Gum care for babies > Easy, step-wise approach
Our little ones need care on all fronts and it’s no good forgetting their teeth and gums.
When babies are less than 6 months of age, they usually don’t have teeth but their gums need care too! At that age the gums are called gum pads, they are pink in colour and lie over the ridges of the upper and lower jaws hosting all the tooth buds of baby teeth. Even though teeth aren’t present in the mouth early on, our babies’ oral cavities are exposed to the external environment and need cleaning especially after feeding.
Now don’t worry, cleaning these gums pads is super easy and is doable with very few items. You will need:
A soft cloth or a piece of gauze
Some lukewarm water
Here’s a small video for you to see how to clean your baby’s gum pads!
See, that’s how easy it is to clean the gum pads! Remember to go all along the gum pads, moving from behind forward and going from the cheek area to the area near the tongue. Would you like to know how to do it step-wise? Let’s break it down into 7 simple steps!
Step 1 : Thoroughly wash your hands.
Step 2 : Take a piece of gauze or soft cloth, dip it in some luke warm water and then remove it, squeezing out the excess water.
Step 3 : Now wrap it around your index finger and you’re good to go!
Step 4 : Position your baby on your lap with her head towards you. Ensure that you can see your baby’s mouth and both you and your little bundle are comfy.
Step 5 : Now tease your little one’s mouth open and gently wipe the gum pads starting from the upper gum pad and moving from right cheek area to the upper lip area and then the left cheek area. Don’t stop here, move on to thetop portion of the ridge in the same direction and finally head to the palatal side of the gum pads.
Step 6 : Do the same for the lower gum pads too!
Step 7 : Don’t leave out the tongue! And then you’re done!!
Now you might wonder when this is to be done.
Gum pads should be cleaned after every feed and most importantly before your baby sleeps at night. The idea behind cleaning their gum pads is to remove any residue of either breast milk or formula and clean out any bacterial film that might form on these residues.
You can continue this gum care routine till all the baby teeth are in place which happens by 2 and a half years of age.
Sharing a few pro tips to simplify this process even further.
Pro tip 1 : Tickle your baby’s lower lip or gently tap the chin to get them to open their mouths.
Pro tip 2 : You could use a gauze piece or cloth dipped in chilled water if your baby is teething, this will not only clean but also soothe their gums putting them at ease.
So now you’re all set! Don’t forget that your baby’s gum pads will soon sprout out their baby teeth and cleaning and caring for them is the first step for a healthy oral health care regime for your baby!
