Homemade Toothpaste for Babies and Toddlers (and possibly for you)

The debate over fluoride rages, and I washed my hands of figuring it out a long time ago.  My highly sophisticated solution has been to sometimes buy fluoridated toothpaste and sometimes buy the fluoride-free kind.  Ever the diplomat, I.

Luckily, everyone agrees on one thing: babies and toddlers (who can never, ever be trusted to not swallow everything toothpaste) should always have their teeth brushed with a fluoride-free variety. I am personally not a big fan of dyes, which most children's toothpastes contain, and am also not a big fan of paying $5 a pop for a natural brand if there is a cheaper alternative.  And luckily, there is.

I've used this simple homemade toothpaste recipe for both of my boys, and they both loved it. (Past tense for Alyosha unless I cave and throw in some extra Stevia, which has him salivating at the crack of the jar come 7:30 pm.  It's weird, Pavlov.)

Here's what you'll need:

4 oz glass jar, or container of choice
1 Tbsp castile soap
5 Tbsp coconut oil
1 Tbsp water
1 heaping tsp baking soda
1-2 drops peppermint oil (or orange, lemon, etc), to taste
stevia, to taste

Simply mix everything together, using the oil and stevia sparingly at first and adding more as you desire.

(Adults can certainly use this as well, if you're comfortable without the fluoride, but I'll give you the heads up that it's a pretty different feel than most of us are used to.  A little grainy and not much foam. No complaints from the toddler set, but the hubs has yet to make it past the first tasting.)

Happy Brushing!

Related Posts:
DIY Cloth Wipes
Things No One Tells You About Cloth Diapering
If You're a Sucker for a Birth Story
Why I'm Not "Training" My Children