How Do I Brush His Theeth?

My 2 yr old loves when I get the 'icky monsters' from her teeth. I say "oh, there is one" and I brush it away. Then she spits the 'monster' out in the sink. It is a fun game and she gets so into it we can really brush her teeth good! I hope this works! It is not fool-proof, but works more than anything else I have tried.

I had the same problem with my now 20 month old. We went through more toothbrushes (after being dragged around the house and beyond simple rinsing to clean off!) and more nights of no teeth brushing than i would care to count. I just kept at it with him, brushing his teeth right after he watched me brush mine. Now, i have him say "eeeeee" and i can brush the fronts of his front teeth and "ahhhhh" so i can get in the tops and back teeth. with repetition and praise it seems to be working, so maybe you can give that a try! I also have him stand on a stool in front of the sink so he can see what i'm doing... Good luck!

I bought my son an electric Shrek toothbrush. That changed his whole outlook on brushing his teeth. He also, likes to hear the noise that brushing with a regular toothbrush makes on his teeth. It makes him think he is a "big boy".

I have a 3 yr. old daughter and a 1 yr. old son who both love to get their teeth brushed. (Well, my daughter fights me sometimes, but we are consistant in brushing her teeth no matter what!) For my 3 yr. old I invented this tale about how she had to brush everybodies beds (meaning top and bottom teeth/front/sides) and that seemed to help the time of brushing her teeth go by more smoothly. So every night I brush my teeth with her and ask if she has brushed everybodies beds and her puppys bed (her tongue) and she says "yes". I double check by going back over. She's tall enough that she is able to see herself when she is brushing her teeth.

My 1 yr. old I use a silicone finger brush and I let him hold my finger while I talk to him about brushing his teeth. I think he gets a kick out of and he knows what I mean when I mention we need to brush his teeth. Now, he actually looks at my finger to see if I have the brush!

Maybe get him a little mirror while he brushes his teeth. Make a game out of it by asking him if he can clean all the rooms in the house (his mouth) by remembering to "brush upstairs/around the hall" and "brush downstairs/around the hall" and "brush the sides and front of the house" and to "sweep the rug" (his tongue). I hope this suggestion helps. Let me know how it goes. Best of luck - don't get frustrated and use a lot of patience.

Hi, my name is J. and I have a 4 yr.old boy when it was time for me to brush his teeth I asked his Dr. how I needed to go about doing so she said to used a clean washrag while he was in the bathtub and just rub his teeth. It worked for us and now we have to get ready for the dentist. I hope that this can work for you.

My son is the same way, he loves to put his toothbrush in places it doesn't belong!!! But you are right on track though with getting him in the habit. We've got two brushes for my son, one he can use himslef and one that we use on him. I use the training toothpaste or sometimes just a very tiny dab of his older sister's. But I let him do it first and he tris to mimic how he sees us do it. And then after a bit I ask him to let mommy try so I get in the and start from bottom front and work my way back. Then he tries for a bit and then my turn again. He even tries to spit like his big sis does!! But give your son time to learn this skill (just like learning how to use his fork and spoon) and be prepared for battles too and don't expect to get every tooth every time either. As he gets older he'll be able to do it on his own but you'll still have to go in there afterwards and do it too. Heck I still do about once or twice a week with my daughter just to check her work and she's 7yrs old!!

Good luck!!
S.
www.shariegraf.scent-team.com

My son likes to use an electric toothbrush. First, it's mommy's turn to brush them, then he gets to. Sometimes, it's a struggle and I have to gently pin him. He gets over it quickly though because he knows that is what happens when he chooses not to brush his teeth. and keep in mind, it's not the food as much as the juice that causes cavities. My son is over 2 and only drinks water and Rice milk. It's certainly time for you to start making a habit out of brushing his teeth!

Maybe if you get a toothbrush with something he likes on it in his favorite color (I don't remember if the baby toothbrushes come in characters) you could try and make it special. What helped my son is that I created a bedtime ritual book for him.
It was all about his routine step by step. I actually did this to ease him into a new sibling and a new bed, but it made everything easier. I cut and pasted pictures from magazines so one page it said "I brush my teeth" and then it had pictures of toothbrush, toothpaste, a child brushing their teeth. I used my old parenting magazine. My son LOVED this book because it was about him. He wanted to do each part just like the book. Maybe something like that would help your son look forward to each part of the night ritual. I did not have my son brush mornings until he was little older because it was enough to work it into the night routines.

My boys want to do everything Daddy does. We started out with "brush your teeth like Daddy". They also brush with Daddy. After I let them do it for a while I "tickle" their teeth. It is a big game to them and they love it. My boys are 3 years and my youngest is 20 months.

he's 19months so hes prob getting independant. Get him a toddler tooth brush and tooth paste that can be swallowed , they have them right there on the same isle as the big ones. and let him brush his teeth while you brush yours so he can watch how you brush them. then show him your teeth and ask to see his.

My Pediatrician recommended I start wiping his gums with a wet wash cloth when I bathed my son as early as a few weeks old. Which I did so he was used to it. The Dr. said it would promote healthy gums and ge does have very pretty white teeth. Anyway he did start to give me a little trouble when he got older so he has a "Shrek" electric tooth brush and "Lightening McQueen" toothpaste and he likes that.

