Toddler toothbrush torture
I’ve tried the Dora the Explorer battery-operated toothbrush, a teddy bear toothbrush, a toothbrush that is a small replica of the toothbrushes her father and I have; a dab of sparkling kids toothpaste, a dab of cherry-flavored kids toothpaste. We’ve also tried singing a tooth-brushing song, allowing her to brush her teeth and imitate us, as well as one of us pinning her down while the other shoves a toothbrush in her mouth.
On one hand, I don’t want my 2-year-old to view brushing her teeth as torture. On the other hand, the thought of cavities, rotten teeth and poor dental health in her adult years gives me mad determination to clean her teeth by any means necessary.
You see, I had rotten teeth as a child and I remember taking school pictures and trying to smile without showing my teeth. Now that’s torture. Compared to my child being robbed of her smile, her squirming and fussing every morning and night while we pry her mouth open doesn’t seem so bad, but there must be a better way.
How have you taken the torture out of toddler tooth brushing?
Learn more about Rozalynn.
Read more from the Parents Panel:
- When was the last time you did something for you? »
- Art therapy »
- The 80/20 challenge: Are you up for it? »
- Launch young adults by helpful nudge, or catapult »
- How the Hoover Mom handles Halloween »
- Christmas card torture: A holiday tradition »
- Terrible twos?! Try the terrible threes »
- Be the leader of the family »
Rozalynn, I had the same type of problem with some of my kids when they were younger. And you know what? I finally decided that it was to my advantage for them to scream when I brushed their teeth because their mouths were open wide and I could see every tooth. And eventually, when they realized I wasn’t going to play and they were going to get their teeth brushed one way or another, they generally gave up on the “show”.
I have a child who I am in the process of adopting who fought her biological parents when they tried to brush her teeth, and they gave in. She screamed at the dentist office, so they would pick her up and take her out. And she had no dental care. And by the time she got to me, she had teeth rotted down to the gums. We’re still trying to repair some of the damage done.
Teeth brushing, to me, is kind of like vaccinations, flu shots, and the like. The kids may not like it, but it’s just too bad. And the sooner they learn that some necessary things in life are uncomfortable or even hurt a little bit, they better off they are.
So, you keep prying and brushing, and she’ll learn that there are some non-negotiables in life. Dental care is one of them.
Have you tried letting her play/practice brushing a doll’s teeth? Or maybe let her try brushing your teeth, while you brush hers. One thing I’ve read is that some young children don’t like the taste of toothpaste. It sounds like you may have tried switching that up, but if you haven’t, that might be worth a shot. There are some more ideas here: http://www.whattoexpect.com/toddler/behavior/resisting-toothbrushing.aspx
Great feedback and suggestions! Thanks for sharing your wisdom.
I say choices choices choices–we went to the store to buy the toothbrushes and the toothpaste. My 2 year old picked 2 of each and he loves deciding each night if it’s going to be the Diego toothpaste or Thomas…the Scooby Doo toothbrush or Cars.
Then I let him “brush first” which basically means he eats the toothpaste but we’re getting better with more action happening on the teeth themselves. Then I say it’s Mommy’s turn and he opens wide.
This all went a lot smoother after the dentist visit because he had to sit in the chair and open wide so now he “gets it”.
Good luck! Isn’t parenting fun! ahha
Thanks, Julie! I’ll try that this weekend. When did you take him to the dentist? My pediatrician said to wait until she’s about 3 and can sit “still” in a dentist chair. My dentist said the same, but a children’s dentist told my husband we should have had her at the dentist before now.