I have a two and a half year old boy and I have been brushing his teeth since they appeared and until he could take over. He has always liked it, even though his coordination makes him a little clumsy at it. Lately he has given up on brushing them and just sucks on the toothbrush. If I show him, brush mine with him, he might do one brush across the front teeth and then he's through. And forget about doing it for him. Should I be concerned or just go with the flow and he'll get the hang of it soon enough? Any suggestions?
Thank you so much for the great pieces of advice! The seal game, brilliant! He let me get in some real good brushing with that game. I just have to get some stock in kids toothbrush futures because everytime I let him walk around with his own brush he leaves it somewhere random like in the plant, or lowest book shelf, then it is fodder for the dog. Her teeth are probably great!
I am constantly fighting with my daughter about brushing her teeth and sometimes we make a deal. I will let her brush MY teeth if she lets me brush her teeth. Sometimes we do it at the same time and I tell her it is time to brush the fronts so say "cheese" and we both say "cheese" and brush each others front teeth, and then go on from there. This way she learns where to brush and usually how long.
K. - First, I would go ahead and take him for his first visit to a dentist. I kept hearing that I didn't need to take my son (now 5) to the dentist until he was around 4. I took him for the first time when he was 3-1/2 and he already had the start of a cavity. The dentist recommends that you do not allow your child to be the sole 'brusher' until he/she is at least 6-7 years old. Kids younger than that often don't have the coordination (like you said) to do it correctly. Also, they get 'slap happy' like my mama would say and want to get it over quickly and/or they think it is a continuation of play time and spend more time making the toothpaste get bubbly than actually brushing well. My dentist (who I love... and I hate going to the dentist) says for the parent to brush the child's teeth first - at least 2 minutes, brushing at angles on those back teeth because young kids often have the crater teeth in the back and it's hard to get to those crevices. Then, so that you can be teaching your child how to do it himself, allow him to mimic your actions in brushing his own teeth for a minute or so.. You will be teaching him good habits and still getting the job done. We got one of those battery operated kid's toothbrushes to make it easier - it works better than the old fashioned kind and the kids enjoy it. Also, any teeth that are touching side to side need to be flossed. The dentist told me that baby teeth have very little enamel and that's one reason cavities in baby teeth happen so easily and so quickly. You handle the brushing for the next few years as he 'practices'... good luck... C.
My son is also 2 1/2 we have an eletric toothbrush for him and he loves to use it he mostly just sticks it in his mouth and it does the work for him. My 5 yr old got a visit from a dentist at her school and ever since shes been the tooth brushing nazi , brushes and flosses 2x a day and will tell you if you mention candy that its not good for your teeth and can give you cavities. lol
Hi K.,
I am a mom of three girls ages 18 months to 5 1/2. At one point no one was interested in brushing. I ended up splurging a little and getting the spin toothbrushes. That did the trick. I also explained cavities to my oldest. That worked as well. She ended up getting two cavities anyway, and now we ALL floss and brush 2x's a day and they use a flouride rinse at night. Good habits are hard to maintain, but once the child realizes there is a reason for the habit it might be easier.
Hope this helps!
Chris
I may not be the norm but I brushed both my kids teeth all the time for them until they were 6 y.o. At 6 y.o. they got to brush in the morning and mom & dad always brushed & flossed at night. Call me a bit controlling but both my husband and I have terrible teeth (thanks to genetics) and we were determined to give our kids a better experience than either one of us had growing up. Our pediatric dentist agrees with how we went about it.
Now that they are older, both have been on their own for almost 2 yrs. with no cavities. YEAH!!
P.S. Our dentist hates the spin brushes. She says it makes kids too passive and doesn't really teach them to brush thier teeth. Food for thought?!?!
First you should not let him be the sole brusher. I let my son brush his teeth first and then I do it. I also let my son use that cool blue rinse that tints their teeth so that they can see where their brushing but I wouldn't let him use it if he is at rick of swallowing it. You have to let him know that brushing his teeth is as important as eating and taking a bath, it's a part of hygene. I make brushing my son's teeth a priority and at his his last visit to the dentist they told me that I was doing an excellend job and that he was cavity free. As a mother that makes me feel good to know that I'm shaping him for a healthy,happy and confident future, he will also be grateful when he's older. Start a routine with him...let him know he can brush first and then ur turn, or vise versa.It may take a little battle for him to get use to you helping him since u have been letting him do it solo but he will catch on if u stick with it every night. Kids at 2 are JUST starting to learn about the potty so u can't much expect him to realize that brushing teeth isnt eating the toothpaste.
You should definitly be brushing his teeth. My dentist says until they are able to write in cursive. We pretend that they are seals and I wrap them up and brush there teeth. Has he been to the dentist yet? I hope all is well. Have a great day. I hope I am not offending. I am just trying to help.
I am also a single mom, but my son is 10 years old now. My son did the same thing with his toothbrush for the longest time. Don't get frustrated! Take the extra time with him to make sure his teeth are getting brushed. Purchase one of those toothbrushes that plays music. Try to make brushing enjoyable for him. After a while, he will get it. The best of luck to you!
My 2.5 year old daughter does the same thing - mostly sucks the toothpaste off and plays w/the brush! I just brush behind her most times and then let her play w/ the toothbrush as long as she likes. She also enjoys spitting in the sink so we focus on the spitting and cheer about that. Trying to make it fun!! Good luck. L. :-)
Give him a choice... he can do it himself or you can do it for him. Has he been to a dentist yet? Mine go to a pediatric dentist... it's like a party in there... and they come out a little more motivated to take care of their own teeth since someone who is not mom showed them how to do it and told them how important it is. They did tell met that kids need help brushing at least until age 6. Good luck!
Hello K.. I have a 16 year old, and I thought she would grow up losing her teeth and not ever getting them back because she didn't like or want to brush her teeth. Eventually she started geting it. BTW, if you have a Head Start program where you live they brush their ____@____.com keep doing what moms should do, be a good role model, teach them what they should know, and eventually you will see it payoff. I now have a 3 and a 7 year old, and once again I am going thru it with them as well. So, I too and having to be patient and let things work out. It may be that when they see other kids doing it they start taking time to think about what you have been trying to teach them all along. Isn't it funny how we spend our whole lives teaching them and telling them things that they will need to know and it takes someone on the outside for them to believe it. PMHO. Well take care, M.
