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Tooth Healthy Foods – Birth to 6 Months

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Supplies and Preparation

  • Book: “Eating The Rainbow” (Babies Everywhere) by Star Bright Book.
  • “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” song lyrics
  • Plastic or wooden fruits, vegetables, cheeses, meats, etc.
  • Introduce Tooth Healthy Foods!
  • Tooth Healthy and Tooth Unhealthy Foods list

Print PDFs:

Parent Handout - Introduce Tooth Healthy Foods

Parent Handout - Tooth Healthy Unhealthy List

Instructions

Starting the Conversation
  • What types of things related to your baby’s eating habits or nutrition are you wondering about?
  • Have you thought about what you’ll feed baby when she is ready for solid foods?
Parent and Child Activity

1. Talk with the parent about tooth healthy and tooth unhealthy foods.

  • Use the Tooth Healthy and Tooth Unhealthy Foods List on page 60 to show examples of tooth healthy foods (foods low in sugar and high in fiber and nutrients—fruits, vegetables, cheese/dairy products, meats/proteins) and tooth unhealthy foods (starchy foods high in sugar—chips, crackers, fruit snacks/gummies and other sticky foods that get caught in teeth)
  • Tooth healthy foods are good for your teeth; tooth unhealthy foods feed the germs in our mouths, causing acid attacks that weaken teeth and cause cavities.

2 Read “Eating the Rainbow” with the parent and child.

  • Talk with the parent about serving tooth healthy foods to her baby when it’s time for baby to start trying solids (note: the parent can call her medical provider to find out when to introduce solids to her baby).
  • Have the parent circle tooth healthy foods on the Tooth Healthy and Tooth Unhealthy Foods List that she’d like to serve to her child when baby is ready for solid foods.
Extending the Learning

A. Sing the song “Old MacDonald Had a Farm”

Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O,

And on that farm he had some food, E-I-E-I-O,

With an apple here and a carrot there,

Fruits and vegetables everywhere,

Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O.

Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O.

And on that farm he had a cow, E-I-E-I-O.

With some good milk here and some good cheese there,

Strong teeth, strong bones, everywhere,

Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O.

Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O.

And on that farm he had a hog, E-I-E-I-O.

With some protein here and some iron there,

Strong teeth, strong bones, everywhere,

Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O.

B. Play Peek-a-boo

Bring some play foods and play “peek-a-boo” with baby. Demonstrate how parents can show excitement (“yum!”) about healthy foods.

Closing

What tooth healthy foods will you try first with your baby? Why?

How can I support you in offering tooth healthy foods to baby when it’s time?

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Activity Index

Tooth Healthy Foods

Goal

Tooth Healthy Foods

Big Bites: Things You Should Know
  • The combination of germs and carbohydrates (sugar and starches) creates an acid that attacks teeth.
  • Cavity causing germs can be passed from a mother or caregiver to a baby through kissing, sharing utensils, or by putting baby’s pacifier in mom’s mouth.
  • Continual snacking on sugary or starchy foods or drinking juice or soda causes repeated acid attacks. Repeated acid attacks cause cavities.
  • Cavities are almost entirely preventable and can be avoided by limiting continual snacking, drinking water instead of juice/soda, by brushing after eat and by making sure mom doesn’t have active tooth decay.
  • White or brown spots on teeth can be early signs of a cavity and a black spot is probably a cavity.
  • Cavities must be treated by a dentist.
  • Untreated cavities can lead to a serious infection.

 

CFK Throughout the Day

Throughout the Classroom
  • Decorate a bulletin board with pictures of dental tools children may see at a dentist office. Label them.
  • Hang a chart in the classroom called “I had a dental check-up.” Create a thermometer visual that you color in as children get their dental check-up.
  • Set up a pretend dental office for dramatic play.   
At Meals and Snacks
  • Ask:  Who’s been to the dentist?  What do you remember about the visit?
While Brushing Teeth
  • Be a role model.  Brush your teeth with the children to show you take care of your teeth too.
  • Talk about making tiny, tickly circles with a toothbrush to clean the food and germs away.
  • Give each child an “I brushed my teeth today” sticker to wear home Tell children the dentist will be so proud of them when he sees how well they have been brushing.
  • Have children pretend their brushes are like the special spinning toothbrush the dentist uses and make a humming noise while they brush.
During Transitions
  • When children are getting ready to go home, put a sticker on each child that says, “Today I learned about visiting the dentist!”

 

Activities for Early Learning