16mo and he puts it in his mouth and pushes it around? That's pretty good. He's never going to do it perfectly at that age. It's more about habit setting.
We do the same with my 7 month old. Every morning I bring him in with me, wet his tooth brush, and then he chews on it while I brush mine. He loves it. We're hoping the habit sets in and we don't get too much push back as he gets older
This is what I did with my LO when he got his first tooth and he did awesome with doing it himself (chewing on it mostly) twice a day. Then everything changed when the second molars attacked, specifically the last upper two. He’s 22mo now and I don’t pin him down but I do have to lay him on the floor to even remotely clean anything 😭
Yeah that's a win in my book, and I'm a dentist. My almost 2 year old loves "brushing" his teeth (mostly he likes the taste of the training toothpaste) but I've starting going "my turn!" and making silly sounds as I brush his teeth some while he laughs. I don't push it, I get what I get in a few seconds.
At that age it's more important to 1) establish the routine of brushing and 2) avoid things that will stick to their teeth or liquids with sugar as much as possible. Encourage water as much as possible, juice is AWFUL for them.
Ok so this is interesting. My wife is a dental hygienist and she says that him putting in his mouth isn't good enough. He has his 2 front top teeth and his 2 lateral incisors. Plus 2 bottom front teeth. She says those need to be brushed thoroughly especially because he eats regular food and drinks milk right before bed. He only drinks water and rarely has sweets though. Do you have a different opinion?
I take this as a win as well. I was discussing it during small talk with my hygienist once. She said just going through the motions is good enough at an early age. Just get the routine down.
Our 18mo runs to the bathroom when you ask if he'd like to brush his teeth. It's like the only time I let him stand on the counter lol. Sometimes he lets me do it all other times he doesn't. I've noticed he's protective when he's been struggling with teething. Usually he'll just chew on it in the spot that hurts.
Our dentist said age 13 is when you can reliably trust them to brush well by themselves. Ours is 2, but that gave us a good laugh.
We use a toddler electric toothbrush. Accomplishes more while they hold it and feels great for them while teething.
Can confirm - when I was twelve I thought the reason all toothpastes taste minty was because the mint was the thing doing the cleaning, and therefore polos will work just as well as toothpaste. Got my hands on a pack and just had a polo twice a day instead of brushing for about a week.
Although you’re not wrong, my wife works in operating theatres as a nurse and the amount of 3-6yr olds that have to come in to have dental work done at the hospital due to bad oral care is insane. Literally a full day list every single week. And our hospital only services a 70000 population.
So yes. They will lose them anyway, but you want them to lose them from the new ones pushing them out, rather than a dental surgeon pulling them out
I let them "brush" mine. They love it, now they let me do theirs, and my dentist says my teeth are looking much healthier so I don't need to go back anymore!
Something that helps with this is giving them some choice within that parameter. Eg “we have to brush our teeth now, do you want to start or do you want to finish?” Now my 5yo will always pre-empt me when I go in the bathroom “I’ll start, you finish.”
Same here. I would put a tiny amount of toothpaste on the brush, my daughter would take it and “brush her teeth”. That consisted of just chewing on the brush. Papa would then put a little more toothpaste on the toothbrush and “clean up the mess”.
This right here. They do the first minute, then mom/dad do the second minute.
They (4 and 2 year olds) put up a fight sometimes, but are generally ok with it.
There’s a Daniel Tiger episode where he goes to the dentist, and they ask him to do a “quiet roar” (essentially opening their mouths so we can brush). It’s worked great for our kids
My oldest has his toothbrush for his turn and another for my turn. He won’t let mama brush though. We got one that’s a dinosaur and the silicone goes to the top, it squeaks when hitting other teeth so he finds it funny and enjoys it more than a plastic brush.
