my daughter is 18 months old and i've been trying to brush her teeth "properly" since she popped out her first teeth. she's been difficult about brushing teeth pretty much from the beginning, but lately it's come down to screaming and crying and kicking. i've gotten all different kinds of toothbrushes (her favorite characters, silicone, finger toothbrushes, etc). i've tried the whole "let's tickle your teeth" thing and the "if you brush your teeth, then i'll give you a treat". i've let her try to brush her teeth on her own and then tell her that it was mommy's turn to try. i've tried to let her brush my teeth and then i ask her if mommy can do her's. she just clenches her lips against her teeth so that i can't brush the surface. i'm at a loss here. i just went out and bought 2 more different types of toothbrushes (battery operated one and one that plays music). it's getting pretty expensive!
what do i do??? i feel like the only way i can get in there and get them clean is to force her. i don't want her to always have a bad experience with this.
thanks to all those who were trying to help and not criticize. right now, she seems to like the toothbrush that plays a song. she at least attempts to chew on the toothbrush with this one. i still try to get a "good" cleaning afterwards with the finger toothbrush, but she hates that. the bubble gum flavored "toothpastes" don't seem to help. we've used those off and on since she was 6 months. i think she can take it or leave it, really. i've noticed that when i put the different infant/toddler toothbrushes (all soft bristles) in her mouth she makes a face like it's hard. by the way, when i brush her teeth, i sit her on the bathroom vanity counter and face her to the huge mirror and she still gives me a fit.
her teeth are not even close to being dirty looking or discolored, but i don't want it to get to that point and that's why i'm so concerned about it. i'll just have to learn to relax a little bit. she drinks only milk (with meals) and water the rest of the time. anyways, thanks again for everyone's helpful tips and advice! now i have to try potty training and transitioning to a big girl bed....lol!
I don't know if this will help but it worked with my dd. We tell her her friend is in there. I say "let's get Paige out!" then we brush the back teeth. Then we do Paige's Mommy for the other side, her sister and Daddy for the top back teeth.
It sounds so silly and it is a trick I learned from Paige's Mom. I guess they do that to get us out of her teeth! She thinks it is a game and laughs but brushes pretty well.
I still struggle with this one, with a 12 and 14 year old.
As babies/toddlers, my sons loved Tom's Toothpaste for kids.
It did taste better than the other children's pastes.
I have a 19 month old son and I have never once brushed his teeth. He watches me, my husband and his brothers brush and he is constantly wanting the toothbrush in his mouth to imitate, but I've never forced a cleaning on him. Call me crazy, but I think there is more than enough time left to teach good oral hygiene habits and there are more important battles to be waged (like holding hands in a parking lot, not crossing the street, refraining from choking the cat, not hitting the TV with a baseball bat, etc.). I can't understand why you would put yourself and your child through such an ordeal! Just as you didn't have to teach her how to roll over, sit, crawl, walk, etc., I don't know that there is any reason to force learning onto a kid. She'll want to when she sees you (and everyone else doing it) - assuming she's not traumatized from this.
Hi D.,
It sounds like you are doing a wonderful job in teaching your daughter good oral hygiene. I am a dentist, and I do see a lot of children. Please don't stress about her not liking the brushing. It is something that she will grow to understand (and probably still not like). At 18 months we don't expect any understanding or cooperation in brushing. My son is 2.5 y.o. and he mostly chews his brush (I brush for him after). Keep trying, but don't stress, you are ahead of the game.
I ahd the same problem w/ my son at that age! It took a long time to work out what was just right for us, so don't give up hope! What we finally worked out is that we will both stand at the sink and brush our teeth at the same time (he sort of jsut sucks on the toothbrush, but either way, its in his mouth). After I'm done then I pull him onto my lap, sit on the toilet, and have him look into a hand mirror while I brush his teeth. That way he can see what I'm doing. This distracts him and gets him interested in the whole process. Occasionally, he'll still button up his lip, but its more of a testing limits thing and so long as I don't show that I'm frustrated he'll cut it out. Good luck to you!
I don't know the secret to brushing. I do however know that at first our kids enjoyed to gum rub when they were teething - then we FOUGHT to brush. We endured the screaming the kicking and fighting while we opened their mouths to brush their teeth once a day.
I now hove their toothbrushes at a sink where they can freely access them and brush their teeth at will. When I first started this, my then 2 1/2 year old girl brushed almost every hour. I kid you not.
My kids are 14 months apart 3 & 4 now and I have a 5 month old as well, I can only say keep trying and it will get better - even our son who fought us the most now loves to brush.
For the moment just try having her rinse her mouth out with water before she goes to bed. Then try the tooth brush with water. The problem may not be the brush (which should be an infant very soft bristle brush) but it may be the taste of the tooth paste. Set up her first dentist appointment around her second birthday...a good ped's dentist is your best bet!! I highly recommend Dentistry for Kids. They have four locations in and around Pittsburgh, Monroeville, Harrison City and North Hills. My girls have been going there since we moved to the Monroeville area in 2000. Dr. Matt & Dr. Katie are their favs...my girls actually LIKE to go to the dentist and I haven't had a problem with teeth brushing since. (What would Dr. Matt say?...if you don't brush right?) The staff is excellent and really know kids. Their web site is www.dentistry-for-kids.com
Good luck!!
