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Clean your baby’s new teeth and relieve their sore gums. Impression Material
It’s an exciting time when your little one’s first tooth starts to appear. Baby teeth can start popping up at 6 months old, so caring for them as early as possible is essential. Some baby toothbrushes resemble adult toothbrushes, while others double as a teether or fit on the finger for easy use. Regardless of design, the best baby toothbrushes are soft, simple to use, and withstand the gnawing of tiny pearly whites.
To find the best baby toothbrushes and learn more about caring for those adorable two front teeth (and beyond), we spoke to several pediatric dentists. We also tested 16 top-rated kids' electric toothbrushes with the help of 12 parenting editors and their children. When reviewing and testing baby toothbrushes, we considered ease of use, functionality, design, quality, and value. A board-certified family physician on our Review Board also reviewed this article for medical accuracy and integrity surrounding what to look for in baby toothbrushes and when and how often to use them.
Once a baby's first tooth erupts, you'll want to start brushing twice a day, every day. When that first tooth comes in, decay is a possibility, so cleaning the teeth twice a day ensures healthy dental hygiene. You'll need to brush your baby's teeth with fluoride toothpaste once after breakfast and just before they go to bed. Your child’s toothbrush should be the last thing to touch their teeth at night.
Use a rice-sized amount of toothpaste on your child's brush until they turn 3. Too much toothpaste can lead to fluorosis, which permanently stains the teeth by forming pits and spots.
The Brilliant Baby’s 1st Teether-Brush doubles as a teether and a toothbrush. The durable BPA-free food-grade silicone is ideal for gentle brushing on sore gums. Plus, it’s safe to clean in the dishwasher or a bottle sterilizer.
Soft bristles are small yet useful for budding teeth and beginner brushers. The double-sided design lets kids easily reach all areas of the mouth. Choose from seven fun colors, like green, pink, or clear, and up to three pack options.
We love the unique two-sided design, but the odd shape can make brushing difficult for some kids. Moreover, little ones may use this brush more as a teether than a toothbrush.
While giving your baby the best start possible in oral health is important, you don’t need to spend a lot of money on a toothbrush. The Radius Pure Brush is a basic toothbrush that's just the right size for little mouths.
The soft bristles are made of vegetable-based nylon, and the brush is dye-free and BPA-free, so you can feel confident it's a solid choice to care for your baby's teeth. The tapered handle makes it a breeze for tiny hands to hold independently.
The toothbrush head is a bit large, making it challenging for little ones to reach all areas of their mouths.
With this type of two-sided brush, you can use your finger to gently rub along your baby’s gums and emerging teeth for a thorough clean. This design is also great for getting your baby used to a mouth-cleaning routine. We love FridaBaby’s fingertip brush for its durability and BPA-free, food-grade silicone construction.
The design brushes tiny teeth from all sides, preventing decay and plaque from an early age. However, it doesn’t clean the tongue.
This triple-angle toothbrush is unique because it cleans all sides simultaneously (almost like a hug to the teeth). One of our favorite features of the FridaBaby Triple-Angle Toothhugger is its time-to-toss indicator, where blue bristles in the middle of the brush turn white so you know when to replace the brush.
Kids 2 years old and up will love the fun color options and soft round bristles that feel gentle against the teeth. Plus, your toddler will get a kick out of brushing their teeth all by themselves, and you’ll love that they're learning good hygiene habits at a young age. They can even set the toothbrush upright independently, thanks to a suction cup on the bottom of the brush.
Like the company’s fingertip brush, this FridaBaby triple-angle toothbrush doesn’t clean the tongue.
The Baby Banana Infant Toothbrush is one of the most popular infant toothbrushes on the market. It doubles as a teether and toothbrush, allowing babies to brush all by themselves while promoting hand-eye coordination and good hygiene. The banana shape is just right for little hands to grasp without issues (and it’s just cute to watch kids gnaw on a mini banana).
The BPA-free silicone collects fuzz and debris easily. On the plus side, the gentle bristles relieve sore gums while brushing them clean.
