The nightly battle - teeth brushing

bridexcite · January 2012

What tips do you all have. It's like the child gets lock jaw....

I have tried doing it along side him, giving him his own, letting him play in the water, tried the one I slip on my finger. Help

amykins1283 · January 2012

We let Liam pick out a book to look at while we brush his teeth. It keeps him from screaming and squirming long enough for us to get in there and brush them a fair bit. Enough that I'm satisfied, for now.

flyingsaucer · January 2012

LOL! DD is such a PAIN with teeth brushing! The only thing that works is that we do it in front of the bathroom mirror. She gets so excited by watching "the baby" in the mirror that I can sneak a few brushes in. Other than that, she mostly sucks on the brush.

[Deleted User] · January 2012

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BeerBeck · January 2012

Unfortunately, I can't seem to be able to brush my daughter's teeth so, instead of pinning her and doing it, (which would be the only other option), I simply give her the brush and let her do it herself.

I know it isn't the best, but it is what works for now.

Mrs.Rose · January 2012

Getting a kids sonicare brush really made a difference for us. Gavin HATED the manual brush, but once I switched, he was much more on board and let me get in there. I got a kids spinbrush for Carson, but it is not as soft, so I think I am going to invest for him soon also.

shannond354 · January 2012

This might sound silly, but have you tried a toddler friendly toothpaste? My son loves his toothpaste. He licks his lips and opens wide when we brush his teeth, so that might be an option. Good luck!

radak · January 2012

We used to have that same problem. But now, we brush our teeth at the same time LO brushes hers. I will give her a the tooth brush as I am doing mine. After I finish up, I take the brush back, she then lets me brush her teeth for a bit, and it's very easy. We use Tom's toothpaste.

faith194 · January 2012

We used to be able to do it while reading a book while he sat in my lap. . .until last week. Now I have to stand up and brush his teeth, and DH reads him a book. It was worked for three nights. I am shocked. It may work for you!

ASmallWonder · January 2012

We have an Elmo puppet and an extra toothbrush and he gets to brush Elmo's "teeth" while we brush his. Oh and if he does a good job he gets to flush the toilet when he's done bc for some reason he's obsessed with that right now.

juliedooley · January 2012

We let him chew on the toothbrush during his morning bath and that seems to be a 'fun' way for him to get some kind of morning brushing in (or watching TV when I'm getting him ready to go...he's distracted enough to open long enough for me to scrub a bit).

At night, he's MUCH fussier, so I created the 'toothbrush express'--I put him in his wagon with his favorite stuffed animals and pull him into the bathroom. It's elaborate, but I don't have to hold him (aka fight him), he's at my level if I sit on the toilet, and he's happy about getting a wagon ride so he's more cooperative.

We also have 2-3 toothbrushes and let him use as many as he wants in a brushing session. Otherwise he is always trying to grab the one we're NOT using to brush and freaking out!

Hope some of these ideas help!

bootcampbride · January 2012

I have her lie down between my legs and use my legs to pin her arms and legs. Kind of like this . She protests while I do it (which makes for easier access) but the second its over she's back to herself and the protests are getting less and less. Sometimes I sing a song. I have terrible teeth and I'm not putting her through anything that might be avoidable by a little "pain" now.

VMRRN23 · February 2012

I have the c shaped toothbrush from One Step Ahead. It is shaped like an c, with bristles on the top and bottom. It has a handle for him and he just chews it. I use the toddler toothpaste and watch to make sure he gets all his teeth and gums( he usually does). Best $6 I ever spent!

Mom2Mack1 · February 2012

I make sure she is distracted, usually I'll brush them while she's in the bath. I'll sing the ABC's and Patty Cake then I'm done. Some days I get them better than others. Also, like pp said maybe try a different toothpaste. DD doesn't like the training toothpaste so I tried Dr. Tom's, I got a free sample. She likes it a lot better than the training paste.

bugs_2003@hotmail.com · February 2012

We use two tooth brushes. One for 18 month old to use and one for mommy to use. Use a little child safe toothpaste on both. toddler takes a turn, than mommy takes a turn, mommy always gets last turn and lots of praise for a good job!

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