Even before your baby’s teeth come in, germs can get in their mouth and begin to cause oral problems. The younger you start teaching your baby to brush their teeth, the better habits you will create to prevent tooth decay, a common problem as early as kindergarten. Find the best toothpaste for babies and toddlers and find out why fluoride shouldn’t be on the label.
Best Baby Toothpaste
Dr. Brown’s Toothbrush Set can be used from the get-go whereas Earth’s Best Toothpaste Set is designed for babies that are at least 6 months of age.
Dr. Brown’s Toothbrush Set
This Infant-to-Toddler Set by Dr. Brown’s includes a training toothbrush and natural baby toothpaste for a great price. The training toothbrush is super cute with it looking like a little giraffe which should quickly capture your baby’s attention. Its 4 legs allow you to stand the toothbrush up on its own after brushing is done.
The strawberry-flavored training toothpaste is fluoride-free of course, so it’s okay if baby swallows it. Parents love how soft and gentle the giraffe toothbrush is. Paired with the yummy and safe toothpaste, your little one will start to look forward to brushing teeth time!
Earth’s Best Toothpaste
Earth’s Best Toothpaste is a well known all-natural brand that boasts rave reviews. Included with this strawberry banana toothpaste is a gum brush for baby’s teeth. Do not use the gum brush once your baby has teeth as they will bite the parent’s fingers!
With ingredients like calcium lactate, oat bran, beta-glucan, and Vitamin B5 you know your kid’s mouth will stay healthy and clean even as an infant. The paste is free of preservative and harsh ingredients so your baby or toddler can swallow the paste without issue. As expected, Earth’s Best avoids fluoride to keep your baby healthy as well.
Finally, your little one will love the strawberry banana flavor. She will also love the soft silicone finger brush so you can start to teach her to brush even before her teeth arrive.
Issues
As always, tastes buds differ for every person. Some babies love the flavor of strawberry banana and others would rather gag before letting the flavor in their mouth. I can understand, I hate bananas, yet I’m the only one in my family with this distaste.
Weleda Tooth Gel
Weleda Tooth Gel made in Switzerland and Germany is ready to rock your babies world. Not really, but it will clean her mouth without harsh chemicals she cannot swallow.
Baby teeth are quite delicate and need protection without harsh ingredients which is what Weleda offers. Along with brushing twice a day, this gel can help to keep your baby’s or toddler’s mouth clean and fresh. Safe from birth but use a very small amount at first and work up to more as your child gets teeth.
The company’s signature ingredient – the calendula flower – cleans gums. Silica helps to clean thoroughly while fennel and spearmint add flavor. Great gentle taste babies and toddlers love without the harsh intense mint flavor that turns a lot of people off of toothpaste.
Issues
The flavor of fennel, while very good for babies (it can help with unsettled stomachs, teething pain, and even breastmilk issues), is an acquired taste.
The new formula can contain almond oil. Please take note if nut allergies are an issue in your home.
Also, with the product coming from Europe it can be a bit pricey, but worth it if you prefer European products, this is the way to go. My children loved it when we lived in Germany.
Best Toddler Toothpaste
All of these toddler toothpastes are flouride-free. The Hello Toothpaste and Tom’s Toothpaste are our top contenders but Rain Toothpaste offers vitamin C and alpine rose leaf extract.
Natural Fluoride-Free Toothpaste
The Natural Toothpaste offers a larger tube of paste than most brands and a fun watermelon flavor. No fluoride means this paste works well for children zero to six years or until your child can learn to spit out toothpaste. This pure paste is safe to swallow.
Natural toothpaste is not only safe to swallow but protects baby teeth from gingivitis, plaque, tartar, and tooth decay while also freshening breath. The all-natural ingredients include vitamin c and alpine rose leaf extract. Vitamin c improves connective tissue in gums while alpine rose-leaf contains both antioxidants and antiviral properties to keep teeth healthy.
The gel does not use any parabens, sodium lauryl sulfates, or carrageenan, the latter can cause upset stomach and diarrhea in those sensitive to seaweeds. Most dental pastes use an overwhelming mint flavor but most kid’s paste uses a fruit flavor.
Finally, the tube is not only larger but offers an easy-open flip-top cap for quick easy use and keeps the paste from drying out or getting dirty. The cap makes this a great choice for travel. The larger size means it’s a great option for multiples or twins.
Issues
Make sure to check the expiration date as some customers received an expired product.
Others found their children did not like the flavor. Toothpaste, like everything edible, is a personal choice and no two people will agree on the same flavor. You may end up with three children and three different toothpaste flavors!
Tom’s Fluoride-Free Toothpaste
Score a 3-pack at a reasonable price when you purchase Tom’s Fluoride-Free Toothpaste. There are a variety of flavor options to choose from including Silly Strawberry (pictured), Orange Mango, Mild Mint, or Fruitilicious. Each tube is 5.1 oz in size.
This natural and vegan toothpaste is free from artificial flavors, preservatives, and colors. Many parents say their kids love this tasty toothpaste. They also like the fact that the toothpaste tube is recyclable so you can throw it in the recycle bin when your little one has used all the paste!
