I'm traumatizing her, right?

s-a-r-a-h · March 2011

H hates having her teeth brushed. She freaks out and starts crying and trying to get away from us when we come towards her with the toothbrush. I've tried making it a fun time by singing a song, letting her brush her teeth and pretend brushing my teeth. She usually wants no part of it. Lately we've resorted to holding her down for 10 or 15 seconds so we can get in a quick brush. DH thinks it isn't worth the fight. I don't want to scar her for life but I also want her to have clean teeth. Her being tired may also have something to do with it but I don't really know what else to do since we usually brush her teeth right after she eats dinner and before we get her ready for bed. Do y'all have any tips for making it a better experience for everyone involved?

Temp13436125005166 · March 2011

Since you think she might be tired, why not try it at a different time? You could do a morning or midday brush that's a good one and then at night just let her do it herself and/or try but don't push it.

rssnlvr · March 2011

DD went through a phase like that right around that age. She had previously been okay with the tooth brushing, but for a while she flippedhershit when it was time to brush. We just kept at it and made it quick. Eventually she stopped caring again.

It might also be associated with teething pain; if she has teeth coming in, the last thing she might want touching her teeth/gums is a brush.

katattack · March 2011

We each keep a toothbrush in her bathroom and she brushes our teeth while we brush hers. It's the only thing that consistently works. But, we did wrestle frequently. The kid has to get her teeth brushed somehow.

bluestreet · March 2011

At her age, I'd leave it and try again at 18 months.

mlf625 · March 2011

Nah. DD hates having her teeth brushed, too, I just hold her tight for a minute and get it done. DS did the same thing around her age and got over it - now he loves brushing his teeth so much that I actually have to hide the brush from him during the day.

PrincessBrideSarah · March 2011

I don't know how you feel about TV, but when I need DD to sit still for nail clipping, I turn on the TV to a game show that she really likes. She holds still long enough for me to cut all 10 fingers and all 10 toes. I know a lot of people don't want their kids to watch TV, but this beats nipping the tips of her fingers and toes because she is squirming too much. (It's hard to get DD asleep, so clipping while asleep isn't a great option for us.)

ETA: I didn't complete my original thought, but maybe a distracting few minutes could help you be able to brush her teeth without such a struggle.

Taytee · March 2011

Emily has 3 toothbrushes. We start to brush her teeth, she takes the brush, we start with the next and she takes it too. Then when both of her hands are full, we take the last one and actually use it to brush her teeth!

bobcatsteph · March 2011

rssnlvr:
DD went through a phase like that right around that age. She had previously been okay with the tooth brushing, but for a while she flippedhershit when it was time to brush. We just kept at it and made it quick. Eventually she stopped caring again.

This.

HSartteach · March 2011

L didn't like it at that age either, so we stopped. We recently started again, but he does it with a handled brush while in the bath. He may not be doing much, but to me about about creating the good habit of brushing before bed. Eventually when he is a little older and we can explain better to him about brushing, he will stand at the sink and do it.

atlantic · March 2011

Us too. I'm thinking I may have better luck with the toothbrush that is like a silicone finger sheath (that sounds gross, but is accurate description). I also read that wiping them down with gauze when they're little is good.

Mainer-in-Texas · March 2011

PrincessBrideSarah:
I don't know how you feel about TV, but when I need DD to sit still for nail clipping, I turn on the TV to a game show that she really likes. She holds still long enough for me to cut all 10 fingers and all 10 toes. I know a lot of people don't want their kids to watch TV, but this beats nipping the tips of her fingers and toes because she is squirming too much. (It's hard to get DD asleep, so clipping while asleep isn't a great option for us.)
ETA: I didn't complete my original thought, but maybe a distracting few minutes could help you be able to brush her teeth without such a struggle.

I do this too. Every night she watches Sesame Street for like five minutes while I comb the knots out of her hair and "brush" her two teeth. It's the only way I can get her to sit still.

balihaigirl · March 2011

Have you tried an electric toothbrush? DS hated when I would brush his teeth with a regular toothbrush but doesn't mind an electric one.

HSartteach · March 2011

atlantic:
Us too. I'm thinking I may have better luck with the toothbrush that is like a silicone finger sheath (that sounds gross, but is accurate description). I also read that wiping them down with gauze when they're little is good.

We tried this at first and he liked for a few days then hated us sticking our fingers in his mouth. That's when we put it on hold and waited a while until we got the regular toothbrush.

Nessia · March 2011

bluestreet:
At her age, I'd leave it and try again at 18 months.

I would wait a few months too. I let my kids pick out their own tooth brushes and that seems to get them excited too.

HEB actually has some cool cheap ones that will stand up on their own. They have that sticky stuff on the bottom. DS likes to brush his teeth in the bath and he thinks it's hilarious when he can stick it to the wall when he's done.

FeistyFille · March 2011

I haven't read any of the other replies, but you're describing exactly what we were going through with Luke. I talked to my pedi about it, and she told us not to push it. So now we just hand him the toothbrush - it took him a while before he'd trust us enough not to force the brushing before he'd take it - and let him do what he will. He usually just sucks the toothpaste off and then throws the brush. But in the meantime, we brush with them and show Joseph how it's done - he's much more cooperative. We're hoping Luke will catch on at some point, but so far he's shown no interest in anything more.

lilrunner · March 2011

If you are then I am too b/c we do the same thing with DS. DD was the same way around 18 months, but now she brushes without any problems (enjoys it). FWIW, it doesn't look liked it tramatized her. :-)

s-a-r-a-h · March 2011

Thanks for the tips, ladies. We'll definitely try some of these tricks.

MrsMillerTime · March 2011

Chiming in suuuuuuper late, but...

We don't push it. At all. I get in as many teeth as I can and when she starts to get fussy, I hand the brush to her and she "finishes." We've turned it into a little game - I ask her if we can count to 10 while I brush and she usually opens her mouth right up. Some days we can count to 10 several times & other days it's a super-fast count. If she's really not having it, then we skip brushing all together.

I start with a different "zone" each day so over the course of the week I know her entire mouth gets a pretty decent brushing.

Good luck.

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