Miss H used to be all on board with brushing her teeth – she thought it was fun and loved holding the toothbrush. She was generally ok with us getting in there and doing our best to actually brush her teeth (as she just liked to hold the toothbrush and chew on it).
Then, a few months ago she totally rebelled against us being involved in any way, shape, or form. She wanted to hold the brush by herself and wanted nothing to do with us helping her out. We would have epic battles as we tried to encourage Miss H to let us “get the yuckies,” as we tried to wrangle the brush from her little hands, and begged her to open her mouth up just a little bit. It was always a terrible end to our evening.
However, in the last few weeks we have seen amazing improvement in this part of the bedtime routine, and this is 100% thanks to Mr. H! While I was out of town on a work trip, he and Miss H started brushing their teeth together (using Mr. H’s phone as a mirror so Miss H could see them brushing together). It has worked like a charm!
Miss H now loves brushing teeth with daddy! And how is this different than before, you ask? Well, instead of just standing there and chewing on her toothbrush, Miss H mimics Mr. H. She puts the bristles against her teeth and moves it around to try and make the brushing noise so that she can be like daddy. While she had of course seen us brush our teeth plenty of times, doing it together has provided more context for her as to why she is holding this toothbrush in her hand.
And because the start of the process is so much more fun and engaging for her (rather than what must have felt a bit like a “tooth attack” in the past), she willingly let’s us “share” the toothbrush at the end so that one of us can take it and do a thorough brushing all around. We usually mention a few foods she had for dinner – as in, “Ooh, I see a piece of broccoli in your teeth – let’s get it!”
In less than a month we went from having a child who would barely let us see her teeth when the toothbrush came out to one who happily engages in the process and seems to enjoy that part of her bedtime routine.
How have you tackled the tough job of brushing teeth with your toddler? Any tips or secrets for success?
blogger / pomelo / 5361 posts
Great tip! Our LOs still love to brush their teeth, but it’s getting harder and harder to get the toothbrush ourselves. All they want to do is hold it and chew on it. I was actually just wandering if it would work to give them a toothbrush to play with, while I try to actually brush their teeth.
GOLD / wonderful coconut / 33402 posts
R is back in her the toothbrush is evil phase. Crying crying and more crying. She will let us use a washcloth but not an actual brush.
@Mrs. Blue: We have tried that. She has one and we have one. I let her chew on it and then I say ok, Mommy’s turn, it worked for maybe a week.
blogger / cherry / 192 posts
Annabelle wants to do EVERYTHING herself these days, including brushing her teeth. We do it together too – not sure how good of a job she does
blogger / nectarine / 2010 posts
This worked for a little while for us too. Then when it didn’t anymore I started using a sticker chart. That’s been working like a charm for two and a half months now – at least according to all the stars on the calendar
pomelo / 5524 posts
Ugh…nothing really works for us. He still screams and won’t let me in his mouth for longer than 5 seconds. I try to do the best I can with that…but he wants nothing to do with his toothbrush. Even if we brush together!
blogger / pear / 1563 posts
That’s a good idea. We’re lucky that Little P still lets us brush his teeth for him, which I imagine is a more thorough than if he were to do it.
blogger / pomegranate / 3491 posts
Colin is obsessed with brushing his teeth – we do it 3 times a day (usually together). He isn’t especially effective, but what has helped us is the Raffi “when you wake up in the morning” tooth brushing song. Gets him moving the brush more than just chewing on it. Plus we have a couple of them and let him pick which one (pink or blue?) and which paste (thomas or elmo?).
blogger / pomegranate / 3201 posts
Great idea! Modeling is always a great way to get kids to be more on board with tasks they might not love. Liam also doesn’t like us to help, but he does a decent job of actually brushing instead of just chewing.
blogger / pomegranate / 3300 posts
I am going to try it with Lilly tonight, she has been a bit of a stinker in the teeth brushing department lately.
blogger / clementine / 998 posts
My daughter is mesmerized but our electric toothbrushes. I worry when it’s time for her to wield a toothbrush she’ll refuse because it’s not like mommy and daddy’s
grapefruit / 4717 posts
Wow, I’m impressed. I’ll have to try this, as my toddler only likes to get the brush wet and then suck the water out.
blogger / pomegranate / 3044 posts
We’ve had success with taking turns… He gets a few seconds, and then I get the rest of the time (although he keeps his hand on the brush so we “share”)
blogger / eggplant / 11551 posts
How cute! Love her cheek dimples!
guest
We sit our 22 month old on our lap to help him brush. Its an easier angle to work with than face to face. We also do tickle a little, brush a little, to break up the brushing and make it more fun.
pomegranate / 3008 posts
We found giving C an adult toothbrush (extra soft bristles with as small of a head as possible) was a turning point. He wanted the same kind as Daddy so once he had one the same size he was good with it again. I’ve also taught him to stick out his tongue at the end and he likes getting his tongue brushed so before I do that I do a quick scrub on the teeth he just brushed.
blogger / nectarine / 2600 posts
Ugh toothbrushing in our house is awful Somedays its easy as pie somedays we are literally holding down a screaming tantruming toddler I hate teethbrushing
GOLD / wonderful apricot / 22276 posts
DH and I were JUST talking about this the other night, how difficult it is to get her to let us help her brush her teeth. We will try this out!
blogger / nectarine / 2687 posts
Lil’ CB has always loooooved brushing his teeth. But I’m pretty sure he ate a fair share of fruity flavored toothpaste in the process.
Also, Miss H is just getting cuter and cuter!!!
guest
We are just starting. My daughter is 14 months, and has four teeth. She got her first two at 12 months. We use Green Sprouts Toothbrush with Honest Toothpaste and she seems to like it but I think as much as anything, the toothbrush feels good on her teething gums. I am sure it will get more difficult; but, for now we are just hoping to keep it stress free!
guest
I’ve also had success with a silly toothbrushing song, a toohbrushing story about a mouse (the toothbrush) that comes out of it’s hidey hole looking for food in the child’s mouth and finding all kinds of thing the child has eaten during the day/for breakfast. But brushing teeth together or letting children brush my teeth first or even at the same time has also worked really well.