Seeking Advice Regarding Toddler Toothbrushing

Maybe use different tooth paste. There are strawberry, tropical fruit, and grape kinds. My son hated it until I got him an electric one with passion fruit. Good Luck

My 14 month old started doing the same thing the other day, and it turns out she was cutting 4 molars all at the same time! So I went back to the baby toothbrush thing that you slip over your finger. It doesn't bother her at all and she actually likes it. I'm sure it feels good. Good luck!

Try one of the $5.00 electric toothbrushes, I give my boys a once over with the brush then let them take over, at least then you know that if the brush is hitting their teeth it's doing some good. At this age it's likely to be a control issue.

Is he teething? Whenever my son cuts a new tooth he refuses to let me near his mouth with the toothbrush. I just keep trying until he lets me again.

Try using a flashlight with the lights out. Sometimes the fascination of the flashlight works. I used to sing "1, 2, buckle my shoe..." so my kids knew how much longer it would take. They loved ending with "9, 10, the __________" and I would always fill it in with something new and silly. Of course this only lasts as long as it lasts! Good luck! Keep brushing.
Love,
J.

This is common.
For us, our Ped Dentist suggests wiping their teeth with a dampened washcloth, instead. Its just as effective.

Or, what I use is "Spiffies" www.spiffies.com
which are tooth wipes for toddlers/babies even adults can use them... and it has Xylitol in it, which prevents decay/cavities.
This is what I use for my kids, in addition to brushing. I also use it myself sometimes, on the go, or in between when I can't brush.

My son, is real sensitive to texture and finds any toothbrushes too "pokey." And he says its sore and too rough & "hurts." So I wipe his teeth with the Spiffies, like 3 times a day. Or he has a fun electric toothbrush, in a character that he likes.

All the best,
Susan

I think everyone's covered what I had to do. My daughter did the same thing around that age so I bought toothpaste and she loved that. Then we went through another fighting stage a few months later and I started brushing her teeth in front of the computer - put Sesame Street on and they have a couple tooth-brushing episodes so I would pick those and tell her we had to brush while they were brushing (and if your son doesn't know the characters it will still work - she had never seen SS before or really even watched TV so she was totally into it). Then we went through another fighting stage right around 2 years and I bought the flashing light toothbrush and told her that I have to brush while the lights are flashing. I also told her it's a rule - for some reason, she responds to that in many things - she'll want to take her shoes off and I'll point to a sign and say, it's a rule you have to keep your shoes on and she does. Same thing with the flashing toothbrush - it's a rule that Mommy has to brush while the light is flashing. Good luck!!!

I had the same problem with my son so i bought one of those tooth brushes that light up and let him do it! And we brushed our teeth together and I demonstrated the correct way on myself. Granted he won't be perfect at it but he will have a great feeling of accomplishment and develope a great habbit! My son is 4 now and we went to the dentist 2 days ago and to this day has never had a cavity and has perfect teeth! and now i just remind him each morning to brush his teeth but i am confident he is doing a good job i dont have to stand and watch meaning my mornig is going faster! make it fun and encourage him!

Hi S.,

I had the same problem with my daughter. What worked for her was that I would try to "find" her favorite characters like Elmo, Zoe, Dora, etc. in her mouth and then "brush" them out. They'd hide in all sorts of places in her mouth, and it would sometimes take a while to find them all.

I wish you the best of luck with your sweetie.

Sincerely,
L.