I need toddler grooming tips!

[Huckablogger]

Ds hates brushing his teeth and getting his nails clipped. The teeth brushing is such a chore that I confess....I don't do it as often as I should. : He still BFs at night and I know his teeth should be brushed at this age before bed....but he is just going to nurse! I have tried doing it myself, getting him to brush for awhile, making it a game...nothing works.

As for his nails, they look horrid. They are long and ragged, and he will not let me near them with a file or clippers. I have tried doing it while he is asleep but he just wakes up. I let him watch me brush and clip my nails, but he has no interest. Anyone have any tips? :

[CarsonBookworm]

I make brushing DD's teeth a game.

I sing a song about the alligator who needs to play around with her teeth....so she opens. Then I brush for a second and say "Time for the alligator to leave". Then I repeat the above until all is done.

It takes about two or three minutes to complete toothbrushing time.

Nail clipping is something that I have a problem doing most of the time.....so I don't have any advice for you there.

[Jemmind]

my son turned 2 in June and just started to be pretty good for his nail trims a few months ago. My husband puts him in his lap and they look at a book or a magazine while I do his toes and fingernails. If I didn't, they'd tear and hurt him. He'll look at me when I start and say "be careful, mommy". It's so cute. Just hold on to his hand or foot gently but firmly and trim them. That's what I do.
Also hubby helps with teeth brushing. Hubby does it when he's off, I do it nights that he works. We set him on the counter and tell him to open his mouth, and we brush them, and then let him brush them when we're done brushing them good. Sometimes he fights it but is now good at letting us do it...We sing while we're brushing his teeth. Also alot of kids like those toothbrushes that make music. But like you said your son is still BF so I don't know about that. Does he feed until he falls asleep, or could you have him drink or swish his mouth out with water when he's done nursing? Some things say breastfeedin does not promote tooth decay like bottles do. Maybe you could still do the wiping out of the mouth with a clean wet rag until he's used to following instructions like open your mouth and showing the front teeth with lips pulled back and accepts the tooth brush. I'd just go at it each night until he can let you do it and then until he can do it for himself. My parents weren't strict on toothbrushing and I've got a mouth full of fillings too It's important in the long run.

[Purple Cat]

I, too, sing while brushing teeth. My twins had sensory issues, which made them extremely resistant to face washing, teeth brushing, etc. We ended up with dirty faces a lot but I couldn't let teeth brushing go as readily.

I sang the ABC song. My twins ended up learning the song. My friend tried it with her son who was extremely resistant and had a meltdown every time his teeth were brushed. He stood mesmerized while she brushed.

I also just tell them that bacteria will make holes in their teeth and it will really, really hurt, so we need to brush away the bacteria. Amazingly, that simple explanation really helps counter resistance.

[CarsonBookworm]

DD is also very anti-face washing or any kind of contact with her face for any reason.....

I will try the idea for nail clipping with the magazine or book...

[hellyaellen]

a comment below this blog post has a long list of toothbrushing tips and tricks from a consensual living pov

http://juliakstewartsblog.blogspot.c...al-living.html

[Huckablogger]

he does usually Bf to sleep.

[nuthatch]

Our DS is 3 and also is not thrilled when it comes time to trim toe/finger nails. I discovered yesterday that if he sits in my lap and we read one of his favorite books he doesn't pay any attention to the trimming. I have the book close to memorized so that helps in the process. I highly recommend this as a distraction tactic.

As for brushing teeth - we use a battery operated toothbrush that DS got to pick out. This way I feel like we do a better job in a shorter amount of time - with the bristles moving. Not sure if that is really true ....

CarsonBookworm - I love you idea for an alligator song. I bet DS would love that! We use an alligator puppet face cloth to wash his face. Using that or pretending a washcloth is a dog licking him are the best ways for us to get him to stay still long enough to get him clean.

Best of luck!

[Masel]

nail clipping isn't one of our favorite activities either. I have had a little success with letting DD help. I position and she squeezes the clipper closed. We tend to use toe nail clippers with seem to be easier to hold and have more leverage.

[kayleesmom]

taking notes about teeth brushing

[Norasmomma]

Honestly I let my DD scream when she gets her teeth brushed, her ped dentist was like it just has to be done, and she doesn't like it. I personally think that her screaming for a minute is better than having a mouthful of cavities and having to have them all filled. My Dh has bad teeth genetics and : that she inherits my teeth, and not her daddy's. she will let me clip her nails, but I think that stems from her seeing me do it and giving myself mini mani-pedis.

She is a really clean kid, she doesn't like having a messy face, or dirty hands. the teeth that's our issues, she does better with daddy than me,it still is a battle, but one that I will not relax on.

[njbeachgirl]

I let DD watch Noggin for five minutes while I do her nails :

She actually likes having her teeth brushed so no help there.

[jebh95]

Something that has helped me a lot is having an extra pair of nail clippers that he can hold in his hand while I am clipping the nails on the other. It seems to distract him long enough.

I do the same thing while brushing his teeth. I give him an extra toothbrush, which he likes to hold under the running water and then put in his mouth. I then brush his teeth with another toothbrush in between him "brushing his teeth" with his. It takes a little bit of time, but it works pretty well.

[jillmamma]

I let them watch PBS while trimming nails. Still not fun, but better than w/o any distraction. Teeth we take turns...mommy has to get them really clean first, then she gets a turn. I also found that singing the same old toothpaste commercials my mom used to sing to me to help for Ipana and Colgate.

[skolbut]

My dh and ds brush each other's teeth and crack up the whole time. It's OK if ds isn't perfect brushing daddy's teeth because daddy just does his later, and he's usually giggling enough for daddy to get a good brush on the little ones.

[_betsy_]

For some reason, DD will let me clip her nails if she's in her high chair. I did it once because she had been coloring in the high chair and managed to get crayon wax under her nails, and so I told her I was going to clip them because they were too long instead of trying to clean them. She sat still and told me which finger to do next! I was STUNNED! It still works, 2 months or so later!

She has started to let me brush her teeth again as long as I let her "rinse" (brush them herself with just water) as many times and for as long as she wants afterward. I have to play a silly game with her to get her to open up: "I think there's a monkey in there! Let me get that monkey! Where did he go? Oh, over on these teeth now!" Read that tip here on MDC and it has worked great for at least a week.