How to Brush a Baby’s Teeth: Practical Guide From 0 to 2 Years | Montessori Sotogrande

Knowing how to brush a baby’s teeth comes down to three decisions: start as soon as the first tooth appears, use fluoride toothpaste the size of a grain of rice and brush twice a day. Baby oral hygiene is the daily routine of cleaning gums and baby teeth to prevent tooth decay from the first months. The hard part isn’t the technique. The hard part is getting your child to cooperate. That’s why this guide combines the guidelines in force for 2026 with resources from the Montessori classroom that work just as well at home.

The Short Version

• Start brushing with the first tooth, which usually comes through between 6 and 10 months. Before that, you can clean the gums with a damp gauze.
• Use fluoride toothpaste from the first tooth, in an amount the size of a grain of rice until age 3.
• Brush twice a day and never skip the night-time session.
• Between 1 and 2 years, let your child try on their own and always go over it yourself afterwards.

How to Brush a Baby’s Teeth Step by Step

The technique fits into two minutes and six movements. If you always repeat them in the same order, your baby learns to anticipate what comes next and, as a result, protests less.

1. Wash your hands and prepare a children’s toothbrush with a small head and soft bristles.
2. Put a dab of fluoride toothpaste the size of a grain of rice on the brush.
3. Sit the baby on your lap, with their head resting on your arm or chest, so you can see their mouth clearly.
4. Brush with short circular movements on the outer surface, inner surface and chewing surface of each tooth.
5. Gently brush along the gum line, which is where plaque builds up most.
6. Wipe off excess toothpaste with a gauze or let them spit it out, without rinsing with water.

How to Brush a Baby’s Teeth Before the First Tooth

Before the first tooth comes through you don’t need a toothbrush or toothpaste. Simply wipe the gums with a damp gauze or a silicone finger brush once a day, for example after the bath. It isn’t mandatory. However, getting your baby used to having their mouth touched makes the move to the toothbrush much smoother.

Brushing at 8 Months: Yes, and With Fluoride

At 8 months you can already brush your baby’s teeth if any have come through. From that day on, use a toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste, even if only one incisor is showing. For example, a 9-month-old with two teeth needs the same routine as an 18-month-old with twelve: a grain of rice of toothpaste and two sessions a day.

How Many Times a Day Should You Brush Their Teeth?

Twice a day, in the morning and at night. The night-time session matters more because saliva production drops during sleep, and saliva is the tooth’s natural defence. So brushing should be the last thing that goes into their mouth before bed, after the final bottle or dinner.

How to Brush a One-Year-Old’s Teeth Without a Fight

Between 12 and 24 months the technique doesn’t change. Your child does. They want the toothbrush, they bite it, turn their face away or run off from the bathroom. This is normal and it’s linked to their development: at this age the need to do things for themselves appears strongly.

Shared Turns: They Go First, You Go Over It

The formula that works best is to split brushing into two turns. First your child brushes alone, with their own toothbrush, while copying you. Then you go over it with the good brush and toothpaste. This respects their independence without giving up real cleaning, because until 6 or 7 years old they don’t have the manual dexterity to brush well without help.

Picture a very typical scene. Martina is 16 months old and every night she throws the toothbrush on the floor. Her parents change just one thing: they let her choose between two coloured brushes and sing the same song while she “brushes” first. A week later, the protest lasts seconds instead of minutes.

Toothpaste for a 1-Year-Old

For a one-year-old, a children’s fluoride toothpaste at 1,000 ppm is suitable, the concentration recommended by paediatric dentistry societies in Spain for children under 3. Check the figure on the tube, because many flavoured “baby” toothpastes contain less fluoride or none. The American Academy of Pediatrics also advises fluoride toothpaste from the first tooth in a grain-of-rice amount. An occasional excess is not usually a concern. On the other hand, getting used to large amounts makes no sense when your child still swallows most of the toothpaste. If in doubt, confirm the routine with your paediatrician.

Children’s Tooth Brushing Through a Montessori Lens

In Montessori pedagogy, brushing your teeth is a practical life activity, just like setting the table or watering a plant. Maria Montessori described a period of great sensitivity to order between birth and age 6, and the Association Montessori Internationale continues to train its guides around that idea. A predictable hygiene routine fits squarely with that need. Understanding how to brush a baby’s teeth is therefore not only about technique: it’s also about preparing the environment so they can take part.

Here is a checklist for setting up their brushing corner at home:

• A sturdy step stool so they can reach the sink from 15 or 18 months.
• A mirror where they can see their face while brushing.
• Their toothbrush and a small cup on a holder they can reach by themselves.
• A hand towel hung at their height.
• Always the same moment: after breakfast and after the night-time bath.

Common Mistakes When Cleaning Baby’s Teeth and How to Fix Them

Anyone searching for how to brush a baby’s teeth tends to trip over the same errors. None is serious if you spot it in time.

Mistake 1: waiting until they have all their teeth. Many families think baby teeth matter little because they fall out. In fact they hold the space for the permanent teeth, and early tooth decay hurts just the same. The fix is simple: brush from the first tooth.

Mistake 2: going to sleep with a milk or juice bottle. The sugar stays in contact with the enamel for hours. Offer the bottle before brushing and, if they need something in the cot, make it water only.

Mistake 3: giving up when they cry. A 30-second brush with protests is better than none. On the other hand, forcing it rigidly creates rejection. The middle ground is to offer small choices (which brush, which song) and stay firm on what is non-negotiable: every night there is brushing.

Mistake 4: leaving the first check-up until there’s a problem. It’s advisable to see a paediatric dentist around the first birthday. If you have just moved to Sotogrande or anywhere in the Campo de Gibraltar, ask at your health centre as soon as you register.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if I don’t brush my 1-year-old’s teeth?

If you don’t brush your 1-year-old’s teeth, bacterial plaque builds up on the baby teeth and can cause early tooth decay, which usually shows up as white spots next to the gum and progresses quickly because children’s enamel is thinner. If you see those spots, consult your paediatrician or a paediatric dentist.

How many times a day should a baby’s teeth be brushed?

A baby’s teeth should be brushed twice a day, once in the morning and once at night before bed, with a soft children’s toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste the size of a grain of rice from the moment the first tooth comes through. The night-time session offers the most protection. If on some day you only manage one, make it that one.

How should teeth be brushed for children aged 1 to 2?

Children aged 1 to 2 should have their teeth brushed with gentle circular movements over all surfaces of each tooth, for about two minutes, with fluoride toothpaste in a grain-of-rice amount, and with an adult going over it at the end. Let your child practise first with their own toothbrush and finish off yourself.

Can I brush my 8-month-old’s teeth?

Yes, you can brush your 8-month-old’s teeth as soon as they have at least one tooth, using a small-head toothbrush with soft bristles and a minimal amount of fluoride toothpaste, the size of a grain of rice. If none have come through yet, clean their gums with a damp gauze once a day.

Tonight, try just one thing: the shared turn with their song, repeated the same way for a week before judging whether it works. And if you’re looking for a school where autonomy and practical life habits are worked on every day from the Nido, Book a personalised visit to the school and discover our classrooms in Sotogrande.

About Tamara Muñoz: Head of School at IMS Sotogrande and Emotional Intelligence educator. Psychology graduate from the University of Málaga, coach certified by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and Positive Discipline Educator accredited by the American Positive Discipline Association, with training in Montessori leadership and management. Full profile.