Brushing an Infant / Toddler's Teeth

Just keep trying.

My son still doesn't like it, but we do it every night. even if I can only get in there for a few seconds.

At first it was very hard, but he's coming around and I let him "brush" too.

Consistency is the key. If it's something you do every day, eventually she'll realize it's part of the daily routine.

With both our 5 year old and now our 22 month old daughters, we introduced the baby tooth brushes and just let them chew on them. I don't know anyone who has had success actually doing the brushing of their kids teeth, but if the little one sees her older sister having her teeth brushed at night (she brushes in the morning and we do the evening brushing because even at 5 yrs they're not going to do a proper job), the little one will quite often allow mummy or daddy to do the same. If not we encourage her with words like, "Have you brushed those teeth there, the ones at the front, what about the ones at the back..." and point to them.

Given it's next to impossible to brush a toddler's teeth well, I would suggest a diet that isn't going to lead to problems eg. limit sugared foods to birthday parties or none at all. With our first she had no confectionary, ice-cream, even cake with icing on top until she was about 2 years - she knew no better so didn't complain about it; it's when they get a taste of it they know what they're missing. With No. 2 it has been a lot harder because she sees her sister eating foods and wants to try them too.

You could also try role-playing with her dollies or stuffed animals and I'm sure there are books showing the teeth brushing process. All in all though I think it's a battle and all you can do is instruct as best you can and eventually she'll give in to you. A lot of her insisting is developmental too, so you can take heart in the likelihood of you having a confident and smart little cookie on your hands - hard now but great as a grown up. CO

A plain old suggestion is to try brushing in different places and at different times. I have a friend who lets her child brush their teeth while in the tub and another friend who carries a toothbrush in the snack bag and has a rule about brushing after eating sugary foods.

Relax and realize that you can only do your best as a parent. Children have different sensory sensitivities and brushing is something that will get easier as the years go on. (I have a difficult nine year old who hated brushing and had some serious cavities.)

There is one thing that I wish someone had told me and that is to pay attention to the smell of the child's breath. My daughter had a pacifier that never came out so I didn't get to look at her teeth much and she had really bad breath for months. She was in pretty miserable pain by the time I finally realized what was happening. I would have pushed getting her to the dentist earlier if I had known that the bad breath was an indication of some serious tooth decay.

I've had luck by brushing my teeth at the same time. Once I start mine, then my 18-month old daughter wants to do it as well. I brush hers for as long as I can (usually not very long... but I try to hit every tooth), and then I let her take over.

I also found that brushing teeth while she is in the bath works well, because otherwise she tends to run off with toothbrush in hand!

Good luck. They sure can be stubborn!

Try a fun electric tooth brush. My daughter also fights us. I know we do not brush her teeth long enough but I figure at least with the electric tooth brush it helps us get into the crevisis a little bit bettter.
I took her to the dentist a month ago he said not to worry. Her teeth look good and we are creating a good habbit!

HI A.,
I know what you are going through, my son did the same thing. We bought 2 infant toothbrushes, 1 for him and 1 for us to use. First we would give him his toobrush with paste and basically let him practice "brushing" (or suck the toothpaste off). That way he felt somewhat in control of what was happening. We would refill his toothbrush 2 more times, and let him suck it off. Then we would tell him that it was our turn, and use the other toothbrush to brush his teeth.
This is going to take weeks for you both to get into a routine but you absolutely must be consistent and firm amongst the protests, and there will be plenty.
Sit her on your lap with her facing you, or while on your lap- lay her down with her head in one hand -toothbrush in the other.
We developed a few things to help: singing a special song, teaching him to say "E" showing his front teeth, or "AAHH" while opening his mouth, or saying something like "is there banana (his favorite food) in your teeth? let me see" "we have to get the banana out"
I had a hard time developing this routine with him, because I would at some point give in. My partner never gave in to his crying, and they developed a routine faster , to the point where my son would voluntarily open his mouth when asked!
Good Luck
N.

I found a youtube video of an old sesame street skit about brushing teeth.. I've been playing youtube videos on my computer for my 19 month old about potty training and brushing teeth so that she sees other kids doing it.. I don't know how much it's helped but it sure keeps her still while I finish up the dishes.

I am a dentist and a mother of a 10 month old son. As difficult as it may be, it is important to brush your child's teeth every day. I find the easiest way is to have your daughter sit on your lap so you can hold her arms and body while you brush her teeth. You can also try brushing while she is lying on the changing table, or in the carseat or stroller. When you are behind your daughter it will be easier to access her teeth. You are doing the right thing... keep trying, and a washcloth is a great option when all else fails.

No need to worry about tooth decay. They are her first set and important of course, but they will fall out and gorgeous ones will come in at which point brushing will be necessary.
Try this.....does she like music? There are toothbrushes out there(walgreens, Rite aid, walmart, target)that play music as you press the brush to your teeth. First, take her shopping with you, find these toothbrushes and play with them, with her. Make it a big deal, get excited, laugh, giggle, sing along with it and buy it. Get her the yummy toothpaste, bubblegum, bubblemint, whatever flavor, please don't use adult toothpaste because at this tender age, they hate it. It stings. When you get home, don't make a big deal and just put brush in a cup with her name on it. When it comes time to brush, go in with her and prepare her toothbrush and yours. Mommy does it first and then she does it, with that cool brush that plays music. Take turns brushing....mommy, baby, mommy, baby......make it a game for her. Remember, brushing is supposed to be fun, not a chore. So each time, make it fun for her. And if she does well with it, reward her nightly with a story before bed or a puzzle before bed in her bed or songs before bed and she will associate it all with a good time spent with mommy. Good Luck!

On the nights our son won't let us brush his teeth, or will only do it himself, we use Spiffies (I think we ordered them through Amazon.com). Their flavored teeth wipes of which our dentist had provided us a sample. Obviously, the toothbrush is best, but our son usually likes these. Just watch out for when your little one chomps down on your fingers!

My son HATED brushing his teeth, but his dentist told me to try singing silly songs to him to get him to the bathroom and then while we quickly brush his teeth. it worked great, we've had to modify the songs as he gets older but he still loves singing his way to the bathroom and making silly faces while i brush his teeth

Hi A.! YOu should check out CityMommy!! Is directly for your area and we have lots of mommies on there talking about the same thing!! We also have a great dentist who is a sponsor as well a CityMommy herself that can offer lots of guidance.

You should check it out. Its invitation only its northjersey.citymommy.com and your registration code is "libramedia" Enjoy! See you online!!

I give a tooth brush to my son, and I brush his teeth with a second one. this distracts him, and sometimes I let him brush my teeth.