Dental care tips

Dental care tips



If you take good care of your baby's first set of pearly whites, and then teach him as he gets older how to care for his teeth properly, then you'll be blessed with a lifetime of gorgeous smiles!

  • Get him used to cleaning his mouth, long before his teeth arrive. After you feed him, gently wipe his gums with a damp washcloth wrapped around a finger.
  • Start caring for his teeth as soon as they begin to appear. Sure, the baby teeth aren't around forever but they are just as important as the permanent teeth that will come later. The baby teeth hold the space that the permanent teeth will need for correct placement and help your baby talk and eat.
  • Look out for holes. The first signs of cavities in baby teeth are usually a discoloration in the tooth. The best way to avoid tooth decay in babies and toddlers, is to never put your child to bed with a bottle of milk or juice. If he routinely falls asleep with a bottle, he won't have brushed his teeth before bed, which means that the sweet drink (and milk has plenty of sugars in it!) has been allowed to coat his teeth for hours. If you must give him a bottle to get him to settle, try offering water only.
  • Give him a drink of water after every meal. With a small drink of water after each meal, most foods will simply wash off your baby's teeth, doing most of the work for you.
  • Make sure that he is getting enough flouride. Even if your child isn't using a fluoride toothpaste, he should get enough fluoride through our drinking water. Flouride is extremely important for preventing tooth decay and was introduced into the water supply for this very reason. If you don't have access to fluoridated water, talk to your GP about a fluoride supplement for your baby.
  • Take him to the dentist. Many parents mistakenly believe that the first visit to the dentist coincides with the loss of baby teeth, or the beginning of school. In fact, the first visit to the dentist should take place around the age of 3 (unless you have spotted a problem or your child is complaining of toothache), even it it's only so he can sit in the big chair, open his mouth and then be congratulated on how beautifully he is looking after his teeth!



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Nutritious first foods

  1. Apple and mango puree
  2. Apple and raspberry porridge
  3. Apple and raspberry puree
  4. Apple yoghurt
  5. Apple, pear and cinnamon puree
  6. Apricot chicken
  7. Baby bolognese
  8. Baby crispbread
  9. Baby guacomole
  10. Baby porridge
  11. Baby spaghetti bolognese
  12. Baby yoghurt
  13. Baby's first apple puree
  14. Baby's first vegetable purees
  15. Baby's rice pudding
  16. Baked custard
  17. Banana and avocado puree
  18. Banana oatmeal breakfast
  19. Banana pudding
  20. Banana teething biscuits
  21. Banana, raspberry and mango sorbet
  22. Bean, pea and potato puree
  23. Beef and vegetable dinner
  24. Beetroot and chickpea dip
  25. Beetroot and potato puree
  26. Blueberry, pear and raspberry swirl
  27. Boiled eggs
  28. Broccoli trees
  29. Broccoli, pear and pea puree
  30. Carrot and swede puree
  31. Carrot, corn and chicken
  32. Chicken and corn chowder
  33. Chicken, rice and vegetables
  34. Creamy sweet corn puree
  35. Delicious chicken dinner
  36. Easy beef casserole
  37. Easy chicken casserole
  38. Egg and vegetable omelette
  39. Eggless baby cereal cookies
  40. French toast soldiers
  41. Fruit jelly
  42. Fruit puree
  43. Fruity chicken and rice
  44. Homemade baby oat cereal
  45. Homemade brown rice cereal
  46. Homemade cheese sticks or cubes
  47. Homemade cottage cheese
  48. Homemade teething rusks
  49. Homemade yoghurt
  50. Hot corn cereal
  51. Lamb and pumpkin
  52. Nutritious teething biscuits
  53. Pea and zucchini puree
  54. Peach and mango mash
  55. Peachy chicken
  56. Pear and apricot puree
  57. Pear and rice puree
  58. Pear, peach and banana puree
  59. Penne pasta
  60. Pikelets
  61. Pumpkin and potato mash
  62. Pumpkin and spinach risotto
  63. Red egg
  64. Rice and lentil dinner
  65. Roasted pumpkin puree
  66. Steamed and julienned carrot sticks
  67. Stewed prunes
  68. Sweet corn and avocado puree
  69. Sweet potato and sweet corn mash
  70. Sweet veggie puree
  71. Weet-Bix custard
  72. Weet-Bix with apple and cinnamon
  73. Zucchini, potato and spinach mash