brushing teeth?

chayer227

Does anyone have any good advice on getting DS to cooperate with teeth brushing?

He will occasionally chew on a toothbrush, but doesn't let me actually brush.

Some articles I've found with advice, even that meant for 18-month olds, seems way too advanced for our LOs:  DS doesn't understand a sticker chart as a reward, or the explanation that his teeth will hurt if he doesn't brush.  

I need real advice from current moms.  He sometimes will imitate me if I brush with him, but usually just wants to take my toothbrush.  I've even tried brushing while he's asleep, but it doesn't work.

Honestly, I'm lucky if I can get a quick brushing in a few times a week.  I refuse to hold him down and make it a traumatizing event. 

EDWHIP

I am having the same problem, and if I don't succeed, I will have to bring her to the Dentist.  Her lower teeth have some serious plaque build up.  One suggestion that sort of works is rubbing her teeth with a wet cloth.  She still hates it, but it works better.

ITGurl0626

I took my 18 month old to the dentist on Tuesday.  I asked him for tips because my LO sounds like yours.  She insists on brushing her own but I know that she isn't doing it correctly.  Just like you, I refuse to hold her down & make this traumatizing.

My dentist said brush her teeth during a diaper change.  Since they are laying down they can't move their heads too much.  I tried it and it wasn't too bad.  My LO fought me a little bit but there was no crying involved, so I figure it was a win-win.

kje120

I'm with Grace - we started with holding him down.  He's gradually gotten used to it and most times will now let me brush them for a little bit before he grabs the toothbrush and starts to chew on it.  It sucked at first and was a nightly wrestling match, but it's gotten better.

mrambo3

I hold him down.  It's seriously the only way that I can get his teeth actually brushed.  It's horrible to have him scream the whole time but I'd rather him have clean teeth than rotten teeth.  As soon as I'm done holding him down, i hand him the toothbrush and he's perfectly happy.  He's usually pissed during the holding down process because I'm not letting him do it but his idea of brushing is sucking all the toothpaste off the brush and chewing on it.

Vespah

We've somehow made Teeth a fun body part, most likely having to do with "brush your Teeth - by Raffi". She loves this song! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1hlHked0LM When going over parts of the body during the day we make a big deal over just how wide she can open her mouth to show me her teeth.

I hand her the brush and she brushes her own teeth (aka chewing on the toothbrush) then it's mommy's turn. Show me your teeth!! When I'm done I pass the brush back to her and she 'finishes' the job. 

If for some reason she doesn't let me get my turn..... I pin her down! Holding her down is occurring less and less, for the most part tooth brushing is a fun activity.

GHBEA

The best thing we did was teach Olivia to say "CHEEEEESE" this got us to get the front ones and now she will let us get the back ones.  It took a lot of tries.  First we let her chew on her brush and then mimic us.

kaube

I give DS the brig while I am changing him, then when I am done I sing a little song I made up over and over until I get them all brushed. I have never held him down and will really try not to. I remember my mom doing this to us and I still remember how much I hated that feeling

LadyXaverian

Vespah:

We've somehow made Teeth a fun body part, most likely having to do with "brush your Teeth - by Raffi". She loves this song! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1hlHked0LM When going over parts of the body during the day we make a big deal over just how wide she can open her mouth to show me her teeth.

I hand her the brush and she brushes her own teeth (aka chewing on the toothbrush) then it's mommy's turn. Show me your teeth!! When I'm done I pass the brush back to her and she 'finishes' the job. 

If for some reason she doesn't let me get my turn..... I pin her down! Holding her down is occurring less and less, for the most part tooth brushing is a fun activity.

Haha! I sing this song to her while she brushes her teeth! I don't hold her down, though. I let her brush her own. It's progressed from just chewing to some chewing and some brushing.

lylahlove

Liam will usually let me brush his if he sits in my lap and I let him "brush" mine. Also, sometimes I'll have him brush his hair while I brush his teeth. Somedays, he really doesn't let me brush but will let me use these tooth wipes: https://www.amazon.com/Tooth-Tissues-Dental-Toddler-Smiles/dp/B001AW2S8E/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1351531793&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=tooth+wipes 

 

 

virginiagirl11

DS definitely doesn't think brushing his teeth is fun, but, like some PPs, we've had reasonable success in letting him take control of the brush for a bit and then brushing his teeth for him after that. Sometimes we do sitting up, sometimes lying down, sometimes we have to force it, sometimes we don't.

DH often acts like he's brushing his own teeth and that encourages DS to open his mouth and mimic DH. DS is also really big into cleaning right now and says, "Ewww" when he sees something dirty, so DH will joke around with him and tell him that we have to clean his teeth because, eww, they're dirty. DS thinks that's really funny and often lets DH brush them. You never know what will work but you just keep trying.

We also strongly encourage DS to drink water throughout the day. We have an upstairs water bottle and a downstairs one and give him water specifically after brushing his teeth (and when we're home on the weekends we also brush his teeth before naptime). I have him take sips of water after I nurse him before bed as well. I like to think that these steps help fill in the quality gaps left by imperfect brushing.

Eta - Also, we use a little kids' battery-operated brush.

Anne Mommy

DS likes to brish his teeth (although just recently). We started by just going for it and that didn't work. I sing a stupid little song and he knows it's time for teeth. We make a big deal about how daddy brushes all the time. (DS is in a daddy phase). I find it's best to have something else in his hands. If I hold him, he needs a toy or a hair brush or something. If he is on the bathroom stool, I make sure there are things he can play with by the sink.

siajara

We have tooth brushing time after the bath every night.  We all brush our teeth together (me, DH, and DD).  She really loves it now that she has the tooth gel with xylitol in it (it is really sweet!).  We let her brush for a bit, and then we take over.  From the swim lessons we did this past summer, I learned that if I tell DD what I am going to do and then count to three she is pretty good with it (in swimming it was "on the count of three we are going to go under water...").  So, when we brush her teeth, we count to three and she opens her mouth for 5 seconds and we do one side.  Then we cout to three again and she opens and we do the other side, etc.