My DD is obsessed with her toothbrush. This is a new thing for me, as I had to physically hold DS down to brush his teeth until he was 6 and still have to remind him now. We cannot leave the toothbrush in plain sight because she wants to brush her teeth as soon as she sees it. We use the infant tooth gel stuff, and she will not settle for just a wet brush. It must have her gel on it. And she wants to "brush" her own teeth instead of letting us help.
I can't find any info on this, so I am going to ask a stupid question: Is it possible to let them brush too much? I know that infant gel is supposedly harmless, but it *is* another chemical to expose her to. I almost want to leave the brush out where she can see it because I think this might build a great habit and I will get to avoid the struggle I had (and still have) with DS. Thoughts? When do we switch over to toddler toothpaste?
Re: Brushing teeth
I think keeping brushing a positive thing will encourage her to brush her teeth. If it were me, I'd put it slightly out of view. That way brushing is still an exciting thing, and not something she gets to see/do all the time...
I hope that kind-of helps and answers your ?.
Nora did this at your DD's age and still goes through days where she wants to constantly brush. I'm sure the infant gel is safe although I'm sure you wouldn't want her eating a tube of it every day. Nora would if I let her. :-)
I compromised by putting a microscopic dab of my all natural (no fluoride) toothpaste on her brush occasionally for some flavor. It is super minty, so a spec is all she needs. Now she's a great brusher, so I'm happy she enjoyed playing around with it so much early on.
Married to my BFF on 8.13.05 (after dating 5 years)!
DS born 2.14.08. DD born 9.30.09.