Maybe it's your toothpaste and not the toothbrush. Baby Oragel makes training toothpaste that is bubble gum flavored. There is no flouride in it so it is okay if she swallows it. Don't be surprised if she just sucks the toothpaste off. That's what my daughter does, but guess what? She always wants to "brush her teeth". I at least got her interested in it. She will eventually learn the proper way of brushing. Good luck!
Hi D.,
Have you tried different kinds of toothpastes? My son loved the bubble gum flavored toothpaste the best.
L.
Hi D.,
I read another post to your question suggesting that it might be the taste of the toothpaste. I recently switched to Jason's natural toothpaste. I found it at Giant & my kids like it becuase it is minty but not overwhelming like some other brands. Plus I like that its natural and doesnt have harmful chemicals in it. I would also try to implement a reward system (stickers, small prizes, etc). That works pretty well in my house. Best of luck!
At 18 months. I think it is a power struggle. Especially with girls. I say this b/c I am experienceing the same thing with my daughter. She wants to 'brush' her teeth on her own, and she actually does a pretty good job, no chewing on the toothbrush or simply swallowing the paste, and she has a decent grasp of the brushing motion, but there are still some times when she refuses to even brush her own teeth, let alone let me in there to clean up afterwards. I have noticed a difference in her reaction if I am using the 'adult' toothpaste or a toddler toothpaste. She definitely prefers the bubble gum and fruity flavors of the toddler toothpaste. Sometimes though, it simply comes down to me holding her down in my lap, and squeezing her cheeks together like she has something in her mouth I need to get out, this pops her lips open and I can at least get the front and side surfaces. I did not experience this issue with my 5 and 6 year old, and in fact they love brushing their teeth so much that I have to hide the toothbrushes and toothpast from them during the day. But they are boys, and their idea of teeth brushing is not as thorough as even my 20 month old dauther on her own.
All in all, I wouldn't worry about it too much. I have heard that the average mother only brushes her toddler's teeth about once a week in reality. So chances are what you are doing is fine for cleaning her teeth, and I would just be consistent in what you are doing and wait for her to move on to a new power struggle.
I'm wondering if the taste of the toothpaste doesn't play into this???
We use Kirkman brand toothpaste. It's all natural and the flavor isn't bold and spicy or bold and sweet. you can buy it at www.kirkmanlabs.com My kids love it.
BUT my dentist feels that even just having the child use the brush in her mouth without toothpaste it better than nothing. So maybe try letting her brush with just water a time or two and see if that helps.
TRY to narrow down the root of the problem. Is it that she doesn't like things in her mouth? Is she sensitive to the taste of the toothpaste? Have you noticed any patterns pertaining to her mouth (eating, sucking) that might give you another clue???
I'd say start there and see how it goes.
I had a bit of trouble with this with my son as well. What I found that worked for us was, I would get both our toothbrushes ready and I would brush my teeth with him. He liked the idea of trying to copy-cat Mommy. If you decide to give this a try, I hope it works out for you, Good Luck!
Hi D. my name is B. and I work for a Wellness Company and a lot of great women who have taught me a lot. I have learned that products we buy in our local stores have things like formaldehype, phosphates, alcohol, chlorine bleach, ammonia and many other harsh products unless you are buying Natural or Organic stuff. I do know for a fact that toothpaste and mouthwashes we buy in the store have alcohol in them. And when you are little they say that you are more sensitive to taste and smell among other things. Maybe the alcohol is burning her mouth or she doesn't like the taste of it. This is only my opinion. Hopefully this might help you. Check your ingredients on your box of toothpaste and research words you are not sure of. I hope this helps and good luck with the brushing!!
I had the SAME problem with my almost 2 1/2 year old until I watched Supernanny not all too long ago, put the little one in front of a mirror and sing this is the way we brush our teeth worked INSTANTLY with my daughter now she not only lets me brush but she brushed her teeth now instead of chewing on the toothbrush because she can see what she's doing =) Give it a try!!!
My dentist told me that after each meal(while still in the highchair)give your little one her toothbrush and let her chew on it while you clean up the kitchen...it'll get them clean that way and you won't have to fight with her about brushing teeth.Also try different toddler flavored toothpaste.
My youngest is 3 and i hear"I'm a big boy i can do it."So pretty much i still let him chew on his toothbrush while i clean but he also brushes his own teeth..
Good luck
J.
(I seen on the super nanny about kids who brushed their teeth at the kitchen table with a mirror and their brush.It worked)
Two things that I think got my kids interested in brushing teeth were singing songs about brushing teeth. One is by Raffi and the other is by Laurie Berkner. It is actually about fish but at one point they brush their teeth. The second thing is that I would put my kids in their high chairs, put toothpaste on their toothbrushes and let them play. They eventually got interested and slowly gave up the battle for me to have my turn. Good luck!
