Tooth brushing

jonesie2010 · June 2014

Anyone have good strategies for brushing toddler's teeth? It's starting to be a battle with my 14 month old. I don't want to force it but she's starting to outright refuse. If I let her hold the toothbrush herself, she just swishes it around for a second and then gives it back. And silly faces and games aren't working anymore either. Would love advice. Thanks!

pb_bride · June 2014

No advice, just want to let you know you're not alone.

My son is 19m and has never been too enthusiastic about tooth brushing, but he was still doing it up until about 10 days ago. Since then, he's been flat out refusing. He won't even take the toothbrush, or if he does, he won't put it in his mouth. And at this age, we can't force it on him either.

We've tried different places (high chair, bathroom, in his room, in his bath etc), tried 3 different toothbrushes and 3 different toothpastes, but still no go. Tried brushing with him, tried "bribing" him by reading him a book (not reading if he doesn't brush), tried singing silly songs...

I'm hoping it is just a phase and he'll grow out of it. I'm tired of fighting with him 2x a day. Right now, I just put his toothbrush in the bathroom within his reach while I brush my teeth. Today he did take his toothbrush and chewed on it for 10 seconds. (he used to brush it for as long as 2 minutes). I don't know what caused this recent refusal, esp since he's not even teething right now!

hilsy85 · June 2014

Tooth brushing is one of those things that are non negotiable for me. I'm more relaxed about the morning brush but night brush is happening. I will hold him on my lap if necessary and while he screams, brush as much as I can. After a few days of doing that, he actually got a lot better about it and will now open his mouth when I ask.

brachysira · June 2014

I am sure this doesn't work with a lot of babies, but we still have that finger brush and baby toothpaste by Nuk. I sing, "brush your teeth, brush your teeth, now it's time to brush your teeth" and she totally lets me do it. After, I tell her what a good job she did. At night it is consistent--DH changes her and puts on her pjs and I come in and brush her teeth and give her a water bottle. In the morning, we do it less often and in the bathroom, which she enjoys because she gets to play in the sink. I am planning to let her do her morning brushing herself soon, as she is almost 17 months.

pb_bride · June 2014

hilsy85 said:

Tooth brushing is one of those things that are non negotiable for me. I'm more relaxed about the morning brush but night brush is happening. I will hold him on my lap if necessary and while he screams, brush as much as I can. After a few days of doing that, he actually got a lot better about it and will now open his mouth when I ask.

I've tried that and it didn't work. He doesn't scream, he just struggles to get free while keeping his mouth shut tight. He is great at head butting me when he doesn't want me to contain him. He keeps turning his head away from the toothbrush and uses both hands to Push the brush away. I am at my wits end. Maybe I can try bribing him with a video ...

jonesie2010 · June 2014

She is cutting some teeth right now so I haven't pushed too hard. But if this doesn't get better when her gums are less tender, I will try a video. Thanks for the ideas!

stever · June 2014

DS was awesome at letting me brush his teeth.Now, not so much. After a week of fighting with him I finally passed the toothbrush to DH to see if DS would cooperate - success!

So maybe try having your H do it for a week or so.

MrsBigTime · June 2014

This may seem harsh, but I lay DD down on the floor (on the bath mat, so it's soft) and pin her down with my legs (it's not as rough as it sounds, promise!!) and then I give her teeth a good scrub. The was upset for one night, but the second night, I asked if she wanted to brush her teeth and she laid down on her own, ha! She still fights it, but if I sing a song or make funny faces, she'll stop squirming and smile in between protests.

uromys · June 2014

We went through this issue with DD not too long ago. I ended up getting her her very own spin brush that my husband or I use with her. He has better luck getting her to open then I do. Mornings she brushes with her normal tooth brush, but nights are always a daddy daughter chore. Works well for us but we still have our moments.

MrsStanger · June 2014

We usually sit her on the counter so she is able to see herself. Then i start with look at the pretty teeth. She smiles really big. I usually have my own tooth brush (without toothpaste so i can still talk to her) and show her how to clean them. She is also 14MO and likes to be totally self sufficent. I know it isnt much help but its what works for us! Good luck

Crequito · June 2014

I give the toothbrush to DD while I'm changing her diaper in the morning and evening and sometimes midday. It keeps her occupied so she doesn't squirm and I ask her things like, did you get all the back teeth, or did you get our bottom teeth? She seems to like the toothbrush.

kjsmith9 · June 2014

We're in the non-negotiable camp as well. DH held her wrapped in her bath towel (arms in) while I held her jaw open and brushed. After about a week, she gave in. We recently got Tom's of Maine silly strawberry toothpaste and use a super tiny amount, and she goes in the bathroom and asks to brush now! We also got these little flossers and she is in love with them. She sucks on it for a minute, and then i floss her front teeth (she doesn't have 2 teeth next to each other except in front). I let her pick which color to floss with, and I think she likes that little bit of control.

