I started brushing DD's teeth when she got them in, so around 7-8 months? Granted I only had 2 teeth to brush at the time. I have no other advice. Usually I just brush DD's teeth before bed which means she's usually crying...which means I have an open mouth to work with lol.

Jennifer    Proud mommy to Aubrielle  9/12/08 

"Faith is believing, all power can't be seen."

I started at about a year and did it while she was in the high chair.  I would let her play with the toothbrush, suck on it, whatever to get used to it and then I'd actually brush.  When she was a little older we got the fun toothbrush, that she got to pick out from the store, and some yummy tasting toothpaste, and brushed them Ariel and Cinderella style.  LOL.  My daughter was into The Little Mermaid and Cinderella right around when the fights could have started with brushing.  We would sing the song that Ariel sings when Ursulla steals her voice or the "Sing Sweet Nightengale" song from Cinderella which meant my daughter's mouth was open wide without a fight.  Now, she's almost 4 and a brushing fanatic.  She will not go to sleep unless I floss AND brush her teeth.  A little freaky.

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We brush our kids teeth for them, but my 4 year old does hers herself now. They start doing it "by themselves" as soon as they are old enough to do the brushing motions, but we brush them first and they get to finish up....after their teeth are already clean. :) I'd say when my oldest was just about 3 she did it all on her own, and we'd just check up on her to make sure her teeth were clean. She does a great job and hasn't had a single cavity and she's 4 1/2.  I let her pick out her own toothbrushes and toothpaste and that makes her a lot more excited about brushing her teeth!!

When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. When the government fears the people, there is liberty.--Thomas Jefferson

 DS is 18 months, and I've been trying to brush his teeth since he got them around 8 months ago.  I have to sing a silly song I made up about brushing teeth to get access for about 10 seconds!  Otherwise he'll bite down on the toothbrush and not let go.  I'll take what I can get.

I also started brushing teeth when the kids started having teeth.  They have those cool finger brushes to start out with and you just have to watch out for them biting your finger.  Also you can hold them with their head on your lap and do it upside down so you have more control.  Then they just get used to it.

Niki

Momma to 3 cute girls all under the age of 3

as soon as they came in. My son is 2.5 and he gets infront of the sink and looks in the mirror while on a stool and brushes them. Then I say "My turn" and brush them good for him. Sometimes when he gives me trouble over it I will brush my teeth along side of him and he seems to be better.

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I just sit on the toilet and put the little guy on my lap with his back against my chest and then brush his teeth.  I've always let him "rinse" his teeth by brushing them after I do with just water on the brush.  He's getting pretty good at it now that he's 2 years old.  I started doing it this way when he was about 6 months old and had 4 teeth.

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I always gave a toothbrush in the tub as soon as they got teeth around 7 mths

As soon as the teeth come in. I was a dental assistant for many years and this is a big deal to me. You can use water on the toothbrush to begin. Don't use the fluoride toothpaste on the little ones. They may swallow and an abundance of flouride over time can lead to flurosis. This causes the teeth to have the white spots. Use the toddler toothpaste w/o flouride. As they grow a bit older, let them try to brush their own, but go behind them. Though it is great for the little ones to do it on their own, they still need help to get the plaque off. For babies, if you are in a pinch for a toothbrush, use a wet washrag and go around their teeth. The goal...to get the days gunk off the teeth. Another in a pinch method is to have the child drink water or rinse their mouth with water...say if they are at school or somewhere where they cannot brush their teeth.

Vicki  http://roadtrippinmom.blogspot.com/

"No legacy is so rich as honesty" 

William Shakespeare

Even before my 17month old son had teeth I would always wipe his gums.  I started out using a clean wet washcloth at bath time to wipe them down. When more teeth came in around 11-12 months I started using a gentle vibrations toothbrush (summer infant makes a great one!) He just loves the vibrations!!! I also use a vanilla flavored toothpaste from his dentist called BabyBling-it has no fluoride and contains Xylitol-a natural sweetner that also prevents plaque. He now loves to brush his teeth!  Also, try to let your kids watch you brush your teeth, my son loves watching me brush. Good Luck!