Teeth Brushing for 2 Year Old - Austin,TX

I let my son give a stab at it first so he will learn. Then afterwards, I give it the anal momma swipe.

We play the game of mom or daddy brushing the teeth first and then he gets to. We have a small stool we sit on in front of the mirror so that he can see what we are doing. He then mimics what we did. Since his toothpaste is the kind that can be swallowed, gets to wash his mouth out like his older brothers afterwards. He only gets to rinse when we brush first. To him, it is a game and he has fun. Hope this helps. L.

Let him do it, because later he will refuse to do it altogether. Say to him, ok you can do it and then it will be mommy's turn. So after he does it and gets the satisfaction of "being a big boy", then you can go behind and do the thorough job. I had that problem, but I was glad he wanted to do it himself and I didn't discourage it. It helps them gain confidence.

I'm dealing with the same thing! My 2 year old won't let me have anything to do with her teeth. I've tried an electric toothbrush. That worked for about 2 nights. I've tried telling her we need to get the sugar bugs off of her teeth. You name it, I've tried it. Now, I literally have to pin her down and brush them. Not creating a positive experience, I know, but I have to get them clean. She's getting closer to 3 and I kind of feel like she's being a little more cooperative now. ...just a little! There's hope. Just do the best you can.

I am having the same issue - let me know what responses you get. And good luck!

My 2 year old son has 2 toothbrushes. One that he uses himself to brush his own teeth and the other I use to brush his teeth. The one he uses always gets chewed up, so his "real" toothbrush stays nice. I let him brush his teeth for a little while and then I take the other toothbrush and brush them.

My son is 14 months, and loves to do it by himself! So here's what we do, we brush our teeth together, I make sure to brush mine well and be a good role model 1st. Then after he's brushed his and I've brushed mine we switch. I let him brush mine while I brush his. He loves to brush my teeth, think it's the coolest thing ever and I get to make sure I get his well. (doesn't last to long so I gotta be quick!)
Best of luck!
Our Ped. said at this age it's more about the routine than the actual 'perfect' brushing.

Make it fun! We started our 2 kids out both with, "we need to get the sugar bugs off your teeth. Oh, my gosh, what is that? He is HUGE. Goodness, now he's on the bottom." They laugh and then you seize the opportunity! Mouth wide open. Somtimes I sing the "brusha-brusha-brusha" song from Grease and that makes it fun for them too. If you get frustrated, they get frustrated and then the power stuggle ensues. Now that they are older, I let them brush first and then it is time to get the sugar bugs off that they missed.

I think you still need to brush for/with him as well as 2 year old isn't able to brush as well as needed. My mother-in-law who is a dental hygienist recently suggested that mom (or dad) brush first instead of my 2 1/2 year old - we used to let him take a turn and then we took a turn - because that way they don't lose interest. We started implementing this a week ago and after our turn, he has no interest and doesn't even want to chew on the toothbrush (and suck out all the toothpaste) anymore. It works like a charm! I agree that also modeling and showing him on your mouth how to brush will help. It may also help to provide some incentive for the toothbrushing - the ADA has an oral care calendar which you can put stickers on for each time your son does a good job letting you brush his teeth. See: http://www.ada.org/sections/publicResources/pdfs/shining_...

Good luck and keep up the good work!

my almost three year old just likes to eat the toothpaste (i still have to buy the eatable kind from melaleuca!) We have a struggle every time. Recently I bought an electric toothbrush that is Hello Kitty. She still runs every time, but I started meowing like a cat and acting like the little kitty wanted to scrub her teeth, our struggles are at a minimum now and then I let her hold the toothbrush for a few minutes after we are done and do it herself. I wish you the best

i let my son brush his teeth first then i ask him to open wide and quickly brush them. you could also do a sticker system and little rewards for being a good boy and letting you brush. its really an invasion. be careful about the pressure and gentle on his cheeks if your not already.

