Tot Not Liking Brushing Teeth

We just got my daughter an electric Barbie toothbrush, and she now LOVES to brush her teeth. She didn't mind it before, but now she can't wait to brush. Try an electric brush. Good luck.

Some things you can try:

1. Battery operated toothbrush
2. Let him "brush" your teeth, then you brush his
3. Tell him you need to get the "sugar bugs" off his teeth
4. Give a sticker for cooperating.
5. Finally, just give it time. My DD was not good about it either when she was 18 months but by 2 years she was better, I just kept at it. I would try to get some swipes in with the brush while she was screaming. Eventually what helped was telling her I needed to check for "sugar bugs" on her teeth and then get them off. Singing the alphabet song became routine too, as well as letting her brush some first, then I "finish up".

Yeah, kids never like getting their teeth brushed but be consistent and let them know it is non-negotiable. Our dentist gave us a tip to help with toothbrushing when they would fight - you need 2 people for this: sit on the floor, have the child face you and straddle you with their legs, then have your partner/SO/spouse sitting facing you, tilt the child back so that their head falls into your partner's lap, tilt their head back and have your partner brush the child's teeth. It sounds weird, but it really works!!
I have also used Catherine A's strategy as well - saying that I see a pink elephant, or a purple alligator in their mouth and I have to get it, never fails in getting them to giggle and open their mouth. Then again, if their were protesting and screaming, I would look at the upside of it, whenever they screamed, they always opened their mouth to scream, so it made it easier to brush! LOL

When my daughter was not enjoying teeth brushing (which she loves now) I would pretend she had things like Elmo, or a dog or whatever on her teeth and that I had to "get" it. I'm not sure how old your son is, so I'm not sure what advice to give but this was helpful to me.

Wow never thought of doing that...smart. My daughter hates brushing her teeth but likes playing with the toothbrush... I always make a deal that she can play with her toothbrush, like chewing on it, while I brush my teeth and then I brush her teeth for her. She has gotten where she doesn't fight me anymore.

And she does use a battery toothbrush which helps get the gunk off

Have you gotten him one of those cute little battery operated tooth brushes? Even kids who HATE brushing will like using one of those.
Also, you might be able to ask the dentist for some of those little pills that kids chew that shows, in pink, all the places that still need to be brushed. your son might enjoy seeing what spots need to be cleaned off to get the pink off of his teeth.
It works for some kids. Worth a try.

Best wishes.

My son was like that. I decided to just wait until he was three (when he was supposed to start going to the dentist) and just force him to brush his teeth. It took about a week, but now he just grins and bears it. He still doesn't like to brush his teeth (I think he doesn't like the way if feels on his gums), but he at least will open his mouth now (but only for daddy, he still fights me). But when he's done, he's really proud that his teeth are clean :).

my daughter hated brushing her teeth and I switch the kind of toothpaste we were using and she loves it now! Otherwise I would try the other moms suggestions. An electric toothbrush worked for my nephew.

My sone is 20 months and did go through a time where he fought brushing his teeth. I try not to feed into it as I don't want him to dread it. I tell him that it's tickeling his teeth time and he seems to like it. Sometimes he wants to do it to me and I allow him too. I also make sure he sees me brushing my teeth. I don't believe you are suppose to start using toothpaste until age three but I do use tom's all natural toothpast for children. Sometimes he just likes to suck on the toothbrush but what is most important is that he is getting used to the routine.

We just got Spiderman toothbrushes for our boys. There is a small button to press and the brush will light up for a full minute, until it's time to stop. My kids love it! =)

I use yummy tooth paste & extra soft tooth brush for my little softy's, along with 1 piece of "fruit candy." That's we call dry fruit, it's organic & no sugar added, but they think it's candy LoL. I use the fruit as a reward. If they put up a fuss I say OK fine you don't get your fruit candy then! They usually open right up after that. At night they get 2 pick out a sticker. Not as fun, but if they get mad I say you get the sticker or nothing, only once has my 3 year old said fine NOTHING! I said OK, I put the stickers back on the shelf & walked away, she changed her mind quickly, hehe. Sometimes they like to push the limits & are crabby & none of that stuff works & I have to get stern. I will go "say aww" If they don't open up I say if you don't open up so I can brush your teeth then you're going to time out. Same with pulling away or closing down there mouth when the brush is in there. I always give them one warning, if they don't listen the second time then time out. My son learned that when he was 18 months old when he out of nowhere decided he didn't like his teeth brushed. No sticker or candy reward would help. So I put him on my bed with no toys or anything for 1 min, 30 secs & if he got up I'd say No youre introuble for not brusing your teeth & he'd be put back on. He got the point after a whole night of that. But he hasn't tried it ever since, he's 2 now. A little tough love goes a long way sometimes.

Get an electric toothbrush if you don't already have one. Kids seem to like them better and they do a vastly better job. We explained that bacteria (little tiny bugs that live on your teeth and are too small to see) want to eat holes in them and the only way to get them off is brushing. (we don't intentionally scare him about anything else). We also made it a competition - I bet I can get to the bathroom first, I bet I can get the toothpaste on my toothbrush first, I bet I can get my teeth clean first - worked amazingly well. Try a different flavor of toothpaste if he might not like what you are using.

i dont have any tips but in fact have the opposite problem, my 16mnths carried around his "extra" toothbrush for months and would not let it go. he can brush his teeth himself, but also wanted to brush every thing else with it (his hair, the carpet, etc) it got soooo gross