Developing a Teeth Brushing Habit

My three year old daughter loves when I tell her that I'm brushing off the "sugar bugs" from the food that she ate that day. I might tell her that I found a peanut butter and jelly sugar bug or an orange juice sugar bug. She really gets a kick out of me talking in the voice of the sugar bugs, begging her to stop brushing. I'll say, "Nooooooo! Please don't brush me off Claire's teeth! I want to make cavities!" She always laughs and asks for me to find more sugar bugs to brush off. Before we tried this, it was always a battle!

It might help to let him pick out his own toothbrush. Make a big deal about it and go to the store just for the toothbrush. Also what got my daughter to brush every day is that Agent Blue stuff. It's tasty and dyes the plaque blue.

Hi K.. The only way I still get my 3 year old son to let me brush his teeth without too much drama is if we take turns. I also let him pick out toothpaste, (I narrow it down for him), that has a charactor or picture he likes. I got him flashing toothbrushes. (cheap actually), also the battery operated ones. He loved that. I know I wouldn't want somebody brushing my teeth for me either, however as moms we know it needs to be done. I just figure if he gets a chance to do it on his own it involves him so he's more willing and it teaches him how to do it for when he's older. Good luck. I'm sure the dentist will appriciate your efforts.

I set an alarm on my phone and she's starting to know that it's time. I give it to her and let her do it and then I sneak in a few brushes and usually finish it off at the end.

Make sure the brush is soft.

Put a tiny minty toothpaste to try a different taste...(tiny amount just for flavor)

Buy several toothbrushes and let him pick which one he wants to use.

Let him brush your teeth with your brush or his brush.

I say,"let me hear you brush your teeth..chica, chica, chica" It's the sound the toothbrush makes and she'll do it and when she hears the sound, she gets excited because it sounds like when we do it and she knows she's doing it right.

If he throws a fit, stop and start over later. Forcing it may make him develope a habit of resistance. I stop and try again later subtly.

Hope this helps.

Hi K.. I have a son that's 2 1/2, and he brushes his teeth almost every day. I started him about the same time as you, and when he more aware of what he was actually doing I tried to make it a fun experience for him. I buy him toothbrushes with characters that he knows. He has a nemo toothbrush, and I more recently bought him an electric(battery operated) sesame street brush. He also has his own toothpaste with pooh on it. I think these things make it more exciting. I also let him play in the water while he brushes. I always brush for him at the end really quickly, just to make sure all the teeth get brushed. That's definitely not his favorite part, but at least the rest of the experience is more fun! I also brushed with him in the beginning, so he knew what to do! I hope this and other responses are helpful. All the kids are different so I'm sure you will find what works best for yours!

I started brushing my daughters teeth at a very young age (or should i say gums). She loved me brushing her teeth until she reached about 18 months old or so. Now she is 23 months old and she sometimes hates for me to brush her teeth. She likes doing it herself (but as we all know that is good but not good enough). But i mist say that dentists will even tell you that when they brush their own teeth they are removing some plaque so it is definitely helpful. My advice to you is let your child brush their teeth and then when you brush your teeth give him his own tooth brush and let him brush his and then after he is finished , you brush them while brushong your own. This helps with my daughter. She loves brushing her teeth at the same time as me and then i brush hers and she brushes mine. It makes it fun. Hope this helps.

My son is three and I fought with him for a while. What I realized is no matter how often I brush his teeth, they are still going to fall out. So, what I've been concentrating on is making sure he's doing it twice a day, and slowly he's brushed more and more of his teeth on his own. Maybe let him brush alone once a day and you brush it for him the other time. I also brush my teeth when he brushes his so he can watch me and know what I do to brush my teeth. He brushes the same length of time, and by far he likes to only brush his front. I exaggerate all of my brushing techniques and make up little songs. Just remember this is a learning time for him. He doesn't have to be perfect. You could care for his teeth perfectly and they will still fall out. Just develop habit, ritual and technique now.

