Toothbrushing for 2 Year Old

My son is the same way. He's 21 months old and he tries to brush his teeth the best he can, but I know he's not doing the best job, but he does bite the brissles so they are getting his teeth. I wouldn't worry about it to much. If she is aleast trying then gradually as she grows she'll learn to get better. I also brush my teeth with my son. He'll usually copy me which guides him in the right direction. I hope it works out.

You may try giving her a battery operated one. My son loves it. I told him just to open his mouth and let mommy get the ones in the back real quick and then he can do them all. He is now almost 4 and is really good at it now. Just try to make it fun and be lucky that she will even brush them lol.

If you can't seem to actually brush with a toothbrush, a wet washcloth will work as well. Just make sure you wipe each tooth pretty well. My daughter did the tongue-out thing too, but I managed to brush "under" her tongue to get her teeth. She drooled but her teeth were clean. Good luck!

We "take turns" and he gets to go first (while I comb his hair, clean ears, etc) then its my turn. To know when turn is over we sing or count (this is the way we brush our teeth, brush our teeth, etc. or count to 10 slowly) Then say, "Now it's Mommy's turn to brush and we count or sing again. Hope this helps!

I use the 'training toothpaste' for my 2 year old. It is good tasting and I only let her have if I can brush her teeth. I let her play with the toothbrush and brush her own teeth, but she only gets the toothpaste when I brush them for her. She opens up everytime for me.
I use the Orojel training toothpaste because it is safe to swollen (no flouride).

Hi J.,

I wouldn't worry about if she's brushing right. I brush my teeth with her and she imitates me. We also sing a song... "this is the way you brush your teeth." She loves it. Another idea might be to get a book on brushing teeth, or just tell him a story! GOOD LUCK

CJR

J.,

I have two 2 year old boys, I also work for a dental office.. What you need to do is lay her down where her head is in your lap and just let her open her mouth the best a 2 year old will, then brush the best you can.. My boys are getting use to it, I now just brush there teeth while they look in the mirror watching me. It would be great to take her to a dentist, they can also give you great ideas that will work best for you and her.... Good Luck!!!

i had the same problem w/ my 3y/o....i used to battle her every night. she's in that independent stage where she wants to do everything herself and i knew that she wasn't getting the back teet very well or she would just suck the toothpaste off and ask for more. occasionally she would let me help w/ rewards like stickers and stuff, then one day in wal-mart we were actually there to get a new toothbrush and she found an ariel electric spin brush toothbrush. that was the greatest thing ever....right now her favorite character is the little mermaid and she actually brushes all of her teeth and her tongue. you might try that....the bristles are soft and i think they are made for 2-5 years.

good luck

no real advice, i try to brush my teeth witht the kid so that he can see all the angles i brush, with him usually trying o copy them. making funny faces helps. it's not pretty and it's kind of messy, but it can get thm going. when he doesn't do a sufficient job i do a once over for him, holding his jaw so he can't close it. (souds cruel i know) but remember that they have to keep those teeth for another 6-10 years in the prime time of thir candy comsumption years.

Hi J., I have found that a rotary toothbrush and Kids Crest works very well with my son. Especially since they make rotary toothbrushes in different characters, so if you can find one that your child likes, then they'll be excited to brush since "Elmo" or "Dora" brushes too!

Yes, be concerned!
make it fun and get some fruity, bubble gum toothpaste, brush your teeth together!......kinda make a game or somethin out of it, my daughter was 4 and she got 2 small cavities at the front-top of her teeth, had to have them filled and they were baby teeth of course ! good luck! ~

I have a 2 1/2 year old son. He likes to bite the toothbrush, so I started to tell him Diego(his favorite character right now) lets his mom & dad brush his teeth & keep saying stuff like that while we brush. We then let him brush. It really helps me, or so far. I hope this helps. You might also try rewards (stickers). They are starting their independance thing at this age. It is fairly important to brush good & sart a routine, but I don't think it's worth forcing her over it. Try not to do too many sweets & have her do it more often if nothing else works! Good luck.

S.

I am not sure that I have any good advice for you on the brushing here teeth but I noticed that you were a single mom and I have been kind of looking to start a support group for single parents. I am a single mom of a two year old little girl and I just love her to death. I am new to San Antonio and am having trouble finding childcare for the hours my job requires. I would just like to have the support of others that may go through the same issues of single parenthood. Let me know if you are interested.

Mandi

J.~

My son originally threw tantrums when I tried to brush his teeth with a "real" toothbrush. I think just because it felt weird. But I persisted. I let him brush his own teeth for as long as he wants to... but then I say something like "Uh-oh - I think you missed one" and do a cursory brushing all over his mouth real quick. I try not to make a big deal out of it, because he is very high strung. But do what you can to make sure they get clean! And make sure to start the dentist trips asap to MAKE SURE they are good teeth.

I try to make a game of it and will brush my teeth with them. I sing this song..."this is the way we brush our teeth, brush our teeth..etc" and while I sing it and laugh with them I take the tooth brush and will try to get their teeth a little better. But if they freak don't get too stressed and just try to keep repeating it everyday until they relax enough to let you do it too.

I dont know what these things are called but they make some tablet that the child chews up before brushing thier teeth. When they chew it up, it leaves a color on thier teeth that only comes off once thier teeth are brushed completly. Like I said, I dont know what they are called or where you find them for sure but I know they are out there somewhere. Hope this helps.

c