DD still eats the toothpaste. Just the other day, I thought I'd try teaching her to spit and rinse, and she looked at me like I was insane. How old was your child when they started to understand that toothpaste isn't a yummy snack?
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DD still eats the toothpaste. Just the other day, I thought I'd try teaching her to spit and rinse, and she looked at me like I was insane. How old was your child when they started to understand that toothpaste isn't a yummy snack?
It was a few months after she turned 3. I remember because at her 3 year dental check-up I asked him when I should expect DD to rinse and spit and he said it's typically somewhere between 3 and 4 that they get the hang of it. Then like a month or two later she started doing it.
I imagine DS is swallowing some of it, but we give him a cup right away to swish and spit. He's really good at the spitting part! LOL!
We've been doing this for at least 6 months and DS is 28 months now. He is just getting to the point of moving the brush around on his teeth (I do the first wave of brushing).
Oddly enough, Truman hasn't gotten the hang of it, but Eleanor has. Go figure. <shrug>
Jeanne
Mom to Truman 11/01 and Eleanor 4/04
Thanks for asking this. I've been wondering the same thing. At my DD's first dentist appt. they expected her to spit. She wasn't even 2 1/2 and had NO idea what they were talking about! I thought that maybe I had missed the boat and she should know this by now.
My DS knows he has to spit, but never has much to spit-- he just sees me doing it, and rushes to the sink to do "PPPPA, PPPPPA" (spitting noise ) so cute-- he's been doing it for a few months now, so maybe started at like 21 mos....
as for actually doing it efectively, we shall see!!!
Megan just learnt this at 3 1/4.
Ok, great topic for me, as we just had the dentist last week. Our first appt. was at 16 months, and the Dentist said it's time for real toothpaste, and if it's just a teeny dab, swallowing won't hurt them. So, I got the Winnie the Pooh flavored stuff, and he did great. Been brushing his teeth since he had teeth, so this was a new, fun experience to have a new flavor. Immediately thereafter we were at the Ped, and they said NO, absolutely no flouride toothpaste until they can spit. Period. Oookeydokey, I went back to the Gerber fake stuff.
Now, 6 months later, we're there last week, and DS is 22-months. He was a real trouper and didn't even cry. Went, "Ah!" and everything. I told the Dentist what my Ped said, and he said, trust me, you need the real stuff since you're on well water, even with the Baby Water.
Sigh.
The two docs don't agree. So, I bit the bullet and am doing the real stuff. I put a tiny dab on, then rub it into the toothbrush so there are no clumps to swallow, and we brush. Rinsing consists of drinking the water, then saying, "pah!"
Thoughts on swallowing the toothpaste or similar inconsistencies between the Ped dentist and the Ped doctor?
Boys! Colin hasn't gotten the hang of it either.
I'm nowhere near dealing with this, but don't they have flouride tablets? I remember taking them as a kid b/c we had well water too.
HTH
Ashley