Help with Brushing Teeth

I let my son brush his teeth himself first, then Mommy helps. This way he feels like he is a big boy doing it himself, and he also lets me help at the end so I know the teeth are getting clean. Don't know if this helps any, but I hope so :).

Don't know if it will work, but I gently cup my hand on my daughter's chin and ask her to say "AH" while I brush her teeth. I then let her finish the job.

my 2 1/2 year old went from mostly sucking on her tooth brush to doing a pretty good job of brushing once we got her a princess brush that is batthey operated. Trying getting him one with his favorite character.

Hi K.,

I was going to suggest what Amy did, taking turns, but with my daughter, I had two toothbrushes--she took her turn with hers, and then I took "my" turn. This way, she didn't fight me for the brush.

Worked really well for us. :o)

K. W

I would make a little game out of it. Prep him by explaining all this beforehand so he is "on board" with the game. Bring a cute timer (or one of those small sand timers) into the bathroom. Tell him "I get the first turn" and set the timer for 1 minute. You brush his teeth, perhaps while singing a little song. Then if he cooperates, he gets the next turn. Reset the timer and let him try to do it himself. You can still sing a song or hum. Hopefully he will begin to imitate the same movements you do and will eventually be able to do a good job himself. He will also be learning about taking turns when playing. Good luck!

It looks like you have power struggle case here. First get 2-3 different toothpaste, 2-3 tooth brushes and let him chose which one to use. Than ask him to take turns like: "Do you want to brush them first and than mommy or mommy can go first?". You can even let him "help" you with brushing your teeth. The point is to give him power. Be creative! Good luck!

My daughter is the same about brushing her teeth. She had a thing for chewing on her tooth brush and would get upset if I tired to help her brush her teeth. The dentist told me to brush her top teeth for ten seconds then her bottom teeth for ten second a couple of times a day and gradually increse it 10 seconds a day so the second was 20 seconds, the 3rd day 30 seconds to get used to the tooth brush accutually brushing the teeth. I did this for a long time and she is now almost five and she brushes all of her teeth for the recomened 2 minutes. Yes I do a once around when she is finished to make sure that all of her teeth have been brushed, Other than that I would suggest that you talk to her dentist or to youre dentist to see if there is anything you can do with help with your promblem. Hope this helps and have a wonderful mother's day.

My son is also very independent. We used to at that age... and sometime still do... have toothbrish battles. I let him "brush" first for about 2 minutes, then it's my turn - and it's not negotiable. There were times when yes, I had to actually lay him down and (gently) sit on him to be able to brush! He definately didn't like that, but it got the job done and the threat of me doing it "the hard way" was usually enough to get him to comply. Now, he loves brushing his teeth, and will go find his brush to do it himself at any time of the day, just for fun! Bottom line, it has to get done.

Also - try two brushes, one for you and one for him, and let him pick yours, too.

My daughter is 20 months old now and she is also biting the toothbrush and then fights me when I try to actually help her brush. I bought her a spinbrush and started using a children's toothpaste and that helped a little. There are still nights that we have a power struggle. She is more combative when she is tired. Those nights I find it easy to brush her teeth when she flops on her back and yells. Her mouth is open wide! Over time, she realized her teeth were going to be brushed no matter what and many times, she'll start to fight and then simply give up. It's a control thing. Give it time and be persistent that her doesn't have a choice on this one and let him win another battle or have control over a decision regardin brushing his teeth.

What I did with my son was let him have a turn (he liked to chew on the brush as well) and then said "OK, now it is mommy's turn". Worked great. He also has a book called "smiley shark", so when it was time to brush the front teeth, I would say "OK, smiley shark" and he would smile and I could brush the outside of his teeth. I gave him a choice when we started to brush teeth of whether he wanted to go first or if he wanted mommy to go first. He is now almost 3 and brushing teeth is not an issue.

Hope this helps.

K.,

My son is an independent one too. What I do with him (he's 4 1/2) is let him brush his own teeth, then go in and "check". This check allows me to brush them after he has. Another thought is to get those tablets that the dentist sometimes uses, then have your son get all the color off his teeth.

