My Two Year Old Keeps Swallowing the Toothpase

After you put the toothpaste on the brush, push the paste into the bristles so that there isn't a lump of any to swallow. It will all be between the bristles so it will still clean the teeth, and it will be harder to swallow. Good luck!

There are toothpastes out there that do not contain fluoride and are still very effective at cleaning. Look for one that contains tea tree oil. It is safe to swallow.
A.
____@____.com

I would buy the toothpaste that orajel makes for children. It is safe if they swallow it. Then not worry about it. In time he will get the idea and stop swallowing it.

Since he is 2 1/2 he needs to have his first visit to the dentist. The stains on his teeth may be caused by something else, a fall, lack of calcium, genetic, etc. If you own your own home or rent, find out if there is floride in the water, also if you are giving him prescribed vitamines they contain floride because of his age. There shouldn't be any floride in the tooth paste becuase he can over dose. The floride stays in the body and accumulates. It is great that your teaching him great hygene from the beginning, I did it as well with both my boys. I started brushing their teeth with me, put him up on a stool so he can stand beside you and be able to spit into the sink,a plastic bib help so he doesn't wet his pl's, brush his teeth with him holding the brush teaching him to take water to then swish out, after a few days of this the pediatric dentist told me about Tom's of Maine - Natural Care line of products, they have tooth paste that is natural and you only need a little bit on the toothbrush to get him started and they loved the taste. This is safe for them to use even as adults. The toothpaste doesn't have the harsh chemical that will affect his teeth or his body if he accidentally swallows it. You can find it at CVS, Walgreens, Wal-Mart, Target ets. FYI in the future when he goes thru the growing smells as a pre-teen, the deodorant they have is for both girls and boys safe for the young to use. When my son turned 10 the next level of hygene using deodorant was to be taught, I bought him regual unsented and he developed a rash breaking out under his arms causing him allot of pain, I then had to use cornstarch to help him heal, the doctor said there are chemicals that are not for children to use until adulthood and to use Tom's of Main deodorant for him. I thank God because they both have great teeth and beautiful healthy underarms:).

Here are a few things that have worked for me and my 2 1/2 year old. First of all, we always brush our teeth together at the double sink in my master bathroom. Children foremost learn by imitiation. When you rinse do it dramatically so she sees what you are doing. Secondly, purchase a children's battery operated brush. When you apply the toothpaste push it into the bristles so it doesn't easily fall into the mouth. When they use the motorized brush it works quickly and gets the job done well (advice from my ped dentist). Then proceed to the rinsing step immediately and stay with her when she rinses. As soon as she has the water in her mouth, gently push her head forward towards the sink and say "spit it out" or "open your mouth". She will quickly realize that this is exactly what you do. I hope this advice works for you and your little one. Good luck.

I didn't switch to fluoride toothpaste until my kids were able to not swallow it, which was around 5 or 6.
My youngest is now 4, and still uses fluoride free toothpaste.
She has not had a cavity yet(and has been getting regular 6 month dental check ups/cleaning since she was 2).
I would wait. There's no rush. Just keep up with brushing twice a day.

Laura~

I would ask your dentist or pediatrician, but I think a child is unable to learn to spit until they are 4 or 5. If you are worried about cleaning his teeth, I found that those little things that go on your finger cleaned better than a toothbrush because their mouths are so small!

I have a 2 1/2 year old daughter as well and I bought some dixie bathroom cups with animal characters on them to fill with water. I think they come 130 in a box. I asked my daughter if she wanted to make a toothpaste waterfall and showed her how to rinse, swoosh around her teeth and spit the water out in a stream to make the waterfall. It took one shot and she got it and doesn't swallow the toothpaste anymore. First do this with the training toothpaste so he can get the hang of it and then move up to the floride toothpaste. In between that time you can give your son apples and it should regulate the stains on his teeth.

D.,
you have to take swallowing toothpaste very seriously. It can turn your sons permanent teeth brown.
Fluoride is good for brushing and even in vitamins with a prescription, but it needs to be measured and monitored by a pediatric dentist. If you already have fluoride in your water and you are allowing your son to eat the toothpaste he can get dental fluorosis which turns the adult teeth brown. Another consideration is that you should be brushing his teeth until he can tie his own shoes, which could be around four years old. You can do it!

Judith Dember-Paige RDH
www.abcdepress.com

Good morning! It is not a big deal about the toothpaste! I am mother of a 2 1/2 year old girl and was concerned about the same thing. I decided to take her to the dentist and he suggested Crest for kids, which does have fluoride.(the dentist also said this will not harm her) She gets about a tear drop amount. Now about the spitting, that is a task in itself. My daughter is actually getting the hang of it. I put the water in my hand and tell her spit and swallows half. Good luck and hope this helps! :)

Hey D.,
I'm a retired dentist, turne holistic nutritonist. I recently wrote a long response to another parent with the same problem!
Fluoride toothpaste is super dangerous! don't let your kids near it.
To see what else I wrote about this, follow my link and see the other response.
Susan :)

Hi there D.. I have a 4 year old, 3 year old and one on the way due July. My kids have been using the "kid" toothpaste for over a year now. It is NOT good for them to swallow any toothpaste although it is inevitable. Your kids get plenty of flouride as it is in the drinking water and in their vitamins. One mom was just saying last week that the kids vitamins stain the teeth sometimes too. Keep off the adult stuff for sure. Their enamel and taste buds are not meant for that yet. I say this is an excellent question for your pediatrician. As far as your kids teeth becoming stained I would ask a pediatric dentist, perhaps there are other issues happening that you aren't aware of like calcium depletion or gum disease. Perhaps your kid is drinking coffee behind your back lol? :)

Good luck with it and don't worry, these teeth are the temporary ones and in the big picture they will have a gorgeous smile.

