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One of our jobs as parents is to teach our children how to take care of themselves. But also to create healthy habits that will take our kids into a healthy adult life. So this week we the challenge is to make sure we are creating healthy dental habits.

When I first started writing this I have to admit – honestly, I don’t know many dental tidbits for kids. Brush teeth. Go to the dentist. Eat less sugar. And that’s about it. So I set out to do some research. I learned quite a bit – hopefully something will be new to you too!

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* Don’t wait until there is a problem to take your child to the dentist for the first time. The American Dental Association suggests taking your child to the dentist within 6 months of getting their 1st tooth and no later than their 1st birthday. After that you should go every 6 months.

*Limit sippy cups to mealtime and snack time. And have your child drink/swish with water after any sugary drinks (including juice!)

*Use a non fluoride toothpaste until your child is old enough to spit out the toothpaste. Make sure you explain that swallowing the toothpaste isn’t good!

* Once permanent teeth come in break the thumb sucking habit! It could lea to misalignment of teeth.

* Pacifiers can also interfere with normal tooth and jaw development.

* Skip the soda! Did you know 20% of 1and 2 year olds consume soda everyday. Don’t start the soda habit. Our dentist suggested milk at meals, 100% fruit juice (you can do 1/2 juice 1/2 water) for snack time and water for the rest of the day. Now that Josh is older we do milk at breakfast and dinner. We do juice at lunch and water for the rest of the day. Josh loves water! The kid is a fish! 🙂 Josh was 7 before he tried a Sprite for the first time. We do let him drink it on occasions but not often and only as a treat (or a 7up/ginger ale if he’s sick).

* Brush teeth at least twice daily – three times is ideal!

(I thought this photo was so funny!) lol

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Now, here is the hard part. Getting your kids to brush and brush well! You should brush for 2 minutes, which can feel like eternity for kids!

*Pick out a fun toothbrush. There are so many options! Characters, musical, light up ones, electric, manual. Find one that your child will use. The best toothbrush is one that your child will use!

* Set a timer for the 2 minutes. Set it for yourself too! You might be surprised – are you brushing long enough?

* At about 6 you can start using mouthwash. There are a few kids mouthwashes that work great. Also you can buy kid’s floss picks. I have found that floss picks are easier than floss for kid’s to use. There are some that are made just for kids!

* You can buy a pre-mouthwash. Kids swish and their mouth turns blue. They have 2 choices brush the blue away or walk around looking goofy! 🙂

* Reward for good check ups! It’s exciting to have a good check up