Starting good habits early is important to keep teeth healthy and strong as children grow, setting them up for good dental health in future.

• Children’s eating habits, especially how often and how much sugar they eat, are linked to a higher chance of developing tooth decay.
• Many packaged foods for babies and young children have more sugar than what is listed on the label and often than what is recommended for a healthy diet.
• High sugar levels can be found in many products such as rusks, yoghurts, purees, fruit bars, muesli bars, sauces and spreads.
• Where possible, making food from scratch will have a higher health benefit and you will know exactly what is going into it.
• When looking at processed foods, try to choose savoury options and check the main ingredients, which will be ordered from largest to smallest quantities.
• Replace high-sugar foods with healthier savoury choices, such as fresh fruit, vegetables and dairy foods.

• Many ‘healthy’ foods are high in sugar. Look for products with less than 5 grams of sugar per 100 grams.
• Sugar can have many names and may be listed on packaging as honey, treacle, glucose, molasses, sucrose, dextrose or fructose as a few examples.
• Food may have no ‘added’ sugar but may still be high in natural sugar, so check the label.
• Fruit contains natural sugar which can damage the tooth surface if eaten often. Try to eat fruit with meals, or a separate snack – rather than picking at it throughout the day.
• Plain yoghurts, e.g. Greek yoghurt, rather than fruit purees are a safer choice for young children.
• Some medicines may contain sugar, choose sugar-free medicines where possible.
• Vitamin gummies can also increase the risk of tooth decay due to their sticky nature.

• If your baby is bottle-fed, don’t put them to bed with the bottle. Take the bottle away as soon as your child has finished drinking.
• From 6 months, your child can use a sipper cup. Stop using the bottle by one year of age.
• From 6 months, offer cooled, boiled tap water.
• Plain tap water is the best drink for teeth as it contains fluoride - it does not contain sugar or acid.
• If your baby is still breast or bottle feeding during the night, try to offer them water before they fall asleep. This will rinse the milk from their teeth and reduce their risk of tooth decay.
• Sugary drinks like fruit juice, cordial, flavoured milk or soft drinks can damage teeth because they are high in sugar and acid. Diet soft drinks and cordial are often very acidic and can also damage teeth.