Jack N’ Jill Toothpaste
The last toothpaste, Jack N’ Jill Toothpaste, comes in an adorable package with two flip top caps ready to improve your kiddo’s smile. Each comes in a set of two with two different flavors to help find what your kid likes best. Pick from blackcurrant, blueberry, banana, raspberry, and strawberry. Every flavor has its own color cap to make your life a little easier. The Australian made toothpaste uses all-natural ingredients
The paste uses xylitol for sweetness and to fight germs. All of the flavors are free of fluoride, sugar, color, SLS, BPA, and preservatives. Mind you, they recommend this toothpaste for six months and up but the dental paste is safe for swallowing so if you need to use it earlier you can. The brand even offers a flavor-free option for children who do not like any flavors at all!
Issues
The brand started adding citric acid which can be too harsh for some people. Some customers complained the cap broke too easily. Check the tube before using it. With no preservatives, which can be bad for baby or toddler, the paste can get moldy. Of course, some babies may not like any of the flavors from this brand.
Hello Flouride Free Toothpaste
Hello Fluoride Free Toddler Toothpaste greets pearly whites every day and can keep your baby’s breath sweet and germ-free. The watermelon flavor will keep baby and toddler happy as most don’t tolerate strong mint flavors.
Gently clean tiny teeth and gums with a clear gel made of aloe vera and safe sweeteners xylitol and erythritol. Even better, this toothpaste is dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegan. Don’t worry about the bad stuff, the paste is free of dyes, artificial flavors, triclosan, SLS, parabens too.
Finally, start using the paste at three months until your child can spit then they can move on to another paste. Hello Oral toothpaste does it all: cavity prevention, gum cleaning, plaque removal, and enamel strengthening.
Issues
The paste uses sweeteners (like Stevia) which is a bit overboard for toothpaste. Even though babies, and all humans really, respond well to sweets, if you start a kid young with less sweet toothpaste you have a better chance of keeping them off sweet toothpaste. Isn’t the purpose of cleaning teeth to remove sugar? Also, some kids may not like the flavor despite how sweet.
Spry Fluoride Free Toothpaste
Like all baby toothpaste, Spry Toothpaste is safe to swallow which is what makes baby toothpastes different from adult or even some children’s toothpaste. While fluoride helps to keep teeth strong, the brain does not react well, and swallowing too much is harmful to anyone.
Babies will love the fruity strawberry banana flavor and parents will love the all-natural safe-to-swallow recipe. Most baby’s only know how to spit formula or breast milk out but not toothpaste. Go figure. Either way, you have a few years before your baby understands how to spit up on purpose so a safe-to-swallow tooth gel is necessary.
The main ingredient – xylitol – sweetens without sugar and prevents cavities in children. Unlike sugar, xylitol does not ferment or create acid in the mouth which produces cavities. This is one of the few products that have a high enough concentration level of xylitol to really make a difference.
This paste does include grapefruit seed extract, very healthy but can cause issues for those sensitive to citric acid or citrus fruits. Use the paste 3 to 5 times per day perhaps after feedings or at least first thing in the morning and right before bed.
Issues
The paste has a very mild taste some toddlers won’t like. The mild flavor may also not affect severe bad breath. Do check the expiration dates before using them as companies still try to push out older products.
Baby Toothpastes Compared
The table below compares only the recommended products on this page. A low or high Price means it is low or high compared to the other products listed. The Popularity Score reflects how often readers click on and buy the product. The Quality Score is our assessment of the overall performance and satisfaction with the product compared to others in the table.
| Hello Flouride Free Toothpaste | 9.7 | 9.6 | 27.85 |
| Earth's Best Toothpaste | 3.9 | 9.0 | 19.67 |
| Spry Fluoride Free Toothpaste | 9.3 | 9.6 | 18.22 |
| Tom's Fluoride-Free Toothpaste | 9.8 | 9.2 | 16.05 |
| Natural Fluoride-Free Toothpaste | 8.5 | 9.4 | 13.74 |
| Dr. Brown's Toothbrush Set | 9.9 | - | 8.56 |
| Jack N' Jill Toothpaste | 9.8 | 9.0 | 7.99 |
| Weleda Tooth Gel | 9.6 | 9.4 | 6.66 |
FAQs – Best Baby and Toddler Toothpaste
Is fluoride toothpaste safe for babies and toddlers?
No. Fluoride toothpaste is not safe for babies. It is good for teeth but not for ingesting and babies cannot spit out the toothpaste, at least not on purpose. Too much fluoride can cause enamel fluorosis, which is harmless but leads to white spots when the adult teeth erupt and are permanent.
Even when your child is older, make sure they spit out excess toothpaste and rinse well with water.
Does my baby really need toothpaste?
Yes. Toothpaste cleans teeth and gums both of which can get infected and cause dental health issues. Brushing baby’s gums, teeth, and tongue at a very young age help set the stage for healthy habits in the future. Toothpaste helps to reduce germs and polish the teeth, which is more important as your baby grows into a toddler with more and bigger teeth.
Do I need to brush my baby’s teeth if I breastfeed?
Yes, even breastfed babies need to brush. One of the main ingredients in breast milk is lactose which is a complex carbohydrate that works breaks down into sugar and can break down the enamel of little teeth. Either way, can you imagine the film and the taste inside the baby’s mouth if you never brush? If adult mouths feel gross when not brushed, the same would be true for baby’s mouths.
