticky gel that a doctor or dentist paints on.

Here’s what it does:

  • Makes Teeth Stronger: It helps make the outside of teeth (enamel) tougher, so they can fight off cavities.
  • Stops Cavities: It helps stop new cavities from starting and can even help heal tiny ones that have already begun.
  • Easy to Use: It dries fast and sticks to teeth, so it works for months after the dentist applies it.
  • Safe for Kids: It’s safe for kids of all ages, even babies.
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Dental Care Basics

When Should My Child Visit the Dentist?

Schedule your child’s first dental visit by their first birthday.

The visit should be friendly and educational so your child feels comfortable. After that, take your child to the dentist every six months to keep their teeth healthy.

When Can My Child Brush Their Own Teeth?

Once your child can hold a toothbrush, start teaching them how to brush.

Keep helping until they can spit out the toothpaste on their own, usually around age 7 or 8 years.

When Should I Replace My Child’s Toothbrush?

Replace your child’s toothbrush every 3 months or sooner if the bristles are worn out.
It’s also a good idea to get a new toothbrush after your child has been sick.

Is It Okay to Store Family Toothbrushes in the Same Cup?

No, because bacteria can spread from one toothbrush to another.

When toothbrushes touch, bacteria from one person’s mouth can transfer to another’s. If someone in the household is sick, it can increase the risk of spreading infections.

Toothbrushes stored together in a cup also often remain damp, creating an ideal environment for bacteria and mold to grow. It’s best to store toothbrushes upright in individual holders, allowing them to air dry. If using a shared holder, make sure toothbrushes are spaced apart and not touching.

Nutrition and Dental Health

Can Certain Foods and Drinks Cause More Cavities?

Yes! Here are some tips to keep your child’s teeth healthy:

  • Encourage water as the main drink.
  • Help your baby stop using a bottle by 12-18 months to prevent tooth decay and other issues.
  • Limit juice to 4 ounces per day for kids ages 1-3 years, and 4-6 ounces for older kids.

Don’t offer sugary drinks before 2 years of age, including soda, fruit drinks, lemonade, and sports drinks.

What Foods Help Keep Teeth Healthy?

A balanced diet with protein, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and dairy helps build strong teeth.

  • Fruits and vegetables provide vitamin C for healthy gums.
  • Dairy foods like milk, yogurt, and cheese give calcium for strong teeth and bones.
  • Cheese is a great snack because it helps protect teeth from acid.

Make brushing fun!

  • Let your child pick out their own toothbrush.
  • Play a silly song or wear a funny hat while brushing.
  • Try a power toothbrush with a built-in timer.
  • Find fun activities and coloring sheets at the American Dental Association website.
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Healthy Teeth, Happy Smiles!

Taking care of your child’s teeth early on helps them develop strong, healthy smiles for life. By following these simple steps, you’re setting them up for good dental habits. If you have any concerns about your child’s teeth, talk to your dentist or pediatrician.

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REFERENCES

Tooth decay. (2023, August 28). MedlinePlus.
https://medlineplus.gov/toothdecay.html

American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. (2024). Policy on use of fluoride. In The Reference Manual of Pediatric Dentistry (pp. 101-103).
https://www.aapd.org/globalassets/media/policies_guidelines/p_fluorideuse.pdf

American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. (2024). Policy on early childhood caries (ECC): Consequences and preventive strategies. In The Reference Manual of Pediatric Dentistry (pp. 89-92).
https://www.aapd.org/globalassets/media/policies_guidelines/p_eccconsequences.pdf

Age group resources: Tips for parents. (n.d.). My Children’s Teeth. Retrieved March 21, 2025, from
https://www.mychildrensteeth.org/age-group-resources/tips-for-parents/
Shu, J. (2023, July 3). From bottle to cup, Helping Your Child Make a Healthy Transition. HealthyChildren.org.
https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/feeding-nutrition/Pages/Discontinuing-the-Bottle.aspx

Choose water for healthy hydration. (n.d.). HealthyChildren.org. Retrieved March 21, 2025, from
https://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/nutrition/Pages/Choose-Water-for-Healthy-Hydration.aspx

Dietary guidelines for babies and toddlers: A fact sheet. (n.d.). DietaryGuidelines.gov.
https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/sites/default/files/2021-12/DGA_Babies_FactSheet-508c_0.pdf

American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. (n.d.). Healthy smiles guidebook.
https://www.aapd.org/assets/1/7/HealthySmilesGuidebook.pdf

Seymore, B. (n.d.). A mom’s guide to fluoride. MouthHealthy.org.
https://www.mouthhealthy.org/life-stages/babies-and-kids/moms-guide-to-fluoride

Resources. (n.d.). MouthHealthy.org. Retrieved March 21, 2025, from
https://www.mouthhealthy.org/resources

Author: Bridget Swinney MS, RDN, LD

Feeding a 6-7 Month Old

Feed solids with a spoon and from a bowl, never from a bottle.

Feeding a 10-12 Month Old

Breast milk is the most important source of nutrition for your baby, even after you start offering solid foods.

Feeding a 8-9 Month Old

Feed solids with a spoon. Never put cereal in a bottle.

Tips

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Breast milk and formula feeding:

Around 2-3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months of age, babies may experience a growth spurt when they feed more often.

As they grow babies can hold more milk, so feedings may become further apart and take less time.

To prevent choking, always hold your baby when feeding. Never prop up a bottle to feed.

Start offering whole milk when your baby is one year old.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and that breastfeeding continue for at least 12 months and beyond.

feeding solid foods

Feeding solid foods:

Wait to offer solid foods until your baby:

  • Can sit up and hold up their own head.
  • Opens their mouth when they see food.
  • Can close their lips around a spoon.

To prevent choking, always hold your baby when feeding. Never prop up a bottle to feed.

Try one new food at a time. Wait 5 days before trying another new food to watch for allergies. Food allergies may include wheezing, rash, or diarrhea.

Introduce peanut butter around 6 months. Spread a small, thin smear of peanut butter or nut butter thinly on a cracker.  Watch your baby for any reaction for the next 2 hours.

Babies under one year should NOT have honey due to the risk of botulism. Also, babies should not have foods that can cause choking like nuts or whole grapes.

All babies are different. Talk with WIC or your baby’s healthcare provider about your baby’s needs.

Feeding Cues

Feeding a 4-5 Month Old

Before teeth come in, wipe gums with a soft, clean wash cloth after each feeding, especially before bed.

Feeding a 0-3 Month Old

Newborns have tiny tummies and need to be fed often. In the first few weeks, you may need to wake your baby to feed if they sleep longer than 4 hours.

Growth Spurts

Many babies are fussy during a growth spurt and will want to nurse longer and more often. This is called cluster feeding. This is your baby’s way of helping you increase your milk supply so that you can keep up with their needs. Remember, the more your baby nurses, the more milk your body makes.

Growth spurts can happen at any time, and every baby is different.

They often happen at these ages:

two-three-weeks

2 to 3 Weeks

6 Weeks

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3 Months

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6 Months

What foods can I get?

Authorized Food List
Authorized Food List

Where can I shop?