Does anyone have advice on how to brush your kids teeth without traumatizing them? My little guy will not let us brush his teeth without screaming and crying as if we are torturing him. We have tried letting him brush first and then doing it after. We are using toddler toothpaste and trying to be really patient but he just won't let us do a good job of it. He has 8 official teeth and 4 molars coming in so they need brushed consistently at this point. Any suggestions would be great.
We brush our teeth together. He mimics me and comes running when I ask if he wants to brush his teeth. After we do "ahhhhhhh" and he opens his mouth for me to get in real quick a do a more thorough molar brush.
We sing. "Brush, brush, brush, brush, brush your teeth, brush your teeth, brush your teeth. Brush, brush, brush, brush, brush your teeth... early in the morning." Then we do it again "....... Brush your teeth late at night." Both kids love it and hum along as I brush their teeth.
Without the song they are miserable, and scream and fight it.
We bought a toothbrush that plays music from the Dollar Tree for christmas, we were getting into a really good routine where she brushed her teeth every night after bathtime, then she got a gum infection and they were sore and bleeding so we stopped and waited out the infection, She's still scared to brush her teeth for me, but tonight I had her daddy help her and she let him brush them very well. Hopefully this will continue. I've tried brushing my teeth with her but it's so hard b/c she tries to grab my toothbrush and I am afraid to set her down b/c I'm scared to death of her running off with her toothbrush in her mouth. Hopefully we'll get into a good routine but 3-4 nights a week it's just her & I at home b/c MH works so it's hard to depend on his help.
In the morning when I brush my teeth, I ask if she wants to brush hers and make it sound all exciting. So we brush our teeth together (she mostly chews and sucks on the brush; we don't use any toothpaste). Before bed, I use a damp washcloth to clean her teeth and gums and it just takes a few seconds. 90% of the time she's fine with it, if she isn't I try to make it a game.
We started off giving him a tooth brush really young after meals in his high chair and he would chew on it for a bit then we would brush his teeth after a few minutes of that. But when we started using toothpaste, DS really started to enjoy it! He loves it. My advise would be to make it as fun as possible, we stick out our tongues I clap and get all excited when I say, "it's time to brush your teeth" maybe try a tooth brush that lights up or plays a song as they use it. Or just let him explore the tooth brush on his own so he gets use to it.
We brush teeth while reading books before bed time. I brush what little time she will allow me too, and the remaining time we read books, she's chewing and brushing her teeth. We only use water at this point.
Parenting Floozie Brigades official motto: We welcome to you the board with open legs. Also, open beers. ~@cinemagoddess
Kids up to age 7 don't really have the ability/dexterity to brush their teeth on their own correctly and they require a good brushing by an adult. We do let Violet brush her own teeth(with a brush) as we are cleaning up supper but we just use a wet cloth when we do it.
I brushed DD's teeth in the bathroom tonight instead of her bedroom, and she loved seeing me brush her teeth in the mirror. She thought it was hilarious to see herself having her teeth brushed. Now that I know this, we will continue to brush her teeth in the bathroom and allow her to keep brushing while I read to her in her room.
Parenting Floozie Brigades official motto: We welcome to you the board with open legs. Also, open beers. ~@cinemagoddess
Re: Teeth brushing
We sing. "Brush, brush, brush, brush, brush your teeth, brush your teeth, brush your teeth. Brush, brush, brush, brush, brush your teeth... early in the morning." Then we do it again "....... Brush your teeth late at night." Both kids love it and hum along as I brush their teeth.
Without the song they are miserable, and scream and fight it.
BFP #1: July 12, 2010 Natural M/C: July 26, 2010
BFP #2: January 30 ,2011 Born: September 29, 2011
BFP #3: January 5, 2013 Born: August 25, 2013
Just a bit my Dr. told me:
Kids up to age 7 don't really have the ability/dexterity to brush their teeth on their own correctly and they require a good brushing by an adult. We do let Violet brush her own teeth(with a brush) as we are cleaning up supper but we just use a wet cloth when we do it.