Hi there, does anyone have any hints or suggestions on how to teach my 2.5 year old how to spit? he loves brushing his teeth, lets us brush them twice a day but still does not get the concept of spitting out the water after brushing. I was just curious to hear some ideas from other moms. Thanks!
We have 2 1/2 year old twins. We brush twice a day. I haven't started the spitting yet, they just don't get it. We use a non flouride natural toothpaste so sptting isn't necessary. Once they're 3 or so we'll work on the spitting, but for now we're concentrating on the brushing.
My son was about 2.5 when he learned to spit, and we just showed him a few times and he copied us. He was about 3 when he did well enough for us to switch to a flouride toothpaste. Be careful though, once they learn how to spit they don't always do it just when they are brushing their teeth. My son tried spitting everything out for about a month or so. It was a new skill he had mastered and he enjoyed practicing whenever he got the chance. (Frustrating, but since we taught him how to do it, we couldn't really get mad about it)!
Hi P.,
Check out my profile to see my experience in this area. I wouldn't worry about the rinse and spit part of toothbrushing yet. Make sure you are using a toothpaste without fluoride but with xylitol. I use Oral-B Baby toothpaste. You also want to make sure YOU are brushing his teeth too as a 2 1/2 yr old can't brush well enough. I find taking turns with my 3 yr old daughter makes it easier. If you have ANY dental related questions you can email me.
Sincerely,
L.
I thought my kids how to spit in the bath tub. Take some water in your mouth and shoot it at thier tummy then tell them to do the same. Its fun for them because mommy is doing it too. Being a dental assistant, i found out toothpaste is not as important as the brushing... So brush the babies teeth without toothpast until he can spit well enough to no ingest any..toothpaste is toxic, read the lable.
My son wasn't able to spit til about 4 years. I just used a safe toothpaste like Spry til then so I didn't have to worry about too much flouride being swallowed.
If you haven't already, try teaching him how to blow bubbles. He needs to learn how to purse his lips and build that lip closure and jaw strength first. If the bubble blowing doesn't work, try blowing out a candle and keep moving the candle farther away from his face so that he continues to have to blow harder to put it out. 2 years old might be a little young but as many developmental milestones, each kid is very different and better ready to learn a new skill when it is more child-directed (so if he's not interested yet, don't push it since it might only frustrate him). Don't worry, he will "get it" someday. Being that at 2 years old he may not have the concept yet of when it is appropriate to spit or not, you may have some difficulty with spitting at other times then just toothbrushing....if you don't want to deal with this yet then hold off until he's 3+ so that the behavior training can coinside.
Hope this helps.
Sincerely, M.(Pediatric Occupational Therapist)
Show and tell is the best. There are potty training targets you can buy to teach your son to aim his urine stream at in the toilet. Now try that same concept with spitting. Show him how to spit in the toilet and try to hit the targets. The game will make it fun, while seeing you spit will show by example!
Good luck!
T.
Founder
www.theparentpack.org
