I didn't switch Mara and Porter's toothpaste right away. I was worried since we still have the occasional brushing where Mara forgets to spit, or Porter doesn't want to spit. I had purchased Tom's of Maine Silly Strawberry toothpaste for Mara, sheepishly believe this was a truly natural childrens toothpaste option for her. However one of the inactive ingredients is a carcinogen called: carrageenan.
"Carrageenan has undergone many long-term dietary studies under defined regulatory conditions en route to its current global regulatory status. While some indicate that carrageenan safely passes through rat GI tracts without adverse effect when it is a dietary ingredient,[2] other animal dietary studies have observed colitis-like disease and tumor promotion.[3] Recently, some scientists have raised concerns about whether the amount of "degraded carrageenan" (poligeenan) in food-grade carrageenan may lead to health problems, leading to a debate in the research literature.[4] It is yet to be determined whether such observations are pertinent to dietary safety considerations. Europe prohibits the use of carrageenan in infant formula, organic or otherwise, for precautionary reasons,[5] but allows it otherwise. In the U.S., it’s allowed in organic foods, including juices, chocolate milk and organic infant formula, as well as other types of foods."
(source)
As a Mama Wolf, that just does not sit right with me. So I began searching for an alternative and then the little light bulb in my mind flickered on, baking soda. For decades people have used baking soda to brush their teeth, why not my kids? I mean shoot, that's what Papa Wolf and I are using essentially with a few more ingredients. I searched online and was surprised that there were a lot of forums where people said that it was not worth the struggle trying to get your kids to try and use the baking soda, that it was awful, that they would hate it, etc. I didn't buy into it. We have raised our children to the best of our ability to make healthy decisions and positive decisions. When I approached Mara about brushing her teeth with the baking soda, she was a bit against it, she said she didn't like it. I encouraged her to try it, that it is what makes Papa Wolf's teeth and my teeth sparkly white and keeps our mouth clean, and she gave it a go, and we haven't looked back since. Porter didn't hop on board right away, but this is the little wolf that wanted to EAT the toothpaste out of the bottle because of the "Natural Mixed Berry Flavor" it possessed. But after about a week of getting him used to it (with just a small amount on his brush at a time and then using the finger brush) he is back to enjoying his toothbrush.
Several forums I read also stated that it is not safe to swallow, now, I do not encourage letting your children swallow it after they brush, because well, you want to swallow all the yucky particles that you are brushing off of your teeth, but it will not harm them if they accidentally swallow it. Baking soda has several uses, this site lists fifty uses for baking soda. I encourage you to check it out!
As a Mama Wolf, that just does not sit right with me. So I began searching for an alternative and then the little light bulb in my mind flickered on, baking soda. For decades people have used baking soda to brush their teeth, why not my kids? I mean shoot, that's what Papa Wolf and I are using essentially with a few more ingredients. I searched online and was surprised that there were a lot of forums where people said that it was not worth the struggle trying to get your kids to try and use the baking soda, that it was awful, that they would hate it, etc. I didn't buy into it. We have raised our children to the best of our ability to make healthy decisions and positive decisions. When I approached Mara about brushing her teeth with the baking soda, she was a bit against it, she said she didn't like it. I encouraged her to try it, that it is what makes Papa Wolf's teeth and my teeth sparkly white and keeps our mouth clean, and she gave it a go, and we haven't looked back since. Porter didn't hop on board right away, but this is the little wolf that wanted to EAT the toothpaste out of the bottle because of the "Natural Mixed Berry Flavor" it possessed. But after about a week of getting him used to it (with just a small amount on his brush at a time and then using the finger brush) he is back to enjoying his toothbrush.
Several forums I read also stated that it is not safe to swallow, now, I do not encourage letting your children swallow it after they brush, because well, you want to swallow all the yucky particles that you are brushing off of your teeth, but it will not harm them if they accidentally swallow it. Baking soda has several uses, this site lists fifty uses for baking soda. I encourage you to check it out!
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