TEETH BRUSHING

Laura - posted on 03/04/2010

my son is 20months now an doesnt mind me brushing his teeth now he often says teeth when he sees me brushing mine and also says it when he's in the bath so its much easier now, he often runs away when i put the toothpaste on the brush and we just make a game off it, when he was abit younger i had the same problem but i think you just have to make it a fun time and i used to sing or say brush brush brush as i was doing it and he found it funny!
good luck x

Alisha - posted on 03/03/2010

hey, I have found that if i let my 19month old son brush my teeth he is then more than happy for me to do his, then we both have a turn at doing our own. He finds it fun, and is happy to do it twice a day!

Betty - posted on 03/02/2010

My son likes the taste of the tooth paste. Also you can have her hold the tooth bursh and kind of direct her hands!! My son is 19 months and maybe you should try the finger bursh entil she is ready.

Christina - posted on 03/02/2010

Both of my little boys, (19 months & 3yrs) started watching me while I was brushing my teeth. I gave them both a toothbrush and they tried to imitate me. At the start, they just spent most of the time chewing on the brush. I then started telling them to brush not chew and would make exaggerated brushing motions with my own toothbrush. They get to 'brush" by themselves while mama brushes hers and then they let me brush theirs for them. Hardly any fussing or fighting. If they resisted my help, then I just let them Brush their way, for a few times and now I get to brush after they brush. My 19 month old wants to brush several times a day, so I give him his toothbrush and we brush with water any time he is ready.

Donita - posted on 03/01/2010

My daughter loves to brush her teeth - when shes in the mood. Sometimes in the morning, she is like her mommy, cranky...and won't actually brush. I try brushing in front of her and when all else fails, I just take over, kicking and screaming. It's a work in progress.
Donita
www.MoreTimeWithMyFamily.com

Lisa - posted on 03/01/2010

I gave my son who is now 19 mos. a tooth brush when he was about 11 mos old and let him watch me brush my teeth.. He started brushing his teeth with water up until a couple months ago and now we use training toothpaste.. Just gotta let them get used to the feel of the bristles on there own for a week or so then they'll do it.. Some kids love to be independent and be patient mommy..

Martha - posted on 03/01/2010

My daughter has stains too, but thats not from not brushing its too much juice. Apple has the highest sugar content. My daughter has always brushed her teeth at night before bed. She doesnt like to let me help. But try to make it fun, give her new tooth brush and tooth paste for a gift wrap it up all nice and stuff. If you hold em down and force it to the point they are crying its gunna create a bad taste for them and they will get anxiety around that time a day. Get your daughter to take pride in doing it themselves as a part of getting ready for bed. Remember these teeth fall out and personally I think that brushing is a part of gettingthem into good habbits now for when the new teeth come in. Your pediatric dentist will help you on any worry about the condition of teeth. But your best option is to make brushing teeth fun and a important job that's she can do herself.

April - posted on 03/01/2010

Well i know i started brushing my son's teeth when he was around 9-10 mths old and he loved it, now doesn't really care for is so i brush with him and that seems to work. Let he brush her teeth herself then u try to brush them. My son is 19 mths old.

Heather - posted on 02/28/2010

I started very young as soon as she started getting teeth so that she would get use to the idea...We have made a routine of it every night and she is fine. My daughter is 20 months old. We even give her the toothbrush (once I'm done) and let her brush and she loves it! Good luck =)

Colette - posted on 02/28/2010

i also use a cloth when she is really fussy about the tooth brush.

Adrianna - posted on 02/27/2010

We do family brush time at night. We all get together over the tiny sink and brush. My 18 month old loves it. In the morning she runs and tries to do it on her own now. I use the infant toothpaste. My dentist said it was important to use it. It has Franklin on it. It's OK to swallow. I bought a ladybug toothbrush that lights up for a whole minute and when it stops she says Uh-Oh and spits out whatever is in her mouth.

Kayla - posted on 02/27/2010

I have not used toothpaste yet but I give her the wet toothbrush and brush her teeth then I let her do it herself. What kind of training toothpaste can you use?

Paige - posted on 02/27/2010

I have used gum tooth brushes for my daughter since she was teething so she would get used to the idea. Now she is 19 months old and when she brushes her teeth I let her brush mine with my toothbrush and she lets me brush hers. It's a fun distraction for her because it puts the focus on me and not her.

