Problems with Brushing Teeth and Taking Chewable Vitamins

Hi. Well for starters, I hope you're using children's toothpaste. I had the same trouble and got my son a "Tooth Tunes" toothbrush. I tried to make it fun for him. Or, I took him to the store and let him pick out a character toothbrush. Try making it an electric one as this will brush his teeth a little better than he can, considering that he does not like to. As far as the vitamin goes, you can try a gummy one. I got him the flintstones gummy and then now in the Winter, there's one with increased Vitamin C for immunity. Like a medicinal pill, putting the chewable vitamin in a drink will disolve, but then there's always going to be a smidgen left on the bottom of the cup. I hope this works. Good luck and Happy Holidays!!!

Have you asked him why he doesn't like to brush his teeth?
In my business - I have found that many children do not like brushing because of the actual toothpaste - it has bacteria fighting chemicals that fight the good and bacteria - that could be stinging him or the articial flavroing and sugars in the toothpaste could be bothering him. Try a natural toothpaste instead and see what happens -
As for the vitamins - all vitamins need a delivery system to be absorbed in our bodies - if you are giving him a good vitamin - it will not matter if it is put into juice.
C.

Have you tried the gummy vitamins. Flintstone makes them and their like gummy candy rather then chalky vitamins. My son loves those. About the teeth thing. Stay in the bathroom with him while he brushes. When he is done, tell him it's Mommy's turn. I let my kids brush their teeth first. Then I do them again for good measure.

I am not sure about the chewable kind, my daughter is on the liquid still. The pharmasist, said not to mix it with anything, as it won't be as affective. Also, I have her brush her teeth in the bath, it hleps a bit. Have him see you do it too, that may help. Good luck.

Help him brush,he is too young to do it on his own.I will tell you,it is important that he gets his teeth brushed at least twice a day.My now 6 year old spent the last several months getting 6 caps on his teeth,painful by times for him,and very expensive for us.Our co-pay was about $1500,wish we would have enforced the brushing much more.His teeth have been so much better since we made brushing 2 times a day,priority,there is no forgetting or being late and not taking the time for us anymore,we just do it.

I have a 3 year old and brushing teeth was bad and still is sometimes..I buy the childrens toothpaste which doesn't taste that bad. For a long time I brushed my teeth with her and then she did it herself and then I brushed after. Sometimes I would do it first and then let her play for alittle while. Now its easy. About the vitamins, I told her its candy. I know thats bad but that was the only way I can get her to eat them. I would say its time for candy and she would eat one and then I would take one so she see's me take it. (at least I was getting some vitamins tooo)

Putting chewable vitamins in a liquid will not help, they won't dissolve right adn it will just be chunks in his drink. Crush them up and put in PB&J, pasta sauce etc.

Try having him sing Happy Birthday twice in his head or Row Row Row your boat and when the song is done he can stop brushing.

Hi C.,

Sorry I have no suggestions for the vitamin situation. But I do have an independent 4-year old as well. What I do is I brush it for her first, then I give her the brush to finish it off and get all the spots Mommy did't get. You should look into the toothpaste and toothbrush he's using too. Maybe the problem is as simple as changing it.

Good luck & Happy Holidays!

Here are a few ideas:
Get the toothbrushes that play music. There are a few kinds out there now and play music for 1-2 mintues and they have to brush until the music stops. We have this for my almost 3 year old and it works.

the other thing is that Oral B makes a tube of blue stuff that (sold with their toddler toothpaste, I beleive) you apply it to the teeth and it turns their whole mouth blue and they have fun brushing it off. My son asks for it every night now.

Good Luck

As we grow up there are lots of things we do not like doing but still have to do them anyway. You don't want him to get turned off completely to doing stuff he doesn't like so make it fun for him and do it together.......

If you feel he is not ready to do a good job on brushing his own teeth at this point...then continue doing it for him but let him know you fully understand he doesn't like it. "I know you don't like it, and that's ok but it still has to get done so your teeth wont rot...so stand still, open wide so I can get it done faster".