Hope this helps,
Melissa

Recommend to use the small ragwash with toothpaste it so toddler can play and chew with the teeth to clean and make sure you help to rub the ragwash on your toddler s teeth. Same thing i had been doing with my children and try to use both ragwash and toothbrush to develop.

K.

Hi there,

I have a 24 month old and she too, is very independent. Giving her space so she can do her own thing and then telling her it's time for me to do a little seems to work out. I give her her toothbrush with toothpaste and let her brush. After a few minutes, I tell her it's my turn and she lets me do it. Also, she'll let me give her a little guidance while she's brushing like, "ok, get the ones in back, on top, on bottom..."

Good luck!

I told my girls that i wanted to see there pretty teeth, and i would count them as i was brushing. after i had them smile and i said "WOW they are sparkley". with flossing i did the samething, after we were all done i would ask them how many teeth they had. try making it a game and they will thing it is play time

K.,
I would absolutely recommend taking a turn brushing before your son does. That way his teeth actually get brushed, and he still feels like he's doing it by himself. I did force the issue, making it more of a game, and it has paid off. Now my son is 4, we've had the "What are cavities?" talk, and he runs into the bathroom and hands me the brush! Be in control NOW with your son, and it won't be a struggle later. Don't forget who the boss is!

After my son (2 3/4) brushes his teeth I "check" his mouth for alligators, giraffes, etc. Sometimes I grab another brush while he still uses his if he's not ready to give it up.

Your situation definitely sounded familiar. We were having such a difficult time, we actually signed up for a class on children’s dental hygiene at our local community college. It helped immensely to be able to share tips with other parents of toddlers. Our son is now 26 months. We found what works best for us is to have him choose whether he would like to brush his teeth himself first or to have us brush them first. That way, we both get a crack at it and he knows that we are going to get our part done one way or another. For the mommy and daddy brushing, we use a toothbrush that has a little light up flashing timer “bug” in it. Our son gets to push the button to get it started, but we get to brush until the light stops flashing (about a minute). Then he can brush his own teeth for a while with his own toothbrush that he picked out. We also use Thomas the Tank Engine toddler toothpaste which gets him excited about the whole process. You can find the light up bug timer toothbrushes at Target. Unlike other timer toothbrushes, they have a very small head and are made for toddlers.

Our 3-1/2 yo is the same way. "I'll do it" is the most common phrase heard in our house right now. We made a deal w/ her we let her brush by herself first, then we set a timer & when her time is over it is Mom (or Dad's) turn to brush. Then when we are done brushing for her we let her rinse her mouth out, so she gets another turn.
Hope it works out for you. I've been seeing a commercial for a new children's mouth wash that is supposed to get anything they miss (think it is made by Listerine but not sure) & then when they spit it out they can see how much they are missing. That could be an option too.
Good luck!

I have had this problem as well. We got my son an electric toothbrush. (Can get a cheap $5 one at Target/Walmart). We let him brush and tell him that mommy and daddy need to help get the back teeth. It seems to work for our little one and he thinks it's neat that his toothbrush spins. I think the feeling of it was the kicker.

so my son used to love his teeth brushed with it was just the finger cleaner thingie. but then started HATING IT! so what i do now is lay him on my back on my bed, and put some of the non floride tooth paste on his brush and he loves it. i do it slowly and when he starts pulling back or gaging i give him a min. then do it again, i sometimes have to put tooth paste on it a few times but hes so pre occupied with the taste he doesnt mind the brushing.

hope that helps

At our house we offer two options: Easy or Hard. Our daughter gets to pick which way to do something (offered when she's being contrary.)

My duaghter wasn't horrible about getting her teeth brushed, but on occassion she has fought getting it done. I told her that it has to be done, and if she fights me I just do it the "hard way" and sit on her on the floor and brush her teeth. Now that she's older we just tell her that she's going to lose something at bedtime (book, story, or song). She usually shapes up before she loses all three.

Just be consistant. One of my sisters said that she would brush her kids teeth (at least a "check" after they brush) until they're 12 years old. The oldest is 10 and she's still doing it, as far as I know.

A pediatrician once recommended letting the little one "brush" first for a couple of minutes, then saying "it's my turn" and taking over. It more or less works for us.