Kirsty - posted on 02/27/2010

i found with my two girls, i let them brush their teeth first then i say it's mummies turn to get the bugs out, that seems to work for me, a song is also a good thing to use too, it makes it a bit more fun, also i am a dental assistant so i take my girls to the dentist to have a ride in the chair when i go, it makes it fun for them while getting used to the experience.

Jaime - posted on 02/27/2010

I had same issue with my 19 mo. old......same as you, we sometimes had to hold her arms so I could get brush in. Then one day she saw my hubby using an electric t.b. & loved it. I bought her a kids one...even tho I'm not sure if it's too much for her age...and she doesn't mind at all now. Also, now when she watches me brush my teeth she drops whatever is in her hands actually wanting her teeth brushed. On those occasions I use the regular t.b. instead of electric. If u have no luck with trying the other suggestions, try the electric bcuz they love the stimulation on their teething gums.

Caz - posted on 02/27/2010

my daughter is also 19 months and she usally lets me do her teeth for a lil bit but then she likes to do them herself while i do mine. but since she was little i have always showed her tht it was fun to brush her teeth so wen it did come to her brushing her own teeth she wudnt put up a fuss about it. and she also had an extra toothbrush tht i let her play with to get used to!

Keeley - posted on 02/27/2010

i have always given my children a tooth brush and i let them do what they wanted i still cant always brush my 18 month old teeth but my three year old is a pro at it and my youngest will be eventually i think it is best to let them do it in their own time but with lots of praise and encouragement.

Elisha - posted on 02/26/2010

My daughter has a hello kitty tooth brush and a little stool I bought just for her that goes in our bathroom. I made a big deal out of it. I put some baby orajel tooth and gum cleanser on her toothbrush and we brush our teeth together. She actually gets excited when its time to brush her teeth! She does not like the denist though.... lol

Amy - posted on 02/26/2010

My son is 19 months, and he has been brushing his teeth since he was 9 months.... He brushes his teeth whenever I brush mine, and he loves doing it because it seems like a "grown up" thing for him I think. I just put a little bit of toothpaste on his brush and then get him to mimic me....

Filiz - posted on 02/26/2010

well we started at around 15 months with our daughter, and the trick was to let her imitate us for the first month or so, let her do it ( she wont do it right of course but try to guide her hands ) we also made a huge deal about it... made up a song and clapped at the end of the brushing. finally, when she was used to doing it and started asking to brush her teeth, we bought a brand new toothbrush, stood her on the sink ; encouraging her to watch, and telling her now it mommys turn to do it ... i also want to mention that she is a bit rambunxious, ok alot and pretty energetic to boot

Melanie - posted on 02/26/2010

As a few others have said, an electric toothbrush! She loves it. :)

Corrine - posted on 02/26/2010

Our process has become the same...hold her and brush while she screams!! She's 19 months old and doesn't like it one bit. Unfortunately we dont have a choice!

Melanie - posted on 02/26/2010

I give my son his own toothbrush to chew on while I do my best to get another one that I never let him have (so it doesn't get all chewed up) into his mouth. It's not the best job in the world but better than not at all or with a big fight. My older son now 3 1/2 years old hit a stage where he really fought it so one night I started singing a song "Itsy Bitsy Spider" it got his attention long enough to get his teeth brushed and for the next year we sang our tooth brushing song every night.

Terese - posted on 02/25/2010

i started my 19 month old with the finger tooth brush n water since the day i brought her home. now she 19 months old... she gives me an issue sometimes but i still use the finger tooth brush first to get all the food stuff off her teeth then let her do it herself with the real toothbrush.....we also encouraged her to say cheese as she brushes them...

Sandra - posted on 02/25/2010

My son is 19 months and fights getting his teeth brushed too. I lay him on the edge of our bed and lay my body over him and over his arms and brush his teeth that way. I also have to lift up his lips to get the upper teeth. He's never been real cooperative, but it became worse once his incisors starting coming in. My older son loved his toothbrush and so this is a new experience for us.

Rebecca - posted on 02/25/2010

We let our son watch us brush our teeth, even before he had teeth I would use the gum brush on him to get him used to something in his mouth. now he is 19 months and begs to brush his teeth all day long. we brush them at least twice a day, sometimes more lol

Julia - posted on 02/25/2010

I started when Brennan was a newborn. Those lil finger brushes, 2x daily. As he got older, it was just a part of his routine. Now, @ 19 months, he thinks it's funny 2 run away when he sees the toothbrush. But a friend told me to say, "Do you want it nice or do you want it tight" (by yourself or me holding you and brushing your teeth) Fortunately i got it lucky and it works every time!

