I hear it all too often - babies teeth going rotten due to what is put in their bottles. I think too many parents just do not realise the effects things such as juice or cordial can have on their baby's teeth, even before the teeth have come through.

Juice, cordial, milk additives such as milo, all contain sugar. Think about this: why do you clean your teeth? It is to remove sugars left sitting on the teeth and gums - when you do not brush your teeth the sugars cause decay. So, if you put, say, juice in a baby's bottle to go to sleep with, what will happen? The sugars will sit on the gums, causing decay!

If your baby needs a bottle to go to sleep with, put milk only in it or plain water.

Another reason for tooth decay is sweets given to babies. A woman I know has a 10 month old and the mother is always giving her lollies, chocolate, ice cream, etc - this is giving the baby a real sweet tooth and making her a good candidate for tooth decay. Give your baby treats, sure, but limit them, especially when so young.

It's never too early to care for your baby's gums. Use a clean, soft, moist cloth to wipe your baby's gums. Bath time is a good time to do this. Once the first tooth appears, use a soft baby tooth brush to clean. Always remember that it is not just the teeth themselves that need cleaning but the gums too, especially where teeth are yet to come through. As the baby ages, you can introduce toothpaste.

Remember, too, that it is the brushing with water that really cleans the teeth and gums, not the toothpaste. The fluroide in toothpaste helps, sure, but so does the fluroide in water! A friend of mine is a Dental Nurse and she told me this. So, if baby doesn't like the taste of the toothpaste once you start to introduce it, don't panic. As long as the teeth and gums do get brushed, that's what's important. Use a tiny bit of toothpaste and slowly increase it to get baby used to it.