"Toddler Teeth Brushing Help"

Yes, Ditto!
I ALSO use something called "Spiffies" www.spiffies.com
which I found at my local Long's Drub store. It is a wipe that you wipe the teeth with, and it helps prevent decay and plaque formation. It's REAL great.... I've been using it for my son...who is not real keen on brushing his teeth.
Anyone can use it.

Good luck,
Susan

Tell me about it! I say go with the toothpaste. My son loves the whole process and the paste is a BIG part of it.-www.weelicious.com

What I do with my daughter is we brush eachothers teeth. She will put my toothpaste on my toothbrush and brush my teeth then I will do the same to her. Its a little messy but fun. And I let her pick out her toothbrush when we get new toothbrushes. Kids love to make choices in what they get and it seems to be motivating too.

Good luck.

My son refused at first too, but then I got one of those electric toothbrushes and some of that toddler toothpaste and he now wants to do it himself. I let him do it himself while I'm getting his jammies on, then I have a 'turn'. It's working out pretty well. He likes it when I brush his tongue last - thinks it tickles. Good luck!

Have you tried a battery powered toothbrush? I have my 14 month old using it as kind of a play thing to get him used to brushing his teeth. He's cutting molars and so it feels really good on his gums. I would suggest no toothpaste. It's really not necessary to get teeth clean. Most dentists even say not to use it unless to freshen breath. A plan toothbrush gets off the plaque. Have her brush her teeth by herself, at the same time you are brushing yours. Make a big deal out of it...a special occasion that you and she get to do together. Make a reward chart and have her put stickers on it for everytime she brushes. Hope this helps!

Try a battery operated vibrating brush. I have not had to use that yet, but I read it as a suggestion somewhere and they say it really works. Good luck. Once you get into a battle with them it is hard so try it as something new and fun and maybe she will go for it.

My son is the same way. We use puppets and it's worked out great. "Mr. Frog needs to see inside your mouth. Mmmm, Mr. Frog loves to brush the bugs off your teeth." A black glove on your hand becomes Mr. Spider. Make a game out of it and stay happy and maybe she might be more reseptive to it.

Good luck.

Well, it's not super fun, but teeth brushing is one of those "non-negotiable" things like sitting in the car seat. It may take a few days, but as long as you are consistent in insisting on doing it, eventually your child will give up resisting and get with the program. Good luck!

Try letting her pick out her own toothbrush. Maybe even a battery powered one. Good luck

well u can get fluoride pills from your doc..i use Tom's toothpaste for toddlers..strawberry flavored..my son loves the Little Einstein's so i get tooth brushes w/ their pix on them and tell him that "Jen & June" brush their teeth..when he was younger i used an electric toothbrush..he had a lot of fun w/ those..also brush your teeth at the same time and tell her you're cleaning your teeth..make it fun ...

Ditto the electric toothbrush!

My son picked out his own...space man, and I always followed up with a washcloth to make sure the area is clean.

Good Luck!
Deanna

they make really good tasting tooth paste for kids now, buy one she might like it, plus your finger & dry tooth brush might taste yucky.. you know kids will open there mouth if you plug the nose, she will find out she has to open her mouth to breath.. distract her with something she can play with while you come from behind to do her teeth... make it a play game.. make funny faces in the mirror,

try some toddler toothpaste. My daughter is always hesitant and I wonder if I am brushing well enough but the toothpaste helps. She is so involved in sucking off the toothpaste that I think she doesn't realize I am cleaning her teeth. What also helped was an episode on sesame street where people were brushing their teeth and she wanted to copy them. Now I brush her teeth and then let her "brush her teeth" by her self after. I think she thinks it's fun.

try toothpaste! It did the trick with my two kids. good luck

You might try going to the store and letting her pick out a cool toothbrush, toothpaste and little cups for rinsing so she can get excited about it. I use the Colgate for Kids 2 in 1 toothpaste/mouthwash and they have different flavors. I use a tiny bit and it really suds up and makes them shine! I have 3 different flavors and my daughter picks out which flavor to use so it doesn't get too boring (they have strawberry, watermelon, etc.). I brush my teeth while she brushes hers, and then when she's done playing in the water, spitting and rinsing I do a quick touch up so ALL her teeth get clean, hehe. Hope something works for you, goodluck!

I have twin boys and when my kids were little i used to brush there teeth in bath tub with toothpaste I would just listen to the crying for a minute you have to get that stuff off there teeth or they have great toothbrushes out there that vibrate and stuff i would just put some yummy toothpaste on it and give to your child any time of the day let her walk around the house with with supervision of course you might be surprised when they think its all there idea. good luck

ive been brushing my daughters teeth for like a year now with a tooth brush (shes 21 months) and i let her brush her teeth by herself. my daughter knows that when i brush her teeth she will get to. i bought the oragel training tooth paste and a toddler tooth brush and she really goes to town. try letting her do it for a few minutes while you brush your teeth then see if she will let you do it. be patient :)

Electric toothbrush is the answer-not a battery operated one. I use my sonicare for my soon to be 2 yr old and 3 yr old-they love it. They know I do it first and then they do it. My son I use to have to sit on him and pin him down to brush-now he just lays there and lets me. And don't forget to brush the tongue.We have a routine when we brush and if I forget one part or do not say the words my 3 yr old lets me know or she will say Mommy you didn't do EEEE or you forgot my tongue(LOL!) Good luck! L.

