14m kiddos - brushing teeth

NDwife07 · August 2010

How are y'all handing tooth brushing? Ella has 9 teeth (including two molars) and she still hates hates having her teeth brushed. I feel like when she gets all riled up before bed, she has a hard time going to sleep.

Anyone's kiddos doing it on their own yet?

ohfour · August 2010

She's not doing her own, but she loves it. I usually do mine first and then she wants to do hers.

kmjbjg · August 2010

Not on her own and not doing that great (mostly chewing on it) but she is trying. I always get in there first and then I give her a turn, then it is mama's turn, and then her turn. She actually likes it, so I guess I am lucky.

maddiesmama09 · August 2010

DD hates it. She only has six teeth though, and two molars trying to come in, so I think it hurts her. I try to do it as best I can without getting her too worked up. I'm hoping it will get easier once the molars actually pop through.

BrendaK · August 2010

It's awful for us, and it seems like the more teeth she gets, the worse it gets.

We have to hold her hands (DH), and I have to hold her head still while I brush (she whips her head around and swats at the toothbrush). I feel like we're torturing the poor kid.

When we're done, she takes the toothbrush and pretends like she's brushing them. I think she just wants to do it herself and gets mad that we're doing it for her.

lwrigley2000 · August 2010

I tried once and he got really upset. I haven't tried again.

sam19 · August 2010

My kid loves having her teeth brushed. When I feel like I got most of it pretty good I will give her the brush and let her chew on it. Mine isn't old enough to do it on her own yet but I think she likes chewing on it.

mieuxmieux · August 2010

I let Kate help me brush my teeth while I try to brush hers. It usually works.

SoHopeful · August 2010

oh my gosh...you would think that i was cutting ds's toes off, one by one, with a dull knife when i am trying to clean his teeth. it is pure torture for the both of us.

NDwife07 · August 2010

SoHopeful:
oh my gosh...you would think that i was cutting ds's toes off, one by one, with a dull knife when i am trying to clean his teeth. it is pure torture for the both of us.

LOL - great description! This is how it is for us, too.

Brenda - we do the same thing. It's a whole-family effort, and quite a sight to see.

I guess we'll keep trying. Poor kid's breath smells terrible in the meantime.

erino&chrish · August 2010

Noah doesn't mind having his teeth brushed. We got Nature's Best toothpaste with one of the finger brushes. Maybe you could try that? The stuff tastes really good and the finger brush seems less intimidating than a normal brush?? GL!

BrendaK · August 2010

I know, right? And I see people with kids this age, taking them to the dentist (I've seen a few posts over the past couple weeks)...?

Seriously, I can't even imagine taking Paige to the dentist. They'd have to put her in a straight jacket.

maple2 · August 2010

We give DD the toothbrush with a tiny bit of fluoride free toothpaste on it. She mostly chews on the brush and eats the toothpaste. I don't like to make teethbrushing a fighting issue, so I usually ask her to brush the back teeth or to let me brush them, but if she really fights it I don't make too big of a deal out of it. Sometimes she'll do it herself, and sometimes she'll let me really do a good job brushing back there. At this point I mostly want to instill the habit, and I'm less concerned about perfect execution. As she gets older and has better coordination, we'll work more on proper toothbrushing.

nolebride · August 2010

He just started "brushing" his own teeth. He refused to let us do it so I just give him the toothbrush with a little toddler toothpaste (flouride free) and he goes to town. Sometimes he chews on it, sometimes he actually brushes and sometimes he allows us to brush them after he has "brushed". He won't give the toothbrush back to us once he's done so we just let him put it back in the cup (upside down of course). We turn it right side up when he's not looking. He only has 6 front teeth so I have no idea what to expect when the molars start coming. I figure anything is better than nothing.

RNOHIO · August 2010

I give DD her tooth brush when she is in the bath tub. She will bite on it and pull it in and out of her mouth for a few minutes. She LOVES to chew on it. When she gets out of the bath I will take the brush and quickly scrub the rest of her teeth. I wouldn't say that she is "brushing herself" but she definitely understands the idea and knows to put the brush on her teeth.

hero · August 2010

Ds doesn't brush his teeth by himself but he will let me brush them for him. I admit that I don't do it every day,in fact, a few times a week is about it for us. Sometimes I brush my teeth with him and make a big show out of it so he wants his brushed. Sometimes I brush his teeth during bathtime.

If brushing gets your lo too riled up right before bedtime, brush her teeth some other time during the day and then add to your nighttime routine after she likes it or will let you do it.

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