Over the weekends when you have more time... you might want to start brushing your own teeth while letting him brush is own. See how it goes, he might not mind it so much if he's doing it himself. Make it fun...make silly finger pictures on the mirror with the tooth past to hold his attention...make silly faces. Play follow the leader with the brush while brushing...sometimes letting him be the leader. Be silly, and allow him to be silly..as long as the brushing gets done....he'll get better at it as he goes...
Do the same kind of thing with the chewables...Let him know you understand he doesn't like them and that's ok...
but the faster he chews one up the faster it goes...Study the chewables with him...ask him which colors he likes best...let him pick the one he'll chew that morning, also ask him to pick out one for you too...ask him to put it into your mouth, while you put his into his mouth...then say 1-2-3-CHEW, and then open your mouth to show him it's gone.. If his isn't gone...say Oh, come on No cheating...you can do better then that. Chew- chew- chew, you can do it, you can do it.
If not these games, create your own silly stuff and see how it goes. My experence with little ones had always been good when I agreed with their feelings and then turned the given chore into being fun and silly, while doing that chore they didn't like with them.

Get the dentist to show your son pictures of decayed teeth and people who didn't take care of their teeth. That will scare him into brushing his teeth. As for the chewable vitamins...You have to try a variety, because some taste really bad. There's even gummy vitamins now.

Don't know about the tooth brushing but for the vitamins you could try giving him Good Belly vitamin drinks. They taste like juice and have probiotics too. My daughter loves them.

I used to play a game with my kids when they were that age where I would "find" favorite characters in their teeth and we would have to brush them out. "Lightening McQueen! What are you doing hiding in there? We have to brush you out!" For whatever reason, this worked. When they got to the "I can do it all by myself" phase I had the dentist reinforce the idea that after they brushed, Mom got to double check the back (which was where they had a hard time brushing well). This way they were able to keep practicing brushing and I got to make sure their teeth were actually clean.

I sure do wish I could have had all these wonderful answers to that question myself, when my now 16 year old had given me such a hard time with brushing his teeth when he was little. I remember resorting to placing him on the floor, arms to his sides, while I gently straddled him, pried his mouth opened and brushed his teeth that way. It was awful! I was gentle with him, and did a good job with his teeth, but I still felt bad and had to give him lots of love, praise and attention when it was over, but I wish I could have been so wonderfully informed back then. This site is great!!!!

For the tooth brushing, try letting him pick out a cool new toothbrush, electric ones are much more effective at getting rid of all the buildup on teeth. Crest Spinbrush makes brushes that are firetrucks or have characters like Spiderman.

Hi C.,
We let our daughter pick out a "cool" toothbrush some toothpaste and water cups. She gets to brush as I brush and then I help her brush. If she's giving any flack I ask if I can "tickle" her teeth.

As for the pills we're having problems with getting her dressed so she gets a gummie (gummie princess vitamin) when she's completely dressed.

Hope this works for you!
Kristal

Absolutely try Gummy Vites or th eFlinstones Gummy ones... much easier for kids to take than the chewables. also, my daughter will only eat the purple chewables so know that the flavors of all of the colors ARE different so make sure to try all of the colors.
Also, I was told by my ped that the vitamins (if chewable) can be crushed unlike adult pills that need to go down whole (hence why they're not chewables)
HTH!

Unfortunately most kids don't like getting their teeth brushed - you just have to keep with it and eventually he won't fight you (or at least as much) Maybe try a differetn flavor toothpaste. I had some that I thought my daughter liked and it ended up she didn't want to brush her teeth becasue she didn't like toothpaste, she prefers the "adult" minty toothpaste better.

AS far as the vitamins go - there is a brand you ought to check out. It's called Might-a-mins. It comes in powder form and you dissolve it in a capful in 2 oz. of water so they drink it. and yes, it does tastes great. My one yr old is always trying to reach up to the counter to get it down. She loves it! you can find it at www.marketamerica.com under the children's health section.