This from my friend, a dental hygienist who is married to a pediatric dentist:

Until a child can write legible cursive, he does not have the dexterity to properly brush his own teeth. If you are having a battle at hygiene time, tell him you get to go first so that you can show him the proper way, then let him have his turn. This is one of those battles you must choose. If you do not follow through on his hygiene, you will spend many hours and a lot of money rehabilitating your childs teeth. If you want to "empower him", let him choose between 2 kinds of toothpaste and let him choose the color of floss wand. My kids have fun selecting their colors/flavors each night and it takes the stress off of who is doing the brushing. After a few nights, he will know brushing is not an area you will give in and soon, he will find pleasure in the routine.

I'm a little perplexed at your comment that your child is 2 and you've been brushing his teeth for several months... For those reading this, a parent should begin hygiene as early as teeth begin coming in. It's better to begin "brushing" the gums even earlier so to better prepare your child for the toothbrush and consequently his first trip to the dentist which should be at 1 year old. BTW, most Dentist offices offer a complimentary 1st visit for children around the age of 1. By beginning early hygiene, you are preparing/conditioning your child to be ready for the dentist/hygienist.

Another ADA recommendation is to use a rechargeable electric toothbrush. An electric toothbrush not only gives a more thorough brushing, it is also preparing your child for the dental implements used in an exam and/or cleaning. They do make a Sonicare ($$) for children or you can simply purchase an Oral B (less than $20) or a battery operated one at Target or Wal-mart for around $5. An electric one works best but a manual one works fine, too. The important thing is doing it properly. Your dentist can instruct you on this.

Preventive steps in early hygiene not only save you money, they also save your child from undergoing multiple dental procedures.

I hope you find this helpful.

I think everyone goes through this! Just let him brush his teeth with the deal that when a timer goes off you get to do it to check how good he did.

My son is 4 and at his last (and first) dentist appointment last year the dr. said to brush his teeth for him at night and let him do it in the morning so he feels like he's doing it by himself but you are insuring that he gets a good cleaning at night. He also said to do this until he was 8 (which I think is waaaaaay to old) so we'll have to see how his habits grow.

I set a timer and she does it for one minute and then I do it for one minute.

Let him brush first then you go back over to make sure he got everything.

My son can be a speed brusher. So, I make him brush at the same time as I do and he has to brush as long as I do.

When I do it, I point out to him to feel how I am brushing his teeth (little circles, tops, bottoms, fronts, and backs).

With our 2 year old we take turns. She gets to choose whether she wants the first turn or if mommy/daddy gets to have first turn. When she was wanting first turn, we'd let her do her thing all the while saying what a great job she was doing. Then, when she was done (or after no more than 5 minutes) we'd say, "Ok! Mommy's (or daddy's) turn!"
That usually was enough to get her to let us brush her teeth. We do still have an occasional power struggle, but it's to be expected at this age.
Good Luck!

two things can be done
there is a liquid out there that will make any thing left on the teeth show up the stores will have it.
also a child's electric tooth brush. both may help and make it something that is easier on both of you. good luck.

we have been brushing my son teeth since he was 6 months old so he is pretty used to it now (2 years) but when he puts up a fight i pretend that the toothbrush is stuck on is teeth then he laughs and lets me finish up. he likes when i make train sounds or sing a little song while i do it. another thing that really helped make it easier was a few months ago we started telling him to spit after we brushed he LOVED to be able to spit int he sink, so when he is being troublesome i remind him that he can't spit until i have gotten them all brushed

I'm not sure you can teach them how to do it thoroughly at this point in time, so what we do with both our 2 and almost 4 year olds are to let them do it first and then we go back and finish-it-up a little better.

Good luck!

I sit on the floor with my son and we brush together. I do mine and he copies and then he gets a "turn" and I copy. He has fun and I can make sure that he gets a good scrub!

Taking turns (mommy gets a turn, Johnny gets a turn, mommy gets a turn, etc) works the best. If you have a timer that you can set (or a stopwatch if need be) for 15 seconds. Then each of you get 2 or 3 "turns". 15 seconds doesn't sound very long, but it is longer than you think if you sit and count it. :)