I have also struggled with this issue with all of my children--because as far as I am concerned, brushing teeth is NOT an option, it is a fact of life. What I have found that works the best is to take a toothbrush with non-flouride toothpaste and I actually hold my child (my daughter is currently 26 months) as if I were nursing again. One of her arms is behind my back and I "hold" the other hand with my left hand as I brush with my right. She is either on my lap or on the bathroom counter--where she acutally does like to sit-- and make her laugh or sing one of her favorite songs as I stick the toothbrush in and clean her teeth. Most of the time, is is a pleasant experience for us both. On occasion, it can be a struggle but by having her in the nursing position, I can maintain her on my lap safely and get the toothbrush into her mouth still to clean her teeth.

My youngest hated to have his teeth brushed. My pediatric dentist told me to brush his teeth REALLY good at nighttime. We used kiddy toothpaste and sat on the couch with his head in my lap so I could see EVERY tooth I brushed.

He had all of his teeth and a small mouth so I had to really check to make sure I brushed every tooth surface due to crowding.

He could have an extra toothbrush but the PARENT brushes teeth until the kid can write in cursive for greater control of the toothbrush.

Also, make sure you have gone to the dentist already and go every 6 months. Many insurance policies only make dental visits mandatory after 4 years of age. They do still cover younger kiddos visit, you just fill out the enrollment paperwork earlier!

Mine still HATES the dentist but it is a requirement. Even though I brushed his teeth more than his older brothers his first checkup at 24 months of age had 8 cavities--he inherited bad teeth genes from BOTH of his grandmas, UGH!! After a $500 co-pay due to anethesia requirements (military dental program co-pays are terrible if an actual cavity is found) we go every 6 months and I am still his tooth-brusher 3 years later and for at least 3 more years. (Until he can write in cursive).

You should definately be brushing his teeth atleat twice a day. I started brushing my daughter's as soon as she got her first tooth so she's very used to it now. I don't have any advice really on how to make it easy, but it is necessary and it may be a struggle for a while but it's for his best interest. You just gotta do it!

You can give him a toothbrush and let him chew on it. That is what i had to do with my daughter. It does work he will get them clean. If you do not think that he is getting them good you can wait until he goes to sleep then brush them. I just let my daughter chew on a toothbrush and it did get her teeth clean. I hope that this will help you out some.

I started at 4 months with the finger brush just to get him used to me messing with his mouth. Then when he got a little older I got him his very own baby toothbrush. Unfortunately you maybe started a little late. However, My son saw me use my electric toothbrush one day and laughed. So I tried it on him --he loved it. I plan on getting him his own with a character on it. I still let him try but I actually do the real work. We make this a part of our daily routine, every day. Hope this helps.

You can buy one those baby toothbrushes and baby safe toothpaste and try that way but I got a 18 month old and like most he bites down when you stick your finger in his mouth, I think you showld wait a little longer.

S.,
I'm glad to hear you are addressing this, and realize the importance of it... What helped my son was allowing him to pick out his own "real" toothbrush. They have a lot with favorite characters etc, toothpaste too! We don't allow our son to leave the bathroom with his toothbrush (for safety), and we work it into his bedtime routine so he knows what and when to expect it. We allow him to do it by himself first, and after 2 minutes, my husband and I will follow up to get places he might have missed. We let him pick a song that we sing while we brush... it passes the time and distracts him too. Maybe this will help!

Hi S.,

I think this is typical for this age group. I just begin with the routine everyday so that it becomes the expectation. You get up, we wash our face, brush our teeth and eat breakfast or whatever your routine is. They will begin to see that this is what is suppose to happen. I do not ask him wether he wants to do it now or later either. Eventually he will say I can do it by myself. Then I let him start while I brush mine and I finish brushing his after a few mins. I even began with my daughter at 6 months doing this. Some days she would not open her mouth, now at a year she opens right up when she see the toothbrush. Hope this helps.

They have the music toothbrushes that play music (for 2 minutes, although we know he won't last that long yet) but if the character toothbrushes don't do the trick the he might like rocking out to the music from the other kinds. Good luck!

I made toothbrushing a game and my son looks forward to playing. I let him brush his teeth, then do a "tooth check." I brush over each tooth and "check" to make sure he got all the food out. He's beginning to want to "beat" me, by my not finding anything to brush -- so he's learning to brush better all by himself!

I also made up a tooth brushing song so that he knows how long to brush. He brushes until I stop singing. If you want the words I'll be happy to email them to you, just let me know!

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies as young as 12 months old visit a dentist. I did not know this and when I found this out, I had a difficult time finding a pediatric dentist to see my children. I highly recommend you take your toddler to see a dentist, if you havent already. They can give you a lot of great tips for brushing. I see Dr. Michael Hansen at pediatric dental town in JOhns Creek (http://www.pediatricdentaltown.com/) There are many pediatric dentists who will care for your toddlers and give you great advice!

well, our dentist said to let our kids do it themselves once a day and then the parents do it once a day that way he can learn and maybe like the idea. Ours suggested getting one of those beauty mirrors no light just a stand they are cheap at walmart sit it at the kitchen table this tooth brush and tooth past put a napkin tucked into his shirt like the one that hangs on them at the dentist, get a cheap mirror (dental mirror like the one the dentist puts in your mouth) and let him look at his teeth. Get a small bowl, dixie cup with a little water let him brush his teeth at the table. When he does it have a small chart and let him put a stick on it be creative draw a big tooth on it with stars. Make him a part or else he'll ways hate it...stop always wanting to be in control for him to learn and/or be independent he needs to TRY. You were not perfect either it took practice according to our ped dentist "just because it's not your way doesn't mean it's not the right way for that person we all learn differently".