We love how easy the Papablic Baby Electric Toothbrush is to use for littles. When we tested it, a 2-year-old was able to turn the toothbrush on by himself immediately. One of our favorite features of this baby toothbrush is its two-minute timer. The brush’s head lights up and turns off after the cycle is complete, so kids brush for the recommended two minutes to get their teeth clean. The toothbrush also pulses every 30 seconds to let kids (and parents) know when it’s time to move to another area of the mouth. Overall, we appreciate this kid-friendly feature that makes brushing teeth fun.
The toothbrush comes with two heads, one for newborns to 18 months and another for 18 months to 3 years. Unfortunately, the brush head sometimes dislodged when kids brushed or bit down on it, so parents had to lock it back into place. Moreover, the bristles started prematurely fraying after about one month of use and lots of biting from kids.
If you want to purchase a toothbrushing set that lasts from infancy to toddlerhood, you'll love the Nuby 4 Stage Oral Care System. It comes with four brushes: a soft, silicone fingertip brush that you can use right from birth and three additional brushes for the different stages of teething. Just remember to replace toothbrushes every three to four months.
The first brush is great for when babies start teething. It helps littles get used to the feeling of a toothbrush in their mouth while working on their grip. As your baby's teething process continues, the additional brushes will provide much-needed relief from sore gums—you can even pop them in the refrigerator to increase their comfort.
The Nuby toothbrush set has a stand, so you don’t have to purchase separate storage. However, putting brushes back onto the stand is sometimes difficult, especially if you’re holding a baby in one hand.
The Dada-Tech electric toothbrush has lots of features we love, like its multiple small brush heads sized suitably for small mouths, an anti-slip handle for a solid grip, and a smart timer for a full two-minute brush. Unfortunately, during testing, the toothbrush was off to a rough start when inserting the battery. As we learned, you have to take off the bottom cap and undo a tiny screw each time you need to replace the battery. Despite the unexpected start, we were pleasantly surprised with how durable the toothbrush is against repeated drops to the floor by kids.
This set includes two toothbrushes: one for newborns to age 3 and another for ages 3 and up.
We encountered issues with turning the toothbrush on. Pressing the on and off button once turns on the brush head’s light but not the actual toothbrush. Instead, you have to press the on and off button twice to turn the brush on for brushing.
If you’re looking for a baby toothbrush that's super easy for little hands to hold, try this uniquely shaped brush from Ecovona. It has a wide, ergonomic handle with a hole in the middle, making it just right for tiny fingers. We love that it features a two-in-one design; the top of the toothbrush cleans teeth, while the bottom of the handle acts as a teether.
It’s important to note that the bristles are unsafe for chewing (only the handle is safe for teething babies).
To find the best baby toothbrushes, we researched more than 50 products available on the market, spoke to parents and dentists, and reviewed guidance from top professional associations. We also reviewed guidelines on oral health for babies, like when to start brushing a baby’s teeth, how often, and the best toothbrushes to use for babies.
We also tested 16 kids' electric toothbrushes with the help of 12 parenting editors and their children. During our test, parenting editors examined each toothbrush on the following attributes:
We initially tested electric toothbrushes for two months, but kids are still using them beyond the testing period to determine their longevity and durability. We’re also sending new electric kids' toothbrushes to families to test on the same attributes.
We contacted three dentists to learn more about good oral health for babies and when you should start brushing a baby’s teeth. The experts we spoke with are:
Waiting for your baby to erupt teeth is exciting, but many parents and caregivers don't realize they should start brushing early. Before teeth come in, you can clean your baby's mouth with a clean gauze pad or soft cloth. Additionally, a fingertip toothbrush cleans gums prior to the eruption of teeth and after they start showing.
Katrina Cossey is a commerce writer and devoted mom. She spent several years in broadcast journalism but found her true passion in writing about the best products for families, pregnant people, and kids of all ages. She’s researched thousands of baby products, toys, gifts, and more and personally tested many of them. In her spare time, you’ll likely find her in the beautiful outdoors of Oklahoma with her husband and 4-year-old son. When her kiddo's teeth started popping up, she opted for the Baby Banana Infant Toothbrush. She loved the two-in-one design, soft silicone, and how cute her baby looked gnawing on a tiny banana.
Baby Teeth. American Dental Association.
Fluoride: Topical and Systemic Supplements. American Dental Association. 2023.
Good Oral Health Starts Early. American Academy of Pediatrics. 2022.
Ivismile Wireless Teeth Whitening Kit Baby Teeth. American Dental Association.