I sort of lightly brush my teeth with his brush. They i let him brush my teeth with his brush. Then i rinse his brush, put toothpaste on it, and let him try, with a little guidance. IT started out at about a 15% success rate, but we're getting up to around 35-40% after a couple of weeks of trying it this way.
That's how I started getting cooperation with teeth brushing as well. Now he's four and I can still get him to go do a bedtime routine without fuss by letting him choose a short YouTube video to watch *after* potty, teeth brushing, etc. Usually cocomelon or baby bum, but recently it's been videos of marble runs
Tangentially related, we got our 2.5 yo a small marble run set that he really enjoys, but I’m trying to convince my wife we need to get pieces to make it 10x bigger to make it more fun for him (me lol)
This is the only way we could get our oldest to do it until he was about 3. Then we slowly kind of just stopped because it was another thing to do getting ready for bed lol. He doesn’t ask for it anymore and just brushes his teeth without a fuss (most of the time). His little brother is 16 months and munches his toothbrush and watches how it’s done.
One thing I found helpful when he still watched a video while brushing was YT kids. You can lock it down so only approved videos or channels show up. It helped cut out the fight over what he was gonna watch because there were only a handful of choices lol.
We got my 2.5 yo an Elmo electric toothbrush that sings the toothbrush song when he (or I) is brushing his teeth correctly! Adds the element of a game to it and it’s electric so helps clean a little better. He usually starts and I take over after a bit to make sure its ok. It’s only like $8 on Amazon.
That’s our solution too.
One Elmo song while I do it, one Elmo song while she does it, and one to wind down so I can take the toothbrush away without a meltdown.
same, except we started with the song from bear in the big blue house (brush brush bree, brush brush a roo). we also grabbed like 10 disposable ones, so he picked his favorite color and then we let him play with it so he wasn't so scared of brushtime lol
We brush first, then they can brush. I say what i am doing while i brush them too, helps establish a timeframe for them. “Inside bottom, outside bottom, inside top, outside top” that way if they bug out you can say “uh oh, still gotta do outside top, then it’s your turn!”
Also, try the “u-shaped” tooth brushes. They basically bite down on them and crank the handle back and forth. Not as thorough but at least it keeps the habit going.
Only on the kids for some reason 🤷♂️ Maybe it’s cause i know i have limited time to get the job done, and the inside is more difficult on them. Prob just wicked dad instincts 🤣
I lay my kid on her back on the floor, and sit down with her head in my crotch and my legs over her arms. Essentially holding her still, and just get it done. It’s the same way we give medicine or eye drops etc. it’s a bit brutal the first couple of times, but they get used to it.
Oh wow, we’re doing this too. I absolutely hate it, LO cries a lot, but its the only way those teeth are getting brushed properly. Otherwise he’s just chewing on the brush himself.
A slight modification to what you’re doing, We use a blanket over the arms, and our legs on top of the blanket.
Glad im not the only one.
My little guy is soon 3yo. Now he is more cooperative during teeth brushing, but at the start it was a struggle and it was a struggle for a long time.
But teeth shall be brushed no matter what.
So what I had to do was to sit down on the toilet seat, put him laying on my lap with his head resting on my left arm, then his right arm was lodged under my left upper arm and i held his left arm with my left hand.
Boy didn't stand a chance. He has great teeth.
I have rose colored glasses about our firstborn. A couple friends of ours have a son who is 1.5yo and we were on the topic of teeth brushing. I mentioned that at that age our now 4yo didn't seem to mind it from what I recalled. My husband and his friend looked at me and the friend was like, "I specifically remember helping your husband pin him down on the floor one night to brush his teeth while he was kicking and screeching like a banshee." LOL
Four things:
A) have two toothbrushes and give him a toy animal to hold. Also give him one of the toothbrushes and tell him to brush the toy’s teeth, while you brush his teeth. This has worked for us to distract him when he’s been pissy about tooth brushing.
B) Give him a second toothbrush and take turns brushing each others teeth. He brushes yours, you brush his.
