Toothbrushing for our 3 yr old has become a nightmare! It's a physical and emotional struggle for us every time. She seems to think that the "fuss" is fun and is laughing most of the time, but we (the parents) end up really mad and sad that we had to revert to forcing. I'm thinking that some kind of toothbrushing game would work, but I'm just too stressed (job loss issues that are probably leading to part of the control issues as well) to be creative enough to come up with something. Any games or other ideas?
We always do it together, I brush mine at the same time and then touch up hers if necessary when she is done. More touch ups at 3 than now at 4.
It helped that I let her choose her toothbrush at the store and she gets a choice of tooth paste flavors. She also got to pick out the dixie cups for rinsing etc.
Good luck!
My kids went to a pediatric dentist who was super patient & fun and helped them understand how and why to brush. They also taught ME how to brush their teeth. It was all new to me!!!
Stand BEHIND the child, both of you facing the sink. Tilt her head back against your tummy and brush away. Since she's got her back against you she will have a much tougher time battling you. Find a song that's about 3 minutes long (one that she also likes) and tell her the brushing ends when the song ends. Then play it on your ipod / CD player. As you sing it she'll be distracted by the song and is less likely to battle. Be sure to use a soft brush, (running it under warm water beofr you add tooghpaste will soften it further).
Hope it helps mama. If only all of our child-rearing issues were like this!!
Imitation. Imitation. Imitation. Brush your teeth with her - that is the game.
We make big open mouthes and say "ahhhhhh" to brush the tops of the molars and inside areas. Then we smile and say "eeeeeeee" and brush the front teeth. Then we say a short "ahhh", open our mothes, then close our mouthes and say "oooooo" as we brush the outside of the side teeth.
Good luck.
~C.
I've tried a lot of things with my two.
With my first, I let her brush my teeth first, and then she let me do hers.
With my second, I have 2 toothbrushes, and she gets to start first. The dialogue goes...Me: Mama's turn? DD: No, Sadie's turn. Me: Mama's turn? DD: Sadie's turn. Me: Mama's turn? DD: Mama's turn! Then she lets me brush. And I sing "Jingle Bells" while brushing, stopping to let her shout "hey!" and go "ha ha ha" at the appropriate times. It's working for now. It will probably stop working at some point, and I'll have to figure something else out. And, I truly can't remember how this ritual began. It is a very organic process.
Good luck!
Have you tried an electric toothbrush? My 6 year old loves his (he got Spiderman), but my 3 year old is afraid of his. Still, it could be worth a try.
I am just recently getting the 3 year old's teeth brushed without a fight. I wish I had advise for you, but I just tried to be consistent. We brushed every night, if he gave me a hard time I just did as much as I could without him getting too upset (judgement call) and let him go.
I had to use different tricks with him that with big brother when he was that age. With big brother I was able to brush his front teeth and gums be getting him to say "cheese." With this guy, cheese gets me a split second, so I have to tell him to say "ah" quite often, but it gets the job done.
Patience, consistency and perseverance. I guess we could all use more of that :-)
