Oral hygiene is an essential part of infant care, even before they begin teething, since oral care also involves the gums and tongue. Hence, it is important to discuss how to clean a baby’s tongue for optimal oral hygiene. The New York State Department of Health states that it is important to take proper care of your child’s teeth and dental (oral) health right from birth (1). However, oral care for infants is often neglected as it is usually misunderstood as merely teeth care. In this post, we discuss the importance, tips, methods, and precautions to take while cleaning a baby’s tongue.
Why Do You Need To Clean Your Baby’s Tongue?
A healthy mouth is important for a healthy body. Oral hygiene maintenance routine should start in infancy. A clean environment in the mouth could eventually help keep the erupting teeth healthy.Here are a few more reasons to clean your baby’s tongue.
Babies are breastfed from their very first day of life. Breast milk has sugars, just like the formula (2). Therefore, it is essential to clean the baby’s tongue and gums after feeding them.
Oral thrush is a fungal infection seen in babies and is visualized by white patches on the tongue, cheek, palate, and gums. Regular cleaning of the tongue and other soft tissues helps in maintaining a clean oral environment and could help avoid fungal infections (3).
Cleaning a baby’s tongue at a young age makes them habitual to the feeling of oral hygiene maintenance tools like toothbrush, tongue cleaner, etc.
It could also teach the baby the importance of healthy oral hygiene.
How To Clean A Baby’s Tongue: A Step-By-Step Guide
Be gentle and patient while cleaning your baby’s tongue. Your baby might initially suck or bite your fingers, thinking it to be food.It takes a few days for the baby to get used to it.
Step-by-step guide to clean your baby’s tongue
It is suggested to clean the baby’s tongue and mouth at least once a day. A gauze piece is most commonly used to clean a baby’s tongue. You may ask your dentist if they suggest using any finger toothbrushes or specific tongue cleaners for babies.
Do You Need A Tongue Cleaner For Your Baby?
Tongue cleaners are not recommended for babies.
Tips For Cleaning The Baby’s Gums
Babies often do not cooperate while cleaning their gums, but these tips might make the process a bit easier.
Engage and distract your baby while cleaning the gums.
Cradle them in your arms so that you have a better grip on the baby, and it is easier for you to clean them.
Wait until your baby is in a good mood before starting to clean his/her tongue and gums.
For very young babies, it is difficult to determine the last meal of the day. So it might be a good idea to fix a time in the day. It helps build a sense of routine for the baby.
Precautions To Take While Cleaning Your Baby’s Tongue
The following precautions while cleaning your baby’s tongue can help avoid any injury to the baby.
Try using a clean washcloth piece for your baby’s mouth to avoid the risk of any infection.
Keep your nails short and clean to avoid any injury to the baby’s delicate tissues.
Do not forcefully clean the baby’s tongue