Lisa - posted on 02/25/2010

firstly, i wouldnt do it twice a day and make it into a fun routine, she might have a problem with control and she might want to do it herself, so why dont you try giving her the toothbrush (after an initial brushing) and show her what to do by brushing your own teeth? My son does'nt hav much of a problem but always chews on it until i did it myself and he copied me..hope it helps

Angela - posted on 02/25/2010

I always brush my daughter who is now 20 mnths teeth while singing the brush your teeth song she loves it and asks for her brush which i reply when mommmies done you can do your teeth. she loves this and after we put her brush away to go read stories before bed!

Nicola - posted on 02/25/2010

My son is 19mnths old and we gave him his tooth brush in the bath to play with first now when it comes to brushing his heeth he goes get his brush himself and has a turn then he knows its mummies turn so try giving it to her in the bath or just when she is playing so she learns she does have to be afraid of it or dis like it. The other thing you could try is brush your teeth with her

Ruth - posted on 02/25/2010

My 20 month old son was disgusted when I first put the toothbrush into his mouth. He was watching me doing it and was amazed, but when i used his little own to brush his teeth, he didnt want to. So he started to WANT to brush his teeth, ONLY after i showed him the ELMO video from the sesamestreet website. We watch the video 2 or 3 times a week, and now he wants to brush his teeth all the time! So, before washing their teeth, show them the video, and then hopefuly they will co-operate.

Josephine - posted on 02/17/2010

My daughter has been brushing her teeth since she was 1 and it was something that her and my husband did together. Every morning before he went to work she used to follow him around. He would get his toothbrush and give her, her toothbrush so she could copy.

At first she used to just chew on it. But now she imitates her dads movement. After he brushes his teeth he brushes hers as well and she doesn't mind. I owe it all to my husband I didn't do anything at all. That's there little alone time together.

Danielle - posted on 02/15/2010

Have you tried letting her play/suck on the toothbrush on her own, when not trying to brush her teeth? My son loves walking around with it (of course, while he's supervised) and sucks on it. It is great when he's teething too. That could help her get used to it and not be so scared. Also, watching an adult brushing is also a good model of how "fun" it can be. I used to sing a silly song while I did it or when I did his. Now he gets excited and thinks it's a game.

Jaime - posted on 02/14/2010

i lay my son down and tickle him and while his mouth is open i brush them (its the only way i can get to his back teeth) then i brush the front i dont have trouble with them after we have finished i give him the toothbrush and he sometimes wants to try and brush mine so i let him

La Tahja - posted on 02/12/2010

awww. well i began brushing my 19mnth olds teeth at about 16mnths at first he didnt like it but i began letting him watch me everytym i brushed my teeth and eventually he wntd to try himself! ( they always want to copy wat any1 is doing lol) it took him a gud week and then he totaly caught on. now hes to the point were when its not even tym for him to brush his teeth he walks around wit his lil tooth brush actn likie hes brushn his teeth! lol. good luck.

Diane - posted on 02/12/2010

My son is 18 months. I started giving my son the toothbrush in his highchair a few months back and he loves doing it. He still has only have a few teeth. It's hard to get in there and brush them for him though since he isn't very thorough, but it's easier when he's in his chair since I can use two hands.

Annette - posted on 02/11/2010

I just started recently with my daughter and well I hold her or let her father hold her while I give her, the tooth brush i put her stuff on it and then I get my tooth brush and put stuff on it, and go "brush your teeth like mommy" and she does it herself. If she misses a spot i tell her "now the top" and she does it on her own and i started around 18mths with her

Amy - posted on 02/10/2010

The only thing that helps me brush my son's teeth is really excessive praise, even when he is being super stubborn and not letting me help at all. I tell him what a good boy he is and what a great job he is doing about 25 times in the sweetest voice possible. But the toothbrushing experience is the most frustrating parenting experience every day for me. Good luck!

Sara - posted on 02/10/2010

My son gives me a hard time also. I give him his own toothbrush to hold with toothpaste on it and I use another one to try to brush his teeth with. He ususally just puts the toothbrush in his mouth but at least he is getting the hang of it!

