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Need tips pls on brushing a toddler's teeth

MELuckyInLoveMELuckyInLove member
in Eco-Friendly Family

DD is refusing to let me brush her teeth lately. She has a soft and fun banana toothbrush that I let her brush with but she mostly sucks and chews on it. After a minute or so of that I brush her teeth with a regular baby toothbrush. She refuses to open her mouth and pushes the brush out with her tongue. I've tried making it fun with songs and rhymes. I've also tried distractions. Her canines are coming in so her gums might be a bit sensitive. I try to be gentle, but I also want her teeth to be clean.

Any ideas? FWIW we use Weleda children's tooth gel.

 

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Re: Need tips pls on brushing a toddler's teeth

  • dosafyredosafyre
    I broke down and got a mechanical spinning brush. If we can just get it in her mouth and angle it around, it seems to do a pretty good job of quickly cleaning all sides...and you don't need them to open much to get the job done.
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  • MELuckyInLoveMELuckyInLove member

    I bet she'd like that because she always tries to get mine in her mouth!

     

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  • EnglishMajor03EnglishMajor03 member

    We let Parker hold her toothbrush or toothpaste if she wants to.  We also let her put on the toothpaste w/ our help and decide when she wants to brush her teeth- either before or after PJ's and potty, etc.  We've found giving her some independence helps.

    That said, if your LO has teeth coming in there's really nothing you can do.  Just ride out the storm as I'm sure it hurts like hell.  Getting a brush in there everyday should be the goal- not making sure you're brushing for 2 minutes..etc.

    HTH and good luck! 

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  • nseesnsees
    We use the Phillips sonicare electric kids brush which I feel maximizes the brushing time that we can get. It's also really helped to use some fluoride free toothpaste as he likes the taste. We use toms silly strawberry.

    Big E (6) & Little E (2.5)
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  • MELuckyInLoveMELuckyInLove member
    DD loves putting toothpaste on the toothbrush herself (with some assistance of course) but then she just sucks it off and asks for more. Thanks for your ideas ladies!
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  • Lotte134Lotte134
    We also have a spinning brush for DS and he likes that.  Another thing we do is look for animals in his mouth so I'll say, "Oh wow, I see a lion in there!  Better brush it out!", etc...  He thinks it's hilarious and always asks how many animals are in his mouth today.
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  • MELuckyInLoveMELuckyInLove member

    imageLotte134:
    We also have a spinning brush for DS and he likes that.  Another thing we do is look for animals in his mouth so I'll say, "Oh wow, I see a lion in there!  Better brush it out!", etc...  He thinks it's hilarious and always asks how many animals are in his mouth today.

    LOL! That's cute. Will try that, thanks! 

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  • our1stbaby2010our1stbaby2010 member
    Thanks for posting this.
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  • aspadeaspade member

    A few things.

    Lately what helps is to talk about all the food she ate today, like how we have to get all of it off her teeth.

    We saw the dentist for the first time this morning and she said kids will open their mouths more easily if they're lying down, but I can't imagine that working for us.

    We got a Dora book about going to the dentist, and I find it's really helpful to talk about how Dora brushes her teeth, and how the dentist brushed DD's teeth, etc.

    We also play a game where she gets to brush my teeth while I brush hers.

    Oh, the cajoling! 

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  • lilibetlilibet
    DS watched me brush my teeth (out of my necessity) a few weeks ago, and now thinks spitting the toothpaste out in the sink is the most hilarious thing in the world. So if I hold him on my hip and brush his teeth by the sink, he'll let me do it so long as he can pretend spit in the sink every 10 seconds or so. He bends over the sink and I make a spitting noise, and he laughs hysterically, then he lets me brush his teeth more so he can do it again. He doesn't actually know how to spit, so it's good, clean fun. So far, this is the best we've done with brushing teeth!
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  • middlemarch26middlemarch26 member

    imageMELuckyInLove:
    DD loves putting toothpaste on the toothbrush herself (with some assistance of course) but then she just sucks it off and asks for more. Thanks for your ideas ladies!

     This is exactly what DD does!   Does she have a little friend (maybe a little older?) who is good about having her teeth brushed that she can watch?  What helped DD was watching us brush Brother's teeth, and then we cheered him and raved about what a good big boy he was.  She immediately handed over the toothbrush and said "Me too!"  Of course, we cheered her as well.

     Now we cheer for both of our kids every morning when we brush their teeth, which is a little weird, but it works.  They think it is a game.

      I LOVE the suggestion about brushing animals out of their mouths.  That is an awesome idea. 

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