There came a time, while brushing Sophie’s teeth, that I realized we had a problem. I had her pinned on her back, holding her arms down with one arm, and brushing her teeth with the other. She was kicking and flailing, and we were both ready to be done.
I knew I had to change my approach; brushing her teeth was so hard, and we all dreaded it. So here’s what I did!
We tried everything we could to make it more fun. We applied a lot of the same techniques we used for potty training. We let her pick out her own toothbrush {Clifford!} and talked about how awesome it was to get your teeth brushed. I told her all about the little germs that lived in her mouth, and how we had to get them out.
We made it into a game, and would see how fast we could brush them, or how many songs we could sing. She really liked it when I would sing a song and change my tempo – both my brushing and singing. So when I sang really slowly, I would brush really slowly and vice versa. I’d also get her giggling by saying “oh! I see a germ! I need to get him!” and brush a certain spot.
When I focused more on the fun than on the teeth, she did too! And eventually it became a habit, and now brushing her teeth is easy and she doesn’t mind it one bit – she even begs me to do it!
Things to keep in mind:
*Kids can’t brush their teeth by themselves til around age 7 or 8. Let them practice though! Teach them to brush all sides of their teeth, as well as their gums and tongue.
*Brush their teeth for 2 minutes, twice a day, with a pea-sized amount of toothpaste.
*Get a toothbrush with soft bristles and change it every 3-4 months, or after they get sick. They have a lot of fun options – even toothbrushes that play music when you brush*.
*Remember to keep it fun! Develop healthy habits by making your kiddo WANT to brush their teeth!
*This post includes affiliate links, which are marked by an asterisk (*). Thanks so much for supporting TCMB!
How did you know we were having tooth brush wars?? So charlie less than 2… but he’s definitely not a fan. He likes it when he can “brush” his teeth… but basically that’s just him biting the tooth brush
That’s how Sophie was for a while. She was really confused as to why biting her toothbrush didn’t count as brushing 🙂