I gave my kids electric toothbrushes. If even to just chew on at first - they got the message. I started with electric tooth brushes when they were teething to massage their gums, then after meals as they grew - I would drip the brush into water and let them "brush" their teeth. After they felt secure with the toothbrush - I would show how mommy brushes and gets the ones way in back - eventually they took to brushing all their teeth
Also there is a "new" mouth rinse that stains the teeth blue to see where they missed with the tooth brush, maybe you can get him to scrub away the blue - make it a challenge or game to see who can get rid of the blue teeth best.
good luck

My son absolutely hated getting his teeth brushed at that age. He would kick and scream to get away, but I didn't want his teeth to go bad. I just continued to brush his teeth even though he hated it. I then let him brush when I was done. I eventully got him one of those kids elecric toothbrushes with TAZ on it and he likes it. He is now 2 and is a little better with the tooth brushing. He doesn't kick and scream at least. I would continue brushing as least twice a day and let your child brush after to get them involved. Hope this helps.

What is a SAHM!? I have the same problem with my 21 month old!!!

Dear K.,

I know exactly what you mean. I did a lot of babysitting with my great grandchildren for a time, and the bath and toothbrushing were an important part of our routine. I can only tell you that you need to stop brushing his teeth yourself. I know that you hate to hear that. But just for a while, until he feels that he is in control of his own self. He is trying to develop independence and skills of his own right now and he needs practice.

I would put them both on a broad stool in front of the bath room mirror, and I would stand there beside them and supervise. With lots of tooth paste and water and talking, kids love to talk to Mom and Dad, you know, just like you do with your friends. You show him how you do it, as you brush your teeth. It won't be perfect, but that is the only way that you are going to have a bit of peace about this. He will let you 'finish up' for the back teeth after a bit of this bonding and him getting to be a big boy.

Good Luck, C. N.

I would let him brush them on his own. he will get the hang of it. barney has a great tooth brushing song you can sing with him

My daughter went through several months when she didn't want to brush her teeth, i tried everything. Finally i just let her do it and then i would try to get in a few brushes here and there. Then, after a few months of this she all of a sudden liked brushing her teeth. I started using a "big girl" toothbrush the same size as mine and now she let's me brush for a long time. And i use berry flavored non-flouride toothpaste that she likes.....

I also have an almost 14 month old (he'll be 14 months on march 6th) He also hated when I brushed his teeth, but I got him one of those battery operated ones and he loves it, they also have some that play music it might make it fun. Do you use toothpaste, maybe try without first then gradually introduce the toothpaste. Good luck, let me know how it goes.

I know this was posted a month ago but I've been brushing with my daughter since she could sit up, at fist she would just suck on her brush, now that she has teeth she actually makes the attempt to brush them and does a decent job, I know my 6 year old nephews hate brushing their teeth, I got them something called Listerines "Code Blue" and mailed it to them, it turns plaque blue and shows them where they need to brush better, They love it! I dont know what you could get for a child as young as yours, But definatly look around, you never know.

i had the same exact problem with my 5 year old. it started at about 1 and continued till he was about 3. i found that if we brushed our teeth together he was less likely to fight about it. it is still a bit of a strugle now, he tries to say he brushed, when i know he didnt!

Tooth decay is the single most common chronic childhood disease. Tooth decay is often the cause of problems with growth, speech, eating habits and even learning. Here are some tips to ensure that your child's teeth stay healthy:

http://www.helium.com/tm/182340/tooth-decay-single-common

I have 18 months old boy and every time I brush his teeth I play his favorite music. Once the song was done I'm done brushing his teeth with no hassle. Afterward when I'm done then it's his turn to brush his own teeth with his big brother together.

make sure you don't give him that cool agent blue mouth rinse unless he knows how to "swish and spit" well. I work at a pediataric dental office,and only recommend it for those kids. Also, if he's still swallowing the toothpaste, make sure you use the introductory toothpaste w/out fluoride in it. You don't want him ingesting too much fluoride. Try laying him down in your lap with his feet away from you and his head in a pillow in your lap in front of the tv w/ something he loves to watch to distract him.