Kezia - posted on 02/10/2010

Sounds like some great ideas. We just try to make it fun! I've found if you make it a bad experience for them, they will fight you all the way and refuse to do it later when they really need to! My son is 18 mons. old and we have been brushing/cleaning his teeth and gums for a while now, so he is more open to brushing. My hubby and I both have electric toothbrushes so he has been watching us since he was a baby! He is facinated with the electric tooth brush, we even had a compact head that is small enough for him that we use sometimes with him. However, with cutting his molars, he hasn't really been interested in using the electric brush now and he definantly doesn't want you to go far in his mouth to touch those sore gums. He does have his own toothbrush with ducks - couldn't find anything cute a Wal-mart in the extra soft brush, and we got him the Oral B toothpaste gel (which is safe for infants - no flouride and safe for swallowing). Most of the time, he just uses his toothbrush for teething purposes but I do try to brush the surface before I let him chew on it! I try to make motor sounds - like a car, boat, or plane and he will let me brush. He thinks its funny! Guess will a girl, you have to be creative and inventive with the sounds etc . . . boys love motor sounds. HA HA! On the other hand with my hubby, he tries to put up a fight for the toothbrush so they don't get brushed. Anyway, just remember to make it fun!!! Thanks again for bringing up this question, I have appreciated the other ideas from the posts on here, with singing a barney song or some toothbrushing song, those ideas help too since my son loves music!

Holley - posted on 02/10/2010

my son likes to brush his teeth when i do. he chews on his tooth brush first and then lets me do it . some times hes fights but when i make him think its funny he'll do it. he likes to spit in the sink or toilet to lol.

Tara - posted on 02/10/2010

With my daughter I guess i started by giving her the tooth brush and copying mommy...and when she started to brush her teeth i took the tooth brush and said let mommy do now and she let me i dont know how i did it other than that...she never really fought me with brushing her teeth but good luck!!

Magen - posted on 02/10/2010

Have you brushed your teeth with her or in front of her. I started out making it a game at first by just being silly with her while I brushed her teeth then I let her practice using the tooth brush. I sometimes use a finger tooth brush at night before bed to make sure I get them clean ( being a dental assistant I dont want her to get decay at a young age). My daughter is also 18 mos old. I also let her use the tooth brush her self as well so she can just get use to it being in her mouth. Now when she sees me brush my teeth she wants to brush hers. I also got her a tooth brush with one of her favorite characters on sesame street so she gets really excited when I hand it to her. So I will either start out by giving it to her to use first and then I follow or vice versa. I also clap andget really excited when she brushes and tell her good job and what a big girl you are and she gets really excited when I do that. Hope this helps

Chikodi - posted on 02/09/2010

Hi Bailey, this problem is half solved. Starting it is very important. Naturally kids needs consistency to get use to things like that. It doesnt matter how her teeth looks after brushing. Keep on doing that in a friendly way even if it means singing and danceing for her to comply. Best of luck.

Verity - posted on 02/09/2010

i have the same problem!!! i have been putting her inbetween my legs n lying her down if u dont already get a kids electric toothbrush n kids low fluride toothpaste u can get nice flavours like bubblegum n stuff. try teaching them to do it themselves it kinda seems more fun for them.

Amanda - posted on 02/08/2010

i started when my son had no teeth with the training toothpaste and a finger brush, he is now eighteen months old, and is obsessed with brushing his teeth. he also watches his older siblings brush thier teeth before bed.

CHANTEL - posted on 02/07/2010

My 18 month old son loves to brush his teeth. He didn't like it in the begining, when I had to hold his hands down to brush his teeth. What we started doing was putting him on a step stool so he can reach the sink and put a little bit of toothpaste on his toothbrush and turn on the water on low, and he does it by himself. Obviously he doesn't do it perfect but he enjoys it. He brushes them in the morning and in the night time I'll ask him if he is done and when he gives me the brush I'll brush his teeth a little more to make sure they are clean.

Stephanie - posted on 02/06/2010

My daughter likes to hold a toy or her "lipstick" (which is a closed tube of chapstick...lol), and that normally keeps her distracted. I sing a song as well and make it a fun process that way she knows it's not something scary. After her teeth are all brushed I tell her to stick out her tongue so I can brush it and she loves it cause it tickles her. It used to be a stressful process for us, but then I changed the mood and it seems like she now enjoys it! Good luck!

Samantha - posted on 02/03/2010

My daughter is 19months now, she loves her toothbrush but she sucks it and dont brush it like she is supposed to. I want to help her but also fights against it, i need to hold her but just dont work. I can also see the marks/staines on her teeth and that worries me.

Edré - posted on 02/02/2010

hello i just showed my daughter how i brush my teeth, and had her taste the toothpaste. she is also 18 months old and she is very adement about brushing her own teeth. buy her a new tooth brush and have the whole famaly join in this. hope this helps.