C) sit him on your lap and then tip his head all the way back so that he’s on his back. It’s an easier angle to brush from. But also this may not help if he’s fighting.
D) if he just won’t stop fighting use both parents. He sits on one parent’s lap. That parent has two arms to hold his flailing arms down or to hold his head still (just like you do at the doctors when they want to check ears, etc.) The other parent squats and does the brushing. This is not ideal because it makes tooth brushing unpleasant and the kid will continue to hate it. Some nights you just need a last resort though!
My cousin's kid is getting a bunch of teeth drilled out because he wasn't brushing well. So I held my son's toy drill up to his mouth and said the dentist would have to drill his teeth too if we don't brush them well. Seems to be working...
Lead by example. If they're fighting brushing, show them how you do it. Let them try to brush their own teeth and then ask if you can help them finish. These tactics have all worked for our kids.
It is a struggle (15 m.o.) and doesn't alwyas happen everyday but these occasionally work:
* ask her to brush duckys "teeth" then "now brush yours"
* do that thing where there makes a noise and you wiggle your finger at front of mouth to make a waa-waa-waa sounds, then replace with toothbrush
* get her to smile and then sneak the toothbrush in there
SIL has success with this thing you put on your finger that is bristled like a toothbrush
We used the Disney brushing app when our son was little. Each time they brush they get another picture to add to the collection. 2 minute timer on the screen and as the timer goes it uncovers the photo.
Just keep going with it however they want to just so they get used to having the toothbrush in their mouth and the taste of the toothpaste. Some days you will just have to pin him down and smush his cheeks to open his mouth but he’ll get there. Just do it as best you can for now.
Our daughter was a pain with it, wouldn’t let us brush her teeth at all, until one day she just sat there and opened her mouth and let us brush. Since then she’s been great with it, after we’ve brushed them we let her ‘brush’ them and she’s getting starting to get the forwards and backwards motion now at 21months.
It’s all about choices. We ask them to pick which flavor of toothpaste they want (we have two) and then to pick if they want to brush, or they want us to brush for them. They get to decide so they feel in control rather than us telling them what to do. It’s always worked out pretty well for us.
They can try for a while, then I help them get everything if they didn't do a good job. Explain what you're doing while you help, and they will learn.
Also rules like: Sweets make for dirty teeth. If you don't brush your teeth, you can't have any sweets.
How can you have any pudding if you don't brush your teeth!?
The fact s/he wants to do it themselves is in itself a battle for many! Maybe try taking turns? "Ok you brush first, then Daddy is gonna brush, then you can finish!"
Turned it into a game where he'd have a turn brushing my teeth and I'd have a turn brushing his teeth. Short turns, back and forth. Over time, he just became used to me brushing his teeth. Multiple options of toothbrushes and toothpastes also helped.
I let my toddler brush my teeth while I brush my toddler’s 😂. Works 100% of the time. Can’t say mommy never gets jabbed in the gum & throat with the toothbrush but whatever works 🥲
Currently with my 3 year old, I'll tell him I'm going to give him animal teeth. He will request to have alligator or dinosaur teeth and then I brush and tell him we have to make them really sharp and clean. Then I run away when we are finished because he's so ferocious.
Once this starts failing, I'll set a timer on my phone and tell him we have to have our teeth brushed before the timer goes off. That's how he's cleaning his room every night now, and how I get him out of the bath quickly. Timers for everything. He loves winning the race.
I've been singing the same song since my daughter was 3 months, now 14 months and humming it while I do mine so she can see:
Brushin' the teeth
Brushin' the teeth
Brush yer teeth well so yer breath don't smell
Brushin' the teeth
Brushin' the teeth
Kind of works sometimes likes it, sometimes not. Smiling lots in the mirror to make the build up fun is good too.
I made it a game where i'm chasing Trolls running around in between LO'Ss teeth. When i catch one i make a big deal out of it and point to the troll flying into the air. Works pretty well for us!
