Start Brushing - And Make it Fun! - Page 5

[Greenfrogs]

I had the same problem with my son. Now he usually, 95% of the time, cooperates. We do all the things that have been mention above (have our own song, which he sings after brushing the ducks teeth). The big break through however came when he watched me get my teeth cleaned at the dentist and the dentist explained what she was doing etc. He got a new cool toothbrush and has cooperated ever since. He also brushed the teeth of his bear all the way home.


Good Luck, keep trying, eventually it will happen.

[Velveteen]

I bought on of those batter operated toothbrushes, but I wondered if it was as good as my Sonicare brush. It is! My little guy is now the proud owner of a race car toothbrush, and is makes a big difference.

[Sumobabe]

I think your daughter will get less resistant as she realizes that this is something that isn't going to be an option. Part of the problem may just be her age.

My DD gets to choose between two different toothbrushes and two different toddler-safe toothpastes. I let her brush while I'm brushing my teeth, and then I "check" to see how she's done.

We play a game where we pretend different animals are hiding in her mouth and have to be brushed out of there. Making a game of it keeps her interested and entertained long enough for me to get the job done. We've been doing this since she was about two, and now, at almost age 3, when I say, "Let Mommy see how you did," she'll tell me which animals are hiding. Occasionally, we'll sing a song instead.

Have you thought about how your hands taste? I know you probably don't smoke (my mom did when we were little and her hands tasted AWFUL and it burned when she would help us with our teeth), but other things--onions, peppers, cleaning products, hand lotions, soaps, etc.--can linger and your daughter might also be resistant to the taste of your hands.

Good luck.

Stephanie

[simonee]

Hi, we've been there. We tried EVERYTHING to make it fun, but dd wasn't going to fall for it. I always knew she was smart

But she did outgrow it, gradually. What finally made it easier was buying a whole bunch of fancy (expensive too) toothbrushes, so she could always choose a couple. And then we learned to count till 10, so she knew how long that took. And finally, she realized that having it over with, with her fave brush of the day and knowing exactly how long it was going to take (till 5 "downstairs" and then to 10 in the "upper department" and it's easy to drag out the words when your child has a mouthful of bristles LOL), was preferable to hiding under the kitchen table all day ( she actually once spent most of 3 days under the table to avoid it ).

She still doesn't like it (3 yo now), but she understands it needs to be done. The "kid dentist" already fixed a tooth, and she knows that she doesn't really want to go there again (and that it costs the same as a whooooole bunch of toys).

(edited for incomprehensible typo)

[lilyka]

I hold my dd down, kicking and screaming. We have tried all the tricks. Sometimes they work, sometimes they just don't (she is a little strong willed) It sucks but not nearly as much as it is going to hurt to have cavities filled. This will pass eventually. By the way, we never forced dd#1 and she has 6 cavities that need to be filled. It sucks to be her. Looking back I wish I had just brushed for her.

[Astrid]

Hi,
I pretend I see a 'sugar bug' in my ds mouth. I tell him that mom sees a sugar bug and we have to get him with the toothbrush. He opens up and I chase the 'bug' around his mouth with toothbrush. Then I tell him to spit so we can make sure we got the 'sugar bug' I can brush as much as I have to and he has fun. In the end, we pretend to see the sugar bug go down the drain. Then we floss and that is called the treasure hunt. Kind of gross I guess!

If that doesn't work, I make up a Curious George story (one of his favourites - any favourite character could be subsituted) about Curious George getting his teeth brushed by the man with the yellow hat. He usually sits quiet and cooperates and listens to the story.

Hope that helps!
Samantha

[MaddiesMoms]

We went to Target yesterday and bought $30. of stuff. A rechargable toothbrush with three different monster heads (I don't know - Maddie liked them!) a battery powered toothbrush(I think I'll put it away for a really difficult day or something) two regular toothbrushes, including Barney : (I HATE Barney) and strangely, Bob the Builder. And two kinds of toothpaste. And last but not least, a Hello KItty cup that she can ONLY use after she brushes her teeth.

I guess I really went nuts! Oh well. Maddie got to pick everything out herself and I told myself it was better - and cheaper than having to take her to the dentist and get fillings.

Also, the suggestion about letting her brush my teeth while I brush hers has worked about 4 times.

Seems like different things work different days. One brushing at a time, right?

Edie

[leafylady]

We do the routine where first my son brushes and then I or dh brush his teeth. He used to protest, but I finally told him a rather dramatic version of the truth. I told him that there are little bugs in our mouth that we have to scrub out every night. They are the sugar bugs. If we don't scrub them out every night they will eat our teeth until they fall out.
It helps that my son doesn't like the idea of bugs on him.

I know it sounds a little mean, but it is the truth. My mother thought that was a little overdramatic, but after she went through a few teethbrushing episodes with him, I overheard her saying the same thing to him.

[DiaperDiva]

Is this something I have to look forward to in a few months?