Hello, I am a Pediatric Dental Hygienist and the mother of 2 girls ages 4 and 6. I recommend a Fluoride toothpaste as soon as the child has baby molars. Their teeth need the extra protection of Fluoride then. However, you should only use a wisp of it. Not even a pea size. That small amount is enough to do the job and a safe amount that won't harm them if swallowed. Children usually don't really "spit" until 3 or so. Be sure an adult is brushing his or her teeth. Children shouldn't be completely brushing without supervision until 10. Children will "scrub" their teeth or chew the toothbrush. We need to help them brush their gumline. Don't use a tartar control or whitening variety on children because the harsh ingredients could aggrivate their sensitive gum tissue. The stain can only be removed at a cleaning most likely at this point. A child should see a Dentist for the first time at around 1 year. No, they won't do a cleaning unless they need it, and they won't be happy about it. Their first cleaning is usually at 3.
Hope this helps,
H. L

my son does the SAME thing!!!!

Hi. I had the same problem with one of my children and I was terrified. I found a company that sells toothpaste for children that seems to be ok to swallow. You can send me an e-mail at ____@____.com and we can talk. L.

Fluoride in the form of toothpaste isn't safe to swallow. Plus if you have city water he's getting fluoride there too. And to much fluoride will permanetely stain his adult teeth. It's called fluoridosis and I'm speaking from experience here. I have white staining in my adult permanent teeth from to much fluoride from when I was a kid. I'd love to have my teeth whitened but because of the fluoridosis I could develop tooth sensitivity. Honestly, I wouldn't worry about the staining of his baby teeth. They fall out anyway. But giving him to much fluoride isn't good for him.

i heard that you aren't supposed to switch to flouride until he's old enough to tie his shoes by himself. my dentist said my son can use flouride once a week. he's 4. hope that helps!

We use Shaklee's Organic Dentrifice and my daughters have had clean teeth without cavities since we began using this toothpaste. My youngest began using Dentrifice when she was two, and has swallowed it many times without any harm to her. It's an all natural toothpaste with no artificial sweeteners or additives. It's also highly concentrated which means you use less. Xylitol is added to prevent tooth decay and ear infections. If you'd like more information, call me or visit my website at www.shaklee.net/celebrateyourhealth

flouried doesn't clean your teeth it just prevents cavities. I dont think you should use flouried tooth paste yet.
Try tom's natural toothpaste I dont think it has flouride

You should try the battery operated toothbrushes. They seem to do a good job cleaning the teeth of my two year old. You can also buy new brushes for them when you feel they get worn down. As for the adult toothpaste, it is dangerous for your son to swallow it. You should stay with the training toothpaste until he gets older, or ask your pediatrician when you should switch.

Colgate makes great toothpaste for kids with various characters on it. It is flavored, but it is "real" toothpaste. I think it is fine for him to swallow the toothpaste as long as it cleans his teeth too. Good luck!

I use a floride free adult toothpaste made by Toms of Maine with my 3 year old. I made sure to tell ds that this is adult toothpaste and if he wants to use it he has to be sure and not to swallow it. Of course he's eager to use the toothpaste mommy and daddy use and doesn't want to use baby toothpaste anymore!

my daughter is 2yrs.old and I had that same concern, but I switch to the Aim toothpaste, because it cleans her teeth and it is not that strong minty fresh flavor that the others toothpaste has; however, she still swallows it but I put a small amount on her toothbrush. eventually they will continue to watch us and their siblings brush and spit so they can grasp that concept.

Stop giving him the toothpaste with Flouride. He gets flouride in his Poly-vi-flor vitamins. Use the flouride free until he can spit. Hope this helps.

When our oldest was learning, he watched my husband spit water out and did the same. Next we worked on the training toothpaste. When he spit with the training toothpaste out then we upgraded to regular toothpaste. Good luck! M.

Hi D.,
My daughter just turned 4, and she just graduated to kiddie from training toothpaste. She gets high compliments from her dentist about her teeth. We use toothpaste from Meleleuca, but I'm sure there are others on the market. I don't sell, but you can check out their website if you're interested www.meleleuca.com I suggest you go back to the training toothpaste until he masters the process, then move up to the next level. Also, ask the dentist's opinion as well. As long as they have teeth, children are ready to see the dentist. Good luck,

Coming from a dental assistant, try to put a minimal amount of adult toothpaste on his brush or continue using Flouride-free toothpaste. If you live in NY, he will get a good source of Fl. from the water. Good Luck