Meagan0528 · June 2014

My little guy loves music so we have a special song that we sing for tooth brushing. Something like that might help? We also put him in front of the mirror, and I brush my teeth at the same time.

pb_bride · June 2014

First off, I want to thank @jonesie2010 for posting this question! Got lots of good tips and useful hints.

Second, I'm relieved to know that I am not alone when it comes to tooth-brushing.

Lots of you have given me more thought on this - that it should be non-negotiable.

MrsBigTime said:

This may seem harsh, but I lay DD down on the floor (on the bath mat, so it's soft) and pin her down with my legs (it's not as rough as it sounds, promise!!) and then I give her teeth a good scrub. The was upset for one night, but the second night, I asked if she wanted to brush her teeth and she laid down on her own, ha! She still fights it, but if I sing a song or make funny faces, she'll stop squirming and smile in between protests.

@MrsBigTime, I tried your suggestion this morning, except that I put DS on top of our king bed and then tickle him to make him laugh. When he opened his mouth, I brushed his teeth. He was alternating between laughing and crying/screaming, but I just kept tickling him and blowing raspberry on his belly button. Seemed to work. Will keep on trying!

MrsBigTime · June 2014

It's definitely a common toddler struggle! I've had to pin LO down about 50% of the time this week.

My girlfriend downloaded a "brushy" app (I think that's the name) and her son had a good response from it, but I haven't tried it.

dunlapbriggs · June 2014

Pinkie78 said:

I don't know if this is a popular answer but part of our bed routine is one Elmo you tube video. During it we give him his nasal spray and brush his teeth. Previously he hated having his teeth brushed (screamed, cried) but now he will let us brush them even if we don't show him a video. We wanted to make it a happy thing. The video is the only tv he gets and he clearly loves that 3 minute period of time .

I read this thread last week and tried this video method (with Will.I.Am's Sesame Street video on the iPad) and THANK YOU SWEET BABY JESUS - worked like a charm every time since.

adamstentzel · June 2014

I have to pin my LO down too because she hates it and she doesn't seems to show any signs of giving in and still screams and struggles the whole time. I feel awful doing it but I feel like it would be worse to give in and let her go without brushing. Plus I don't want her thinking that if she throws a fit she can get out of it. The only advice I can give is just don't give in. Stay strong, mama! You're doing a great job.

littlebean510 · June 2014

We struggle with brushing teeth, too. DD only has 5 teeth, so when I try to brush them I am hitting a lot of her gums too and she does NOT like it. Any recommendations on a softer toothbrush? We have an infant Oral-B brush, but I tested it and it doesn't feel soft against my gums. TIA!

BarrysBride05 · June 2014

Night time brushing is also a non-negotiable for us. We floss as well because her top teeth are touching. The first few times were a wrestling match. She LOVES bubbles and we offered them as an incentive. Now part of our night time routine involves blowing bubbles and giving high fives after brushing. She sits on my lap leaned back. If there is resistance I remind her that she gets to blow bubbles afterward and she settles down. She is very much a child that responds to praise and positive reinforcement.
It took about two weeks, but now it's something she's just grown used to. Maybe offering a favorite activity reserved only after brushing? (We do blow bubbles other times during the day, but they still work as an incentive for now)

ETA: What type of toothpaste are you using? Our pediatric dentist recommended a fluoridated toothpaste because we have a well. The Crest Kids was disgusting to both of us. We tried Tom's Strawberry (just a smear) and that made a huge difference as well.

steelerbaby29 · June 2014

We got our son a kids spin brush and that has helped a TON with brushing. We brush first and then he likes to hold it and brush. He usually just bites or sucks on it, but with the spinning head I feel like some brushing is still happening while he holds it. Anyone struggling with teeth brushing should definiately give a spinning toothbrush a try!!

Shoecrazysarah · July 2014

We let LO brush his rubber duckies "teeth" while we do his. We had to show him the first few times but now he loves helping. It's a process though and takes awhile.

christinasullie37 · July 2014

Same problem here too. Only dd wont let us in her mouth at all and never has. I am taking her to a pediatric dentist because her teeth are looking bad. No matter what I do she wont let me in her mouth.

littlebean510 · July 2014

steelerbaby29, What kind of spinbrush did you get?

cozybluebear · July 2014

I sit my son on the counter and let him "brush" his own teeth while he watches me brush mine. When I'm done with mine, I brush his but I let him watch me in the mirror.

He's 17 months and still getting teeth so sometimes he'll cry when his gums are sore so I save that area until last.

cmrand4 · July 2014

this has been a struggle for us too. For awhile, sitting him on the counter worked. He could see himself and would intermittently open his mouth. Now I let him stand on a step stool and play in the water in the sink. It's not the most eco-friendly solution, but it keeps him happy for two minutes while we get the job done. There is also an app by Crest with a two minutes song that my kids love.

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