Nail and Mouth Care

I have 7 kids and could never do the nails while they slept. I actually found it easier to do just 1 or 2 nails at a time and then let them go and play and do another couple. Sometimes it would take all day and sometimes it could take a couple days but it was less traumatic for them and less stressful for me. Eventually it became a game that I didn't want to do any cutting and they were running up and putting their hand in my hand and not wanting to leave until it was all done. They then thought they had they control. Funny how that makes such a difference.

Good Luck.

B. O

1. Clip her nails while she is deeply asleep--about 20 minutes after she falls asleep at night.

2. Always remember that any unpleasantness you two experience over brushing teeth would be ten times worse if she should need dental work. You are not doing her any favors by being lenient on the issue. (Not to say you are--just to dissuade you from the temptation, which I understand from personal experience!) ;-)

My son is 17 months. We go through the same battle with tooth brushing. A new trick i use is to sit him on the edge of the counter and run the water so he can play with it. Go as fast as possible. That way I get his hands washed at the same time. As for the nail cutting. I've tried the nail cutting at night.. it worked until he was about 6 months, then it's just MORE nerve wracking trying to not wake them up, not cut them...AND all while in the dark. My son LOVES Elmo, so we put on Elmo's World, put him in his high chair, and do that as fast as we can. It's also easier to do it on your lap so you can kind of bear hug them a bit. Hope this helps!

my daughter has a large pink piggy bank (like 18" in diameter) and when she gets money - we tell her to feed the piggy and she puts the money in the slot...so to help cut her nails - i get the change jar out and after i cut each nail she gets 1 piece of change to "feed the piggy" - it helps to collect the loose change aroudn the house, it helps her develop her fine motor skills (getting a small object in a slot) - this is of course with supervision so she doesn't put any change in her mouth.

she is now 28 mos - so she's a little more clever... now i have a second set of clippers and she pretends to cut my husbands nails while i do hers - or she pretends to cut her toe nails while i'm working on her hand.

the other opion is that she loves curious george and she watches 1 episode before bed each night. she's so engrossed in it that i can pull her on my lap and cut her nails while she's watching it -

A., depending on how sound your daughter sleeps, I would try to cut her nails while she is sleeping. My daughter used to fuss too when I tried cutting her nails so I waited till she was sound asleep (snoring and all lol) and cut her nails with no problem. As for the brushing of the teeth, try letting her hold the brush and eventually it will end up in her mouth as all things do at that age. She might not get them brushed like you'd like them to be but atleast her teeth are getting some attention.

I'm not sure about how to get her to cooperate for nail cutting but what works for my daughter with teeth brushing is giving her her toothbrush and letting her brush her own teeth at the same time I brush mine. Then when I'm done I ask for the brush and she will let me brush her teeth for a few seconds. My daughter just turned a year so I don't know if it will work for your daughter. We've also been doing this since she had teeth so I guess it's like a routine for her. Good luck.

Bribery - my daughter gets 1 jelly bean per hand or foot as long as she doesn't fuss through the process. I also highly recommend buying cuticle scissors and cutting her nails with those. I find them much less nervewracking because you can see what part of the nail you're cutting.

As for toothbrushing, we used to sing "do your ears hang low" or some such thing. It was silly and I think made toothbrushing seem more finite (she knew the song was ending soon).

Good luck.

My son (almost 3) has always given me a hard time about brushing and clipping his nails. This is what works for us:
1) nail clipping - diversion is good - I like the ideas others have mentioned about having cartoons on - we sign songs or I trade off pretend clipping his stuffed animals nails then his.

2) brushing - totally agree with the idea to use an electric tooth brush. We actually got a sonic so it will do the job even if he is just holding it on his teeth. Early on we would give him some sort of incentive (stickers, extra book at bed - etc.) to get it done and it just became enough of a habit where we don't have to do that anymore.

Do the nails when she's asleep or watching TV. Have something you put on tv just for that. There are musical toothbrushes, and some great tapes/CDs with "brush your teeth" songs. I had one that had my son's name in it. Not sure what flavor toothpaste you are using but a lot of people like a strawberry or fruit flavored one rather than minty stuff. Tom's of Maine is natural and it doesn't hurt if they swallow it. Spitting can be really fun - put a spot of toothpaste in the sink and see if she can hit it. Or close the sink drain and put some water in the sink. THen put a small piece of toilet paper in the water and see if she can sink it with her spit. Just fish out the toilet paper before you drain the sink so it doesn't go down the pipe. Good luck.

clip her nails when she's sleeping. When you brush her teeth let her brush yours if that doesn't work after her bath wrap her up tight in her towel so she can't get her hands free to push you away open her mouth and brush. My youngest was a fighter for along time w/ teeth brushing but now after his bath and he's wrapped up he lets me brush them without all the crying, screaming, and pushing it took a little time to get him used to it but he does great now.

One other option for nail cutting...do it while she's asleep:) I have a friend who found this was the only way she could do it.

nails are easiest to cut after bath because they are the softest and as far as the tooth brush maybe have her pick it out and let her play with it even if she doesn't do it very well she'll own some of it. as they are trying to become more independent..... mother of 13 11 8 and 20 mth old who is also very independent K. d

Advice for teeth brushing - we use a small spin brush so very effective in short amount of time. Our dental hygienist suggested letting our son brush our teeth as we brush his - worked wonders!! Ask your dentist for advice too.
Not much help for nails - my son is okay with it.

This one I got from my sister. She would clip almost the whole nail off but leave a little so that her sons could then take their little fingers and pull the rest of the nail off. It was fun for them and gave them something to do while she cut their nails. It works with my 19 month old, too. I'm not sure what to do about brushing the teeth, because my son loves to brush his teeth, but I first tell him, mommy first then I put a little fun tasting toothpaste on the brush and he gets to brush after I brush his teeth. I ask him to show me his teeth, say ahhh, etc. He loves the toothbrush and will do anything to get it even if it means letting me brush first. Good luck.