Hi. I have two very independent daughters who insisted on brushing by themselves. The dentist helped me out by talking about yucky "sugar Bugs" that like to eat teeth. Liitle ones might not understand what it means to loose teeth the same way older kids would. We make it game for my 2 year old. We'll check for elephants in her ears, kitty cats in her belly button and sugar bugs on her teeth. We chase them all over her mouth with the tooth brush in a very silly way. We do this after she's brushed her teeth. Even our 5 year old still likes us to check for sugar bugs. Good luck!

Lots of great suggestions here. I also sing songs to my kids while I brush. They know when the song is over, I am done! With my daughter I let her brush her doll's teeth with an extra toothbrush while I did hers. That way she is actively doing something too.

Read him some kid's books on teeth, brushing, alligators, etc... Ask your children's dept. librarian (they LOVE to help with this) and I am sure you'll get lots of suggestions on books.

Good luck!

My son, Hayden, is 2 and very independent also. This is what we do . . .
First, it's my turn to brush his teeth (The rule is Mommy ALWAYS brushes FIRST).
I put the toothpaste on, brush, and he spits.
Then it's Hayden's turn. I put the toothpaste on again (just a LITTLE bit), he brushes and spits again.
It works really well for us. It might be hard to get your son to understand that mommy gets to go first (it was for us too), but he'll get used to it. Just be consistent with it . . . you always brush his teeth first and then he knows he gets to go next!
Good luck!

I think the choices and turns are the best options for you here. One thing though, don't just drop the issue and let it slide. I did and we had to have two caps, and 10 other teeth fixed. by the time my guy was the age of yours. Took more that 4 hours!

Good luck,
H

Hi K.
I am a retired dental assistant. I suggest you let him clean his teeth first and then with another brush make it a play time for you to clean them. Taking turns helped alot of my patients and my sons too.

Hi there! I am a stay at home mom, 34, married and I have a 23month old and a 7 month old. Similar situation :) My 23 month old was the exact same way. I have to stand behind her and look down over the front of her face and brush her teeth that way. I tell her each and everytime to "let mommy do it first and then it is your turn". This has worked wonders for me. Just make sure you give them a chance to try it when you are finished. It teaches them the correct way to brush because they remember how you just did it. Hope this helps!

One thing that I have heard of moms doing that has not been mentioned is to make a game out of it and let him brush your teeth with your brush and you brush his teeth. Have fun making noises, faces,and sticking out your tongue.
L.

One little game we play at our house is going "on safari." My almost-three-year-old son loves this! I have him open wide so I can "search" for animals in his teeth. Some nights we do animals, sometimes he suggests looking for the Thomas characters or other toys, sometimes he says family member's names. The point is, we have fun with it. When we "find" the thing we're looking for, we make the sound and "brush it out." Sometimes it takes a while longer, but at least he's not screaming and I'm sure that we've gotten all his teeth clean!

Good luck!
~J.

I have a 21 month old son and we are in the same spot. I let him chew on his toothbrush at night in the tub to get him used to it. I then started brushing his teeth after breakfast in the kitchen or dining room (in his highchair). I bought a second toothbrush for him to hold while I did his and that helped but it got moldy being in a cup in the kitchen so I threw it out. Anyhow, We play with him to make the sounds open and say ahhhhh,and I can get his back teeth, smile and say eeeeee, to get his front teeth, show me your tongue, and that has worked to let me brush them good and then I let him play brush. I use the non flouride toothpaste and he likes to suck it off, but at least we are going through the motions. Good luck!

I have a 23 month old that is also very fiesty! One thing that seems to work with me is to giver her a choice about who is going to help brush her teeth. I say, "who do you want to brush your smile"? Usually it is between dad, older sister, or myself. She usually chooses someone other than me. With my first child, my husband and I finally had to hold down and tell her that if she did not learn to brush her teeth good then we would have to hole her down and do it for her. We never had to do it again. I am trying more of a gentle approach first but sometimes children need to learn what is important right off the bat! Maybe one fo these approches will help?

K.,

Check out the archives on mamasource to the left, under health. There are lots of topics on this. My dentist suggests two tooth brushes (one for you to brush teeth), one parent tickles while the other brushes and switch off, find tooth paste child enjoys.

Happy brushing
G.