Toddler Refusing Toothbrush

how do you discipline him for other things? ok ok he has "issues"...seems like all kids do these days. but honestly at this age my son did the same thing. at first the tooth brushing is fun and it tastes yummy and he gets positive attention from mom, then the fun wears off and it becomes more of a "job" and they decide not to do it anymore. seriously...i put him in time out just like i would anything else he refused to do that i told him to. maybe it's "slightly" different because of his issues, but you do have to discipline him for SOME things, right? this would be one of those things, imo. he brushed them just fine before. he needs to do it now. period.

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Maybe you could look in the baby section, and get one of those little rubber tooth cleaners that you slip on your finger. I'm sure it would work better than a washcloth, and at least you will be able to get his teeth clean until you are able to get him to accept the the toothbrush again.

You could also get a thimble, and wear that under the finger brush, just in case he bites again! lol.

~ETA.... Lattegirl reminded me... when I brush my DD's teeth, she usually gets to hold my toothbrush and 'brush' my teeth while I am doing hers. Then I trade her, and let her brush her own teeth (which at this point is just chewing on the toothbrush) while I brush mine. :)

Is he seeing a speech therapist trained in sensory integration and feeding therapy? If not that might be something to check out.

I let the Dentist handle this one for me. One trip after our toothbrush struggles, and my little one came around. The dentist showed him pics of what a dirty mouth will turn into and explained what can happen....that was enough for my little man. Good luck to you.

My dentist recommends having toddler hold a tooth brush to play with while you brush his teeth. Maybe let him be big boy and brush then you follow up and brush. Make a rewards chart each time he brushes star on the chart
Best of luck
L.

My kids liked taking turns brushing my teeth while I brushed theirs.
They thought it was great fun to tell me they were getting my cavity bugs to the extent they didn't notice I was brushing their teeth at the same time.
It's worth a try.
My daughter especially loved playing "dentist" and then when it was her turn, she played right along. My dad was amazing at this game with her.
Look up videos of cavity and sugar bugs.
Make it fun to get them off the teeth.
My kids responded to that quite well.

Best wishes.

My son hates brushing his teeth most of the time. I have tried different brushes, flavors and having us brush each other's teeth. I have found that if I give him it while he's in the tub, he'll usually do an okay job of brushing. But when I come in for the 'mommy check' he's not too happy. There are many times where I literally have to hold him down to brush them. And some times I don't even worry about it. They will fall out eventually. I know that is bad and he needs to get into a good habit of brushing but some things are not worth fighting over every day!!!! I wonder since he does have sensory issues if there is another type of brush or something his therapist can recommend?

I am sure I have a few sensory issues. Anyway, if you were to stick a wash clothe into my mouth I would have a heard time not biting. I absolutely hate the feel of cloth in my mouth. I can't even stand to see other's bite clothe. To me it's like when someone drags their fingernails on a chalkboard. Get a toothbrush.