Hi H.,
Hey I wonder what else is going on with your daughter?
Is she being stubborn about other things too?

Are you able to talk her into other tasks, hairwashing, eating other foods? Also, is she watching you brush?

If she is picky and doesn't like strange textures in her mouth, or foods, she may need some therapy to work on this. Speech and occupational therapy, many kids have trouble with sensory issues and major problems have been helped by the therapist. outside chance, but maybe?
Good luck, D. most likely she will outgrow it.

Try a training toothpaste and let her give it a try first then follow up by brushing her teeth yourself. Also a special toothbrush that she gets to pick out might do the trick.

Hi H.,
I have to agree with Susan down below about the wipes. My dentist told us that brushing really doesn't do much more than a good wiping would, since there isn't a brush that can really get in between teeth, so the mouth wipes are good.

You could try letting her do it herself. My son won't let me brush his teeth, but if I give it to him to do, he's a happy camper. Sometimes I have to help him along, because he'll just bite and suck on the bristles, especially after a long day, but he actually does a pretty good job of brushing himself...

-J.

I had the same problem with my older one when she was a baby and everything changed when I found Baby Bling made by Tanner's Tasty Paste. My daughter found all the usual flavors to be too sweet but she LOVED Baby Bling which has a mild vanilla ice cream flavor. It was created by a local dentist and is especially for babies so there's no fluoride, SLS, or artificial colors or flavors. They have the same flavor with fluoride so it's easy to transition once they learn to spit not swallow. My 13 month old was already a huge fan of vanilla yogurt so brushing with this has been a breeze. You can buy it or read more about it here:

http://www.tannerstastypaste.com/home.asp

For my 13 mo old, I find the difference between a sucsessfull vs. a failed brushing is often whether or not I used toothpaiste.

Hi,...
mine hated it at one point too, but that too, shall pass...what i did was, i asked him to brush my teeth with my toothbrush and his toothpaste... and then i showed him how to do it, and once he got a hang of it, i said, my turn...
and if they refuse, just say, "well, thank you for brushing my teeth, they feel much cleaner and not yellow anymore... may be tomorrow we'll do it again? and then we'll take turns, you'll brush mine, and i'll brush yours... "...
it worked for me... and like i said, it does pass... i've threatened, i've bribed, i even took it as far as taking him to see a dentist, thinking it wont go well, and he wont want to come back... backfired... loved the dentist...opened wide and everything... you could do that, and have the dentist tell them that they have to brush.... kids seem to listen to others more then their parents...

I too bought the vibrating toothbrush and toddler toothpaste for my 18 month old and it worked for a little while, but then she began to play with it. She'd take the toothbrush out of her mouth and hold the bristle end in her hand because she liked the texture, and it became a mess. I also questioned whether or not she was cleaning them properly by herself. So my latest tactic is to buy two toothbrushes that are the same and let her brush with one and you brush with the other at the same time. This way she can feel like she's doing it herself, but you make sure they are getting cleaned properly. So far this has worked for me. Hope this helps.

H.,
My daughter started doing the same thing. She would not let me brush her teeth, so I followed the steps below and it worked! The most important thing is to BE CONSISTENT with the steps and do it EVERY NIGHT:

1) Children love to imitate their parents. Talk to her and say something like, "Look, mommy is going to brush her teeth!" and turn it into something fun. Have her watch you brush your teeth while she holds her own toothbrush, and while you brush your teeth, hum a kid's song, like the Itsy Bitsy Spider.

2) Do this consistently EVERY NIGHT before she goes to bed. She may not let you brush her teeth yet, but at least she sees that this is a routine and it can be fun.

3) Once she gets interested, (she may put her toothbrush inside her mouth and this may take several days of only you brushing your teeth) have her hold her own toothbrush while you put baby toothpaste on her brush. At this age, kids like to be independent and they feel important when they do things on their own. Then brush your teeth and remember to continue humming the same song. Optimistically, this will get her interested and she’ll try to brush her teeth herself. Then, after she has “brushed” her teeth, you can take the brush from her and take over "actually" cleaning her teeth.

Good luck!
M. Penick

When my toddler won't let me brush his teeth some times I have him try to brush my teeth and at the same time I brush his - he thinks it is hysterical. Of course not practical for everyday but sometimes can get you out of the I don't want to open my mouth slump!