Just a tooth brushing Question

Meghan - posted on 11/26/2010

I just got him an electric Dora and Diego toothbrush so now every time someone goes to the washroom "Diego gotta brush my teef mom!"

Joy - posted on 11/26/2010

Meghan that's how my son is too! He never lets me forget when it's time to brush his teeth. He HAS to do it every time I do mine or hubby does his, even if he's already done it 10 minutes ago lol

Meghan - posted on 11/26/2010

my dentist told me that if I had problems to try brushing while he is lying down in bed...I brush J's in the tub...for some reason he is less combative in the tub. When he was the young mommy had a turn, then it was his turn. We did songs and made it a really exciting game rather than a chore and he actually asks and reminds me that he has to brush.

Bonnie - posted on 11/26/2010

If the toothpaste is fluoride free it will not harm her. That is what the fluoride free toothpaste is for, babies and toddlers. Technically you could go either way though.

Rebecca - posted on 11/25/2010

Yes, my MIL is a dental assistant and agrees with Jodi's advice. Toothpaste isn't really supposed to happen for a bit.

Jodi - posted on 11/25/2010

Morgan it isn't necessary to brush his teeth, nor to use toothpaste. You can, at this age, just wrap a clean, damp washer around your finger and wipe his teeth for him a couple of times a day. But even chewing on a toothbrush with just water is fine. That's all I did with my kids. If he is objecting to the toothpaste, just use water for now.

http://www.dhsv.org.au/dental-advice/gen...

Morgan - posted on 11/25/2010

Thanks for all the advice ladies, I am a going to try a new brush and a new flavor of tooth paste and see where that gets us :)

Fiona - posted on 11/25/2010

My 16 month old son almost always loves brushing his teeth, but we have always tried to make it fun for him and started at a really early age, which I think is the key. We got him a little silicone toothbrush in the shape of a carrot (curvy carrot toothbrush by Goldbug, I think it's called) and use a flouride-free organic orange toothpaste (just a tiny bit). We either all brush together in the morning (one of us adults brush his) or brush his teeth before his bath at night (part of bed-time routine). When we are done we give him the brush and let him have a go by himself. Just watch when you let her have a go and be careful that she isn't chewing the brush too vigorously, my son has chewed off a couple of bristles in his time. I can suggest not making it too stressful a time for her (ie: try not to hold her down, just try get a few brushes in where you can), the more fun it is, the more she will want to do it. If there is some activity she really enjoys (like bathtime) try doing it at the same time. Good luck, hope you find a way that works for you.

Sal - posted on 11/25/2010

i sing to my kids, they choose a song and i sing while brushing, (someone gave me this tip) i seems to work, but my girls are older, i never really had much sucess when they were little, i woud given them a brush to play with with a bit of paste to get used to it, but i just had to take a break for a month or so as it was just impossible and the whole thing was getting silly- they would hear tooth brushing and get worked up(yes i know i need docs called on me) then when we started again, i tried the singing they really like it if a made the song silly with their names in it....Incy wincy spider brushed ingrids teeth- there were no problems

~♥Little Miss - posted on 11/25/2010

You can also wipe them with a wash cloth. That should help also...but I agree with everyone else. It can be a huge challenging. As long as you are brushing at all you are doing great....they just hate it!

Bonnie - posted on 11/25/2010

My 4 year old use to fight it and my 2 year old has been fighting it from time to time lately, but not as bad as when he was younger. I would have to do the pin down thing also. I have always used a soft toothbrush for babies so you might want to try switching to that. Is it possible that maybe she doesn't like the flavour of the toothpaste you are using? Maybe you could try switching to a different one. You could also try letting her trying brushing herself and then you just go over it afterwards. That tends to work for me sometimes.

Becky - posted on 11/25/2010

Get her a baby toothbrush, wet it or put a little toothpaste on it, and just let her chew on it. Their teeth are so small at this age that chewing on it actually cleans a lot of the surfaces anyway! When she's done, see if you can get a quick swipe in with the brush.

Joy - posted on 11/25/2010

Yeah, the ones they sell for babies have very soft bristles and maybe her having her own would make her more at ease about it because she'd have some "control". Honestly, when my son first started using a tooth brush, I'd just let him have it for about a minute and all he would do was chew on it. I imagine it felt really good on his sore gums. Then I'd take it, say "Ahhhhh" and actually brush them. That was before I discovered the "ABC trick" lol

Morgan - posted on 11/25/2010

I dont have a "toothbrush" just that rubber thing you put over your finger, and we have the flouride free toothpaste its apple banana I think.
Maybe I will get a regular toothbrush, I ve tried doing in in front of the mirror and brushed mine so she could see but she still hates it.

♏*PHOENIX*♏ - posted on 11/25/2010

Either you or your husband or both…could brush your teeth to show her how much fun it is…make it a fun time together…that’s what I did with my son…

Joy - posted on 11/25/2010

Have you tried getting her a cute, fun toothbrush? You know, like a princess one or a cartoon charachter? My son used to fight it at that age too. Then one day, I don't know why, but I started singing the ABC's to him. He relaxed and let me do my thing with no problem. I think it was more the distraction than it was my soothing singing voice lol Is there a way to do it where she can see what you're doing, like in a mirror? Again, the distraction may help. Also, what kind of tooth paste are you using? We used the training tooth paste that doesn't have flouride in it. It was ok if he swallowed some and it also had a berry flavor to it. I think more than anything, you have to try and make it an enjoyable experience. So relax Momma. You're not doing anything "wrong"....you just haven't found what works yet. Hope this helps!

LaCi - posted on 11/25/2010

My son is 2.5 and, while he's okay with most of it, for some reason he HATES when I brush the bottom of his front teeth (i go over them again after he "brushes" to make sure they're clean). So, 2.5 and I still have to pin him down and brush, usually with my arms and legs.... fortunately it doesn't take long to brush a few teeth. :)