Hello Ladies, I need help! My darling 2.5 year old son is very independant. He is also afraid of water- swimming pools, bath time, and sprinklers are a nightmare. When it came to brushing his teeth though, he would brush his teeth first and then I would come in with the electric toothbrush and finish the job. He would cry a little bit but nothing too bad. His father tells me that when my son is at his house, he doesn't cry when he brushes his teeth only at bath time. Well within the last week or two, my son, who is freakishly strong, fights me with all of his might when it's time to brushing his teeth. As soon as he sees me grab his toothbrush he is already crying and pressing his lips together. He will not say "AAAAA" and open his mouth anymore, yummy flavored favorite cartoon character toothpaste doesn't even open his mouth. I have to put him in between my legs, tilt his head back a little bit and hold his arms down with one hand and then try to brush with the other and it's a nightmare, it sounds as if I'm ripping off a limb. I've even tried brushing his teeth in front of his new favorite ABC DVD and it doesn't work. How in the world can I brush his teeth without pinning him down. Holding him down in the bathtub at bath time is hard enough and kills my back (I'm in physical therapy twice a week for my neck and back), so holding him down to brush teeth is also painful. Any advice, or suggestions, or fun things to do to make brushing teeth easier would be greatly appreciated. Thank you ladies- Have a wonderful weekend =)
-H.
Ask him to brush your teeth. Brush the teeth of a doll or bear. Then he gets to brush his teeth. Maybe let him choose which kind of toothbrush (electric or regular) he would like to use.
When we brush our daughter's teeth, we tell her to open wide like an alligator.
Good luck.
Hi H., has your son always been afraid to brush his teeth or is this something new?I ask because maybe he has tooth or gum pain, or he maybe getting his 2 year mollers. I would let him brush is teeth on his own, and you not go behind him and re do them, The sound of the electric tooth brush may be what he is afraid of. At bath time, maybe your husband can put on swimming trunks and hold your son in the shower or get in the tub with him. The only other thing i can say is maybe he's is acting out because he can, has there been any discipline for the behavior? I would not pin a child down. J.
As our Ped. Dentist suggested with my firstborn... try cleaning his teeth with a dampened washcloth... rub a dub dub it...and it cleans just as well.
My son, also, prefers this.
*perhaps, is he having any mouth pain due to teeth coming out or anything? Maybe a cold sore or any other type of mouth issues?
Both my kids didn't like toothbrushes from about 1-2 years old.
Well, my son is still 1 yrs. old...so that's what I do. You can clean their teeth several times a day with the washcloth. My son will open his mouth for this, but not so much with a toothbrush. He runs away at just me "thinking" about brushing his teeth. He can read my mind!
Good luck, these phases huh? Well, it will pass sooner or later. My boy, also does NOT like to take a bath (he used to)... oh but he loves water and playing with water....just not being IN the tub. He screams like he's being tortured the whole time. Go figure. LOL.
Some kids just don't like the texture of toothbrushes.
Well I feel for you... I have the same scenario. LOL.
All the best,
~Susan
H. you are not alone :)
My son, 2 1/2 also hates brushing his teeth. I have tried stickers, bribing, etc. I have noticed lately my talk of bugs on his teeth is working, because when he sees me brush at night he talks about taking the bugs off his teeth too. If your son has something that he really likes, maybe you could try not giving it to him until he brushes. Today I went out and bought "plaque revealing pre-brush gel" it's by Orajel. My thought is if he sees the "bugs" on his teeth he will want them off. Trust me though, there have been many nights where I just pin him down & scrub!
These are other posts with the same issue, some good ideas:
http://www.mamasource.com/request/13761320407476994049/14...
http://www.mamasource.com/request/13761320407476994049/14...
http://www.mamasource.com/request/13761320407476994049/14...
