Here are some helpful tips for children under the age of  two

1) Use a smear of Non-Fluoride toothpaste. Make sure to use a toothbrush with a small head that fits your child’s mouth.

2) Sit your child on your lap. By having your child sit in your lap it will be easier and it helps keeps wriggling to a minimum. (As your children gets older, you can stand behind them.)

3) Tilt the head up a little and tell your child to open wide.

4) Clean each tooth with a gentle circular motion, making sure to clean the front, back and chewing surfaces of each tooth and brush right up to the gum line.

5) Talking to your child can help. Tell your child what you’re doing in a calm and reassuring voice. After brushing, tell your children to spit.

6) A child should not be swallowing the toothpaste and in very young children, it can be difficult to get them to spit. That’s why it’s important to only use a small amount, and make sure they are supervised at all times.

7) Once your child is able to spit out toothpaste (usually around the age of 2), you can use a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste. By this time, you should be spending a full two minutes, morning and night, brushing your child’s teeth.  Over time, children can take more responsibility for brushing their own teeth. But until their motor skills are more refined, you’ll still need to brush properly for them.