Interesting to hear someone else found the baby toothbrush gentler. I was actually worried the bristles would be too rough compared to the finger brush, but maybe I’m overthinking it? My kiddo hated switching at first—lots of resistance—but I did notice less plaque after a week or two. Has anyone noticed if using toothpaste (even just a smear) made a difference in how well the baby brush worked, or is it really just about the brushing motion at this age?
Honestly, I used to stress about the toothpaste too—like, does a tiny smear even do anything? With my little one, I felt like the main thing was just getting in there and moving the brush around. I did notice that when I used a dab of toothpaste, her breath seemed fresher, but I’m not convinced it made a huge difference with plaque at this age. The baby brush definitely got more gunk off than the finger brush, though. I still wonder if it’s just about how well you can wiggle the brush in their mouth without a meltdown...
I swear, trying to brush a toddler’s teeth is like wrestling a tiny, slippery alligator. I started out with the finger brush because it seemed less scary for both of us, but honestly, it just kind of smeared things around. Switched to the baby toothbrush and—yep, way more gunk came off. Toothpaste? My kid eats half of it anyway, so I figure the brushing is doing most of the work. If you manage to get in a decent wiggle before the jaws clamp shut, I call that a win.
Finger brushes are definitely gentler, but I totally get what you mean—they don’t really get the job done once there’s actual food stuck on those tiny teeth. The baby toothbrush is a bit of a game changer, even if it feels like you’re only getting one or two good swipes in before the mouth clamps shut. As for the toothpaste, a little bit goes a long way at this age, so I wouldn’t stress too much if some gets swallowed. Sounds like you’re doing just fine—sometimes it’s more about building the habit than perfection at this stage.
“sometimes it’s more about building the habit than perfection at this stage.”
That really hits home. When my little one first got teeth, I was all about the finger brush. It felt so much less intimidating, and I figured it was gentler for those tender gums. But honestly, after her first encounter with blueberries, I realized the finger brush just wasn’t cutting it—blueberry mush everywhere, and it stuck like glue.
Switching to a baby toothbrush was a bit of a circus at first. She’d clamp down or try to grab it out of my hand, but after a couple weeks she actually started opening up when she saw the brush coming. I guess kids love routines more than we think? We use just a tiny smear of toothpaste like you mentioned—she definitely swallows most of it, but our pediatrician said that’s totally normal at this age.
At the end of the day, I try not to stress if we only get in a few good swipes. The habit seems to matter more than perfect technique right now. And hey, sometimes we just celebrate surviving toothbrushing time without anyone crying... including me.
