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The Whole Bite Club
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All ages, birth to five

Birth to about 6 months

Before the first tooth

Your baby has no teeth yet. They are already there, under the gums.

This month

  • Wipe the gums once a day.
  • No bottle in bed.
  • Nothing sweet on the dummy.
  • Milk only. Water at 6 months, with food.
  • First tooth, or first birthday: book the check.
Print this sheet
A parent wipes a baby’s gums with a clean damp cloth. The baby lies back on their lap.

Your baby has 20 teeth already. They are hidden in the gums. The first one comes at about 6 months.

Wipe the gums once a day with a clean, damp cloth. It gets your baby used to a clean mouth.

Breastmilk or formula is all your baby needs to drink. No juice. No sweet drinks.

Never put your baby to bed with a bottle. Milk sits in the mouth all night. There is less spit at night to wash it away.

Sucking a thumb or a dummy is normal now. Never dip a dummy in honey, jam or anything sweet.

Sore gums and dribble can start from 3 months. That is teething. Rub the gums with a clean finger.

When to get help

  • A fever of 38 or more, a rash or vomiting is not teething. See your doctor today.
  • Call 000 if your child cannot breathe or swallow, or the swelling is spreading fast.
  • Not sure? Ring 13 HEALTH on 13 43 25 84, any time of day or night.

Register your child

Tell us who your child is and where they go. We will check their teeth when we visit.

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Where this comes from

We checked every line on this page against these.

  1. Tooth decay - young children(opens in a new tab)

    Better Health Channel · Opened 5 September 2026

    That germs in the mouth feed on sugar and make acid, that the acid damages enamel, and that spit repairs the damage until the damage outruns the repair.

  2. Dummies(opens in a new tab)

    Better Health Channel · Opened 7 September 2026

    That sucking a dummy is normal, that most children stop between two and four, that a long habit changes the teeth and jaws, and that a dummy is never dipped in anything sweet.

  3. Looking after your baby or child's teeth(opens in a new tab)

    healthdirect Australia · Opened 7 September 2026

    Wiping a baby's gums from the first days, the first tooth at about six months, the first check by the first birthday, and never a bottle of milk or a sweet drink at bedtime.

  4. Dental health & dental care for babies(opens in a new tab)

    Raising Children Network · Opened 7 September 2026

    That a newborn already has a full set of twenty teeth hidden in the gums, that the first one arrives between about three and twelve months, how to hold a baby to brush, and that nothing goes in a cot bottle.

  5. Teething(PDF, opens in a new tab)

    Australian Dental Association · Opened 7 September 2026 · PDF

    That teething can start from three months, which signs belong to it and which belong to a sick baby, what helps, and that a parent asks a pharmacist, nurse or doctor before any pain medicine.

  6. Food and drinks for children(PDF, opens in a new tab)

    Australian Dental Association · Opened 7 September 2026 · PDF

    Milk and water as the drinks, a cup rather than a bottle after one, and that sticky or sweet snacks sit on the teeth longest.

  7. Children's Oral Health(PDF, opens in a new tab)

    Australian Dental Association · Opened 7 September 2026 · PDF

    Wiping a baby's gums with a damp cloth before the teeth arrive, a children's toothpaste from 18 months, and an adult still helping at eight or nine.

Questions? admin@oralhealthhome.com