Toothpaste for 3-4 year olds

What are your 3-4 year olds using for toothpaste? DD was using the Orajel training toothpaste which she could swallow, but I tried to use the kids toothpaste (princesses) thinking she would like the princess. But she gags and won't let me brush her teeth. I'm trying to show her how to spit it out and take a drink of water to spit out the paste but she doesn't get it.

Is it ok to let her continue with the training toothpaste? At what age did your DC understand not to swallow it and spit it out?

Re: Toothpaste for 3-4 year olds

DD is almost 3 and doesn't understand the spitting out part either.

We are still using the training paste. I was wondering when they "get it", good post.

Re: Toothpaste for 3-4 year olds

we started the regular toothpaste at about 3 years 3 mths thats when she finally started spitting. Up until then we used the training paste. try to practice having her spit out the training toothpaste.

Re: Toothpaste for 3-4 year olds

Ped dentist said to start using a tiny, speck of regular flouride toothpaste just before 3 years at night only and use toddler training in the morning. T still doesn't get the spitting part. He swallows and then makes an exaggerated spitting sound into the sink.



My ped said not to give cup of water at this age when trying to teach how to spit because their natural reaction is to drink or swallow from a cup and it confuses them. She said just keep trying to enforce not drinking toothpaste and spitting it out in the sink. Only use a tiny speck of flouride toothpaste until they learn.

Re: Toothpaste for 3-4 year olds

she knows how to spit and we use children's flouride toothpaste

Re: Toothpaste for 3-4 year olds

They use the kids 2 and 1b/c they are STANK I mean STANK breath! OMG it's bad
They are good at brushing and spitting b/c they see their older sister doing it with them and who has taught them.

Re: Toothpaste for 3-4 year olds

Kim, Lucas has been using regular kids flouride toothpaste since he went to the dentist several months ago.

She showed us how you put the most teeny, tiny amount on the toothbrush and that such a small amount, if swallowed, is not an issue. Lucas is hot/cold when it comes to spitting out. Some days he will do a great job spitting it out. Other days he will swallow it and then make a dramatic spitting motion/noise into the sink!

But that's what our pediatric dentist told us, so that's what we've been doing.

Re: Toothpaste for 3-4 year olds

Posted by cgdg61606

Ped dentist said to start using a tiny, speck of regular flouride toothpaste just before 3 years at night only and use toddler training in the morning. T still doesn't get the spitting part. He swallows and then makes an exaggerated spitting sound into the sink.



My ped said not to give cup of water at this age when trying to teach how to spit because their natural reaction is to drink or swallow from a cup and it confuses them. She said just keep trying to enforce not drinking toothpaste and spitting it out in the sink. Only use a tiny speck of flouride toothpaste until they learn.

Re: Toothpaste for 3-4 year olds

My boys use Colgate Jr. This is the preferred flavor of all the fluoride tp. Bubblegum I think... DD uses Tom's of Maine Strawberry. DS was just 4 and started using the fluoride tp around 6 months ago when I felt like he truly got the concept of not swallowing it at all. I think it's the same time frame my others did it as well.