Infant toothpaste - fluoride??

[ThatEffingCreakyFloor]

My HV advises using adult toothpaste (DC has just turned one, just got first tooth), says Milk Teeth does not have enough fluoride in it (it's 1000 ppm vs my Colgate which is 1450 ppm) but AFAIK adult toothpastes all seem to say Not for use of children under 7.....what's the consensus out there on this please? I have struggled to find other children's toothpastes to compare the flouride amounts - maybe my Boots has a v limited choice? Any advice much appreciated please!

[noblegiraffe]

I'm guessing that there's a reason that all children's toothpastea have less fluoride and that adult toothpaste says not for children and that the people who made those decisions are better informed than your HV.

[AndNowItsSeven]

Your hv is right, any dentist will tell you infant toothpaste is a marketing ploy. You should always use regular adult toothpaste.

[dementedpixie]

in Scotland they just advise a minimum fluoride level of 1000ppm so either kids or adult stuff would be ok. Kids ones tend to have a milder flavour so may be accepted more readily

[dementedpixie]

This is the nhs info:

Dental advice for children

Children up to three years of age should use toothpaste with a fluoride level of at least 1,000ppm (parts per million).

After three years of age, children should use toothpaste with a fluoride level of 1,350-1,500ppm. 

The level of fluoride can be found on the pack

Children should be supervised when brushing their teeth until about seven years of age.

The amount of toothpaste your child uses is important.

Up to the age of three, a smear of toothpaste is sufficient, and from age three to six, a pea-sized amount is recommended.

Encourage your child to spit the toothpaste out after brushing their teeth rather than swallowing it.

[noblegiraffe]

Just looked it up. The lower amounts of fluoride are because young children are more likely to swallow the toothpaste and thus there is a risk of fluorosis. You should use a smear of toothpaste about the size of a grain of rice and encourage spitting.

[LMonkey]

Babies and toddlers would obviously not be spitting out the excess toothpaste as adults do and will naturally swallow it (try getting a child under 18 months to spit it out, my 2.5 year old hasn't even quite got the hang of it yet, he just makes the noise lol), so this is why it needs to be a lower fluoride content. Would you really want a higher fluoride content floating around your baby's body? I'm surprised you were told this by your HV, as I've been told by various HVs and our dentist to only use baby toothpaste. I have only used baby toothpaste on my toddler and his teeth are very healthy.

[ThatEffingCreakyFloor]

Thanks for all these points everyone. She is very good with her toothbrush (we have been playing 'tickle the [non-existent] teeth' for ages now so actually getting the toothpaste in and on is not a problem. I think I will err on the side of caution and stick with the milk teeth, or similar, for now.
Thanks all!