How do you get DC to brush?

[NeyhaR]

My DS is 16 months and has a lot of teeth. I try to brush them, but the best I get is when he chews the bristles. I've tried brushing next to him to get him excited and sometimes I just try to stick it in and move it around a little... He's getting really annoyed by this and brushing is only getting harder. Any advice?

[MissyAg94]

I brush her teeth. There is just no way my DD could brush her own teeth thoroughly. She hated it at first but is finally resigned to the fact that it's gonna happen no matter how much she protests.

[kaitlinsmommy]

My ds also disliked the brushing because he wants to do it himself. Like the pp said, he finally is giving in because he knows it's going to happen (especially since my 4 yo dd had to have 2 cavities filled - not for lack of brushing, but because I let her do it by herself too early). I find it easier if I lay him on the floor and he seems to fight it less that way. And I always tell him, "Mommy does it first & then you finish all by yourself."

[MommyAllison]

We let DD use the toothbrush first if she wants to, then we brush her teeth. We used to count to six slowly as we brushed (Saying "one...." as we brushed the top left teeth, "two..." as we brushed the top front teeth, etc) but she's not going for that so much anymore. Last night I tried singing the ABCs to her as I brushed and that worked well. She hates getting her teeth brushed, so we lay her down on the floor/her bed and hold her hands out of the way and just do it. My family has horrible dental problems, so we really can't skip brushing DD's teeth, even though she wants to!

Allison
Mama to DD 11/05

[ajmom]

My boys are 5 and 3 1/2 and I still "help" them brush b/c I don't trust that they do it thoroughly enough. I either brush first and let them finish or vice versa. We've also used toothpaste that plays a tune when you open it and they know we will brush until the song ends (1 minute). Currently we have toothbrushes that flash for 1 minute and they know they are expected to brush until the light goes off.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I brushed ds' teeth at that age. It was a skill that comes with age, I think. Mine liked to chew on the brush at that age too. :) The dentist still wants me to go over his teeth nightly after ds brushes and he is 5.

Beth

[wendmatt]

I used to give DD my toothbrush and let her brush my teeth while I brushed hers, that usually kept her happy enough to let me do it.
Now it's a battle to get her to let me do it after she's finished brushing herself. Dentists recommend you brush your childs teeth until they are 7 yo make sure it's done properly.

[kochh2]

We have a wide variety of toothbrushes, appealing fluoride free toothpaste, a step stool, a special brushing cup... And the #1 trick is that we sing the ABC's song as our marker of how long we will brush.... works like a charm!!

[NeyhaR]

Oh, I "misspoke". DS does not/cannot brush his teeth himself. The problem is he doesn't really let me do it either. He clamps down tight and just won't let me in or if I force my way in his mouth, he really makes it difficult for me to actually brush. The few times I held his face and really kind of forced brushing, he hated it. I want to foster good dental hygiene, but I also don't want him to hate the act of brushing so much that he'll never want to do it himself...

The ABC singing sounds like a good idea. I'll try that tonight. Thanks for the advice!

[sarahsthreads]

We used the ABC song a lot, but after a while DD got tired of that, so we had to branch out a bit. A huge hit is The Toothbrush Hokey Pokey, which makes a game out of putting the toothbrush in and taking it out. (And then when you "shake it all about" you can get in a lot of good brushing!)

And always as a reward DD gets to do some more brushing herself after!

Sarah :)

[MATTYSMOMMY]

I let him try first and then I usually get hubby to brush his while I finish brushing DS - he is busy watching daddy and it distracts.