Brushing my toddlers teeth...What to do?
Answer:
My 18 month old fought me too.
What worked for me was to give her a character toothbrush with a little bit of baby tooth paste and brush my teeth at the same time. I tell her "see, like mommy" and then overly praise her. She loves to copy me anyway, so this worked out great.
dont use a tooth brush LOL use a wash cloth one of those "baby ones" water is all thats needed at this age..and make it a game =)) i brush my 14 month old this way and have done the same w/ my older two when they first got teeth
tell her a story about her teeth- make it up. Tell her that they get yucky after she eats and that makes them sad. Tell her that their favorite thing is to be tickled by the toothbrush and get clean again, kids love imaginary things and being a part of it.
Mom of 3 had a great idea, you can also buy "finger brushes" that slide over your finger and are covered with little "nubs", this gives you a bit more control with a struggling toddler.
Get her a fun toothbrush with a character on it she likes, and kid flavored toothpaste. Although maybe you've already done that.
To help her hold still while you brush them, sing one of her favorite songs while you do it and tell her when the song's over then her teeth will be clean and you'll be done brushing.
As a kid, I hated brushing my teeth. I would go through alot not to.
Everything my mom would do can never work because kids like to make people mad. They do anything for a good laugh, and are very stubborn. Once kids get older they understand more. Why don't you try buying one of those toothbrushes that will make your child actually want to brush their teeth. Worked for me as a kkid. Good luck, hopes this helps.
Hmmm...at 19 months it is a challenge...they aren't too easy to reason with since they don't understand...maybe try giving her another toothbrush and let her brush her baby's (doll) teeth. Also sing to her while you are brushing her teeth...do anything you can think of to make it fun! Once you finish brushing her teeth, let her do it on her own...that way you know that her teeth are brushed, but she can feel like she is doing it herself too...I hope that helps...Good luck!!
I think kids are so fascinated by the taste of the kid's overlyflavored, good smelling "toothpaste" that it's hard for them to realize that the brushing process is actually supposed to be accomplishing something! My son used to just suck the gel straight out of the tube like it was candy, but I think once he got over the excitement of it all, it wasn't that interesting anymore.
Could be she is teething? My son was always drooling and by gosh, 6-8 months later, out pops his next two teeth!
I always tell my son to let Mommy brush first,
and then he can have a go at it.
If she still won't brush, maybe she'll swish some water around in her mouth for a minute or so? Kids seem to like making gurgling, bubbly noises with liquids!
when you brush your teeth, let her brush hers and watch in the mirror. Of course a child cant do it as good as an adult, but she may like trying with you. Then when you are both done you say "let me see, mommy wants to make sure you got them all" then give her a little reward everytime she lets you do it. Like a quarter for the bank, or something like that. Maybe she dont like the brush. The best brush I found for babies and small children is from oral-b stage 1. I actually buy that one for my tongue just because the others are to hard for my tongue. good luck.
We've had trouble on and off with our three year-old daughter. We now let her do it herself for a few minutes (she's in the "I can do it!" phase), and then I finish - while Dad is reading her a book. She's distracted, and I can usually do a good job. When she was younger, I had several puppets, and each night a different critter would hold the toothbrush. She thought it was hysterical. Another option (kinda gross) is to pretend that one of her bears (or dinosaurs or whatever toy is handy) has pooped in her teeth. She is terribly amused to have me brush it out. Hey - it worked! Good luck!
I have been brushing my 3 year old sons' teeth since before he got any teeth! I started with a wet wash cloth and moved on to the Oral B stage 1 toothbrush when I started introducing food. As he got older I would let him "play" with it during his baths and we have always brushed our teeth together. He gets his turn to brush his teeth and then mommy gets to finish brushing them for him.
When he was about your daughters age, I showed him the fillings in my teeth and told him about the "sugar bugs".
The "sugar bugs" are what's left on your teeth after you eat. They are bad because they like to make holes in your teeth. When they do this, the dentist has to fix the hole with his drill and tooth cement (filling) which can hurt. And he'll end up with his teeth looking yucky like mommy's.
This has been a great motivator!! He is very good about brushing his teeth and recently, had an excellent check up with the dentist.
We try to make it fun by having a variety of toothbrushes to choose from - 2 normal ones which can be used in the bath and 2 battery-operated ones. He also has 2 toothpastes to choose from - kid's mint and fruity flavours.
At your daughter's age, when we would brush together, we would do it in stages. "Time to brush the top left teeth", "brush the bottom left teeth", "brush the front teeth", "brush your tongue", etc. all in front of a mirror so he can see what he is doing.
Good luck and have fun - it's a life long habit, you might as well try to enjoy it.
Go to the pharmacisit and ask if they carry any of the "finger" tooth brushes that veternarians use. If they don't just go to a pet supply store, put one on your finger and use your finger to "brush" her teeth.
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