Right now Kailey LOVES brushing her teeth with us. She first brushes her teeth while I brush mine. We act really goofy while we do it. She stands in one of the vanity drawers so she can look in the big mirror with us. Then after I am finished brushing, I brush her teeth. We say "open up" and just do a real vigorous brushing of front, top, back, and bottom teeth. Takes about 10 seconds.

We have been brushing her teeth since she was about 11- 12 months old.

So this will change for us?? WHAAAAA!!!!

PS- she LOVES running her tooth brush under the water like we do

[Dragonfly]

Ds is 22-months and can't stand to have his teeth brushed..... He does like to chew on his toothbrush, so I put a bit of Weleda Calendula toothpaste or some Eco-Dent on there and let him chew away, figuring this will pretty well take care of the back teeth. As for his front teeth - I do them when he's asleep .

Dragonfly

[ticklemama]

Does it matter if you brush or floss first?

I always have brushed and then flossed but my DH has always flossed and then brushed. I was just wondering if it mattered. Also, how do you floss a child's teeth? My 2 yo won't even let us brush he has to do it himself.

- Bethany

[IvyBlue'sMom]

brushing baby

i let baby chew on toothbrush as a toy. then i scrub her teeth when she's occuioed, stop when she gets mad, and just let her play with it. then it's not such an ordeal

[mamarosa]

We let our son pick the toothbrush of the night, and for a while it worked to tell him a short story during brushing. But we've held him down and forced it too. Eventually they start to co-operate.
No trick worked forever, so alternate things.

Once, I made him watch me pour half a gallon of organic apple juice down the drain! Hurt me more than him, probably. But it was early summer, he had just gotten into juice popsicles, and that helped him know I was serious (he had 8 caps already). I gave him plenty of opportunity to co-operate and stop me from doing it, but onced I'd made the threat I knew I had to follow through.
He had to co-operate every day for a week to get juice or popsicles the next weekend (his birhtday party).
And since then it has been a lot better. (although I have had to start walking into the kitchen a few times to remind him)

Signed,
mean momma.

[mamadejose]

I always floss first then brush. First, if you notice that is how the hygenist does it at the dentists office. Also, it seems to me that I want to get out all the big gook first, then brush away anything left behind. KWIM?

[ticklemama]

I'm trying to think back to the last time I went to the dentist. They flossed after brushing. I remember the gritty feeling always bothered me. It probably doesn't matter as long as you do it.

Thanks,

Bethany

[mamadejose]

I think you're right because I have also heard that if you had to choose between brushing and flossing, flossing would be what you would want to choose. So I guess as long as you do it that's all that matters.

[lorijds]

All of these ideas are great, and I think we did all of them at one point or another--chosing from mulitple fancy toothbrushes, seeing sugar bugs, holding them down and forcing them, taking turns with dd brushing my teeth...

What finally worked for good (and who knows, maybe it was just coincidence) was that my dh would pretend to be Steve Irwin and I would be Terry, and my dds would be two crocodiles. My dh (who does a great Aussie accent) would say something like, "Terry and I have devoted our life to bettering the lives of these beautiful crocodiles. And part of a complete plan of care for crocodiles is complete and regular dental hygeine." Me: "That's right, Steve! " DH: "So today as part of our show, we are going to brush the teeth of these very beautiful, very feisty crocodiles. Open wide, that a girl. Oh, look here. Isn't that amazing Terry? Look at this chicken stuck between her teeth. Well, I'll have a go at that. And crickey, Terry, I see you are working hard on a big chunk of rat flesh you seem to have encountered in that croc's mouth!" Me:"That's right, Steve!" DH:" Now this is some very dangerous work we do here, see these scars? Yesterday this little bugger here nearly bit my arm clean off! But I love her anyway, because she is a crocodile, and she is supposed to try to bite my arm off!" At which point we are usually done and then both dds try to bite our arms off and chase us into their bedroom...

It worked for us. Made bedtime interesting, but it was fun!

[HotMama]

brush after nursing?

: Holy moly! I just realized that my 4 mo old dd may need to have her teeth brushed after nursing with a goat's milk formula I give her at the breast (with a Lact-Aid). She is adopted and gets some of my breastmilk and some goat's milk with various additions, including maple syrup. Yikes! She nurses to sleep for her nap and at night. Is there anything I can do to prevent cavities and still be able to nurse her at night without brushing?

[simonee]

bump for michaelsmom

[boobykinmamma]

We have tried almost all of these ideas on 2.5 yr. old ds, and none of them works--he hates having his teeth brushed, but it is non-negotiable. He screams and fights it the whole time, but the second it's over, he stops and moves on to the next thing. I agree with what a few others have said--better a few seconds of screaming each day than being restrained, sedated, having shots in his mouth, or being put under general anaesthesia to fix decayed teeth, not to mention we can't afford it! To me, as difficult as it is for ds for a few moments each day, it's an act of love--and I know he'll get to the point of understanding one of these days and be more cooperative.