Brushing Toddler's Teeth.

Some research has shown that no matter what we do to the teeth of the kids if they have strong enamel they will have good teeth and if it's weak or bad there is not much that can be done outside of a regular dental appointment.

She should have already been anyway so you should know if it's weak or normal.

If her teeth are normal or good enamel then there is little you can do to damage them. If they have weak enamel then chances are that you will have cavities later and there isn't anything you can really do to stop them.

I have a fantastic husband and wife team of dentists and they advise helping them until they are 11. Just checking and maybe doing a little after they do. Of course they hate that.

I was worried about this too, but our doctor told us that the amount we put on the toothbrush is so small that if they swallowed it, it wouldn't hurt them. It is if they ingest half a tube of the stuff that it can make them sick. He also said that it is actually good (especially at night to leave the a little paste on their teeth to coat them with flouride, so as they breath in and out, bacteria doesn't accumulate,) My kids are 2.5 and 4. My 4 year old is just now starting to spit correctly, but I just let my daughter rinse her brush or take a drink of water and call it good.
HTH,
A.

I dip a q-tip in ACT bubblegum flouride and "paint" my toddler's teeth at bedtime after brushing with the toddler safe to swallow toothpaste. My middle son has weak teeth and ended up with cavities at a young age and I didn't want that to happen to my daughter too.

My DD is 3.5 now and just started getting the spitting thing about 4 months ago. She was doing the same thing yours was. What helped for both my kids was to say "Toothpaste is good for our teeth but bad for our tummies" and "Don't swallow first -- spit first, then swallow".

But none of that really helped until she was 3.

I started her on regular flouride toothpaste at 2.5 and just made sure she only got a tiny bit on it each time she brushed, so it didn't matter if she spit it out or not -- and because of how she brushes most of it ends up around her lips or on her cheeks so I can wipe it off.

my daughter was 2 when she started spitting. maybe have her try and mimic that. but if anything just wipe some on the toothbrush with her training toothpaste.

I just got my almost 3 year old to spit out the toothpaste. I remember trying to teach each kid how to spit - and not realizing how hard it was to teach! I have no tips b/c I have no idea what made it click. She might be a little young.

Best tip, wait. Our 3 and a half year old is finally getting the hang of it, but still swallows some of the toothpaste first. Seems to me her brothers were between 3 and 4, also, when they learned. You don't want to let her swallow too much fluoride in practice. I have a friend who's teeth are permanently stained from too much fluoride. They're a dull gray from it. Hang in there, she'll get it eventually. What you're doing now is perfect.

My son is 3 1/2 and just starting being able to spit in the sink in the past month or so. I tried a lot before that, but he just didn't get how to do it.

To me, compared to my 3 year old, she's already doing a lot! Be patient, it will come. Try working on nutrition for her "weak teeth".

I have a recently turned 4 year old and a 20 month old. My oldest has only been spitting (correctly) for about 4 months or so. I can't imagine trying to get my 20 month old to do it! Lol.

I think all the practice you are doing is perfect, but I do think she's too young to do it correctly. You'll know when she is ready.

We also use the spin brushes and I feel we are getting the job done better than we were with a regular brush. A friend also suggested to get the spin brushes so the first trip to the dentist isn't so scary when they use the vibrating brushes. I have yet to take them because they keep changing the suggested age. It keeps getting younger and younger. It's on my to-do list this month!

Good luck!!