My 17 Month Old Refuses to Brush Her Teeth All of a Sudden

Tooth brushing should be a daily habit by this age, and should be non negotiable. I sit my son on the counter and brush his teeth no matter how long it takes and how many times I have to tell him to please open his mouth. When it first became difficult, I would brush my teeth in front of him and then he wanted his done too (with my electric toothbrush). So once we established that as a key to getting him to cooperate, I bought him his own kids electric toothbrush which he loves. I do not let him brush his own teeth or chew on the toothbrush. Once I'm done, he can have a try at brushing, but once it becomes chewing, sucking, spraying spit/toothpaste everywhere, or leaving the bathroom, I take away the toothbrush and we're all done. It might be a battle for a while, but it's one you need to win. :)

My son did that to me for a while...then I bought the battery operated toothbrush from Diego and he loves to use it because it moves all by itself and it's fun for him. So you can try that. I recommended the same thing to my sister because she was having a problem and her daugther then enjoyed brushing her teeth. Good luck!

just a phase they go through...i recommend letting go of it now and revisiting again in a weeks time and see what happens. they do it with potty training also.

hello A.
i give you a lot of credit for even trying at this age i have 3 cildren my youngest being 17mths my dtr and i do not even attempt to brush her teeth she is sooo tough she will not even let me comb her hair never mind brush her teeth i am just starting with my 2 1/2 yr old to brush his teeth i am sure i should have started earlier but he is doing ok with it now it is fine for us and my oldest son 51/2 yrs is no problem

i would wait and give it some time atleast till she is 2years old

good luck

It seems like we had to come up with a new idea every few weeks when it came to brushing the teeth (all of your ideas mentioned and then some...different songs, different toothbrushes, dif picture on the toothpaste, mommy vs daddy helping).

If you don't mind switching things up with the routine try setting her up to brush her teeth in her high chair with a small bowl of water for dipping the brush in for a rinse. We also use 2 toothbrushes at once--one for her to hold and one for mommy/daddy to use, creates less of a power struggle. (Somedays I thought there should be 3 so she didn't have a free hand to try to push the brush I was holding away from her mouth.)

I did have about 1 to 2 weeks where I had to preface each toothbrushing with holding her close and explaining to her that I was going to brush her teeth to clean them and that it wouldn't hurt and I didn't want her to cry. It has been a process but going well. I think we'll be back down to 1 toothbrush soon. Hope things go well for you!

Have you asked her why she's refusing....maybe it's the tooth brush, or maybe she doesn't like the taste of the tooth past anymore. Explain to her it's important to take good care of her teeth or they will rot and fall out....take her shopping...give her a choice of tooth brushes and let her pick out the one she wants out of those you pick and try a different tooth paste flavor...
Dont give in, take more control over this in a pleasant way. Maybe get her involved in helping you brush your own teeth and then ask her if she wants you to brush her own or will she do it herself.. If she still refuses, everytime she asks for a cookie or her special treat to eat, say no as you are worried about her teeth...and unless she is willing to brush her teeth right after eating it...simple, don't give her the treat. Be patient with it all until she comes around..

SOunds about normal...my 17mo old DS will brush his own teeth (i.e. suck and chew on the toothbrush) but any actual brushing is strongly vetoed.

My doc says no big deal for now, just keep trying and he's a pretty open minded fellow.

We had that problem too. One other idea is have her pretend she's an alligator or a hippo. Also, you can open your mouth and say something like, "I bet you can't open your mouth as wide as I can!" Things like that worked for my daughter when she wouldn't brush.

Its possible she is teething and it hurts to brush. Give her time, dont push or it might cause a problem for a long time.

I must disagree about not brushing their teeth or combing their hair. We went to the dentist at 1 years old, a perdaitric dentist. She said that they should brush their teeth once a tooth comes in. Now, she said you can use a wash cloth, finger pad or tooth brush. Also, not to have them screaming they must do it, go slow, buy a bunch and get her to try it all the time. I have a 15 month old, she doesn't do it well, but I give her opportunuities to do it. The biggest thing the dentist said was not to have them suck on milk or juice all day, that is the worst. Have a botte/sippy cup and then be done. Don't have them carry it all day long. This is of course what the dentist said. I am doing that. Also, give her the tooth brush herself, in the bath. Mine will eventually put it in there and brush. I also bought a batterie opp one from Santa, try that. But, at least try. Imagaine not brushing your teeth for months... Good luck.

My son did the same thing. It was like torture. I forced it and soon he got over it, especially when he figured out that his tantrums didn't work. But it was very exhausting. Good luck.

Did she hurt herself or anything and stop for that reason? If she is getting more teeth and it hurt she may be afraid. Try giving her a clean wet washcloth and let her chew on it. It will wipe her teeth and isn't great but it is better than nothing. Also have a toothbrush were she can grab it and use if without pressure from you.If you force the issue it may make things worse. Give her a little time and see what happens. A.

Do you use tooth paste? I have an 18 month old and she was pretty resistant to tooth brushing for a while. i bought bubble gum flavored toddler tooth paste and she LOVES it. Now it's like I am offering her a treat when I ask if she wants to go brush her teeth. SHe says "yeah yeah yeah!" and runs to the bathroom.

Hi, sorry to say you may have to force her a few times. My daughter did the same thing. All of a sudden she didn't want her teeth brushed anymore. It was around the same age too. After telling her and making her open her mouth two or three times she went to having her teeth brushed. I felt bad about because for two or three morning it was a yelling fight to get her to do it, but it worked. Good luck, my daughter is almost 2 1/2 now and is making the terrible two's her own some days.

Sorry ladies but I am going to have to disagree with you on this one. Studies show that as soon as teeth are present they should be cared for. Brushing your teeth, combing your hair, taking a bath these are all hygiene habits that need to be taught and inforced. I own a daycare and have moms say they won't let me brush their hair, they won't take a bath, they won't put their coat, or hat, or gloves on. ARE YOU KIDDING ME WHO IT THE BOSS HER!!! Come on it is our jobs as moms and roll models to teach our children hygiene, respect, and who is in control. It is so funny that they let us brush the horrible knots out of their hair during the day, or put their coats, hats, and gloves on when we go out for playtime (Not a problem). I have watched moms chaise their kids down the hallways with their coats trying to get them to put them on. In some cases asking them to PLEASE listen to mommy. I have seen them hit their parents when told it is time to leave. I want to scream!! Please mom make sure the tooth paste tastes good and keep trying I do not believe these are things children have choices on it is a part of life, and good hygiene, and something that they need to do even if they get upset. This is just my opinion based on what I see on a daily basis. One more suggestion, maybe you can take her to the store and let her pick out her own toothpaste and toothbrush it may make it easier and her more willing. It's like when they help you cook they eat what they make. She may like making her own choice and not resist. Good luck!

2 things...change the flavor of the toothpaste...or and probably more likely, she is getting her 2 year molars and she thinks it will hurt.
check and she if there are bumps in the back of her mouth on the gums.

I'm surprised no one wrote this yet... but is she teething? She is probably cutting new teeth and it hurts to brush!! My son got his 1 year molars at 18 months and I know it hurt him!