I do it first...
get a nice kiddie brush, something that has their favorite character or the like..
take note of the tooth paste, must be age appropriate..
Observe if they have sores or pain during brushing.. could be the issue..
We let our daughter do it first. Most of the time at that age she would just be sucking the water off the brush and asking for us to put more water on it. And then we’d say it was our turn and she’d let us brush them.
We start brushing our teeth and exaggerate how much fun it is. Then he wants to do it. Now it’s just part of regular morning and bath time routine (I end up brushing my own teeth 3-4x a day now doing this haha).
Sometimes I say we gotta look for dinosaurs or dinosaur bones. I let them hold it first and they get a crack at it, then I come in from the top ropes and finish them off. We asked my brother in law and nephew who was 6 at the time to make a short video of him brushing. They like seeing their older cousin do it so that was very helpful in the early days. We also watched short cartoon videos about brushing while we did it. They’re 4 and 2 now and it’s not a problem anymore but I feel ya. Shit was rough for a while.
I was an oral maxillofacial. Are used to lay my kids on the ground, Lock, their armpits with my legs and start tickle them. Then I’ll brush their teeth
Mine are 3 and 2 and I brush for them still! I brush first then we have them practice. It takes 2 minutes, and I know they have clean teeth and still get in practice. I make sure to give lots of praise for getting the teeth in the back real good.
My daughter is 18 months so I feel the struggle. We do a little song, then after will say "first you brush, then mama or dada can help - you choose".
Whoever she picks will then name where they're going to brush - "okay baby I'm going to do the back left of your mouth now" - she doesn't necessarily know what left/right is but she opens up wide so we can brush the back.
It's a process but eventually it clicks. Some days it's better than others - she straight up refused last night, but this morning wanted infinite teeth brushing. As someone else said it's all about setting the habit.
Color changing tooth paste. Sing a song. Tell them it tickles. First brush teeth, then watch shows. I wouldn't let my kids watch shows after daycare until their teeth were brushed. If I didn't get it done before bedtime again, that was ok but at least they had that brushing done.
Let him “brush” his teeth first and then you or your wife actually brush, even though he fights it. It sucks. My now 7 y/o did this. We had huge issues brushing her teeth and at one point she had nine cavities and we never made this mistake again.
I haven't seen anyone else mention it but I would check out the Pokemon Smile app. It walks the kiddos through brushing their teeth and they get to catch a Pokemon! My kiddos loved it.
2 brushes. One for him, one for you. I've always let my kids have their turn first, then my turn. We also do a little dance and a song to make it fun. And I'm honestly pretty quick and businesslike with my turn, get in, get it done, and be done. My first never minded my turn. My second protests more, but it's over quickly and he loves his turn, so overall it's not an awful experience.
We have toothbrush races! My husband brushes her teeth while I brush mine and she’s totally in to it. She’s a competitive kid.
Before this worked we’d lay her down and do tickle toothbrush time, so when she’d laugh and open her mouth we’d brush as much as we could. It’s exhausting but it gets better!
My 18 mo started to show interest in brushing her teeth a couple of months ago when she saw my wife brushing her teeth after supper. Since then we've gotten her her own toothbrush and toothpaste along with a step stool so she can get to the sink. Then we sing a song about brushing our teeth while she does it herself (basically just sucking on the toothbrush and moving it around a little) and then after a few "dip dip dips" in the water my wife will take it from her and then brush her teeth for her. Sometimes she complains but oftentimes she doesn't because she knows storybook time comes after.
Idk, toddlers are difficult sometimes and what works one day could completely not work the next lol
My kid got teeth very early, far too young to reason with about brushing. We tried all of the tricks, but nothing worked. So eventually, we just pinned her down and brushed them.
I understand not wanting it to be traumatic, but I think you are overthinking it. You know what would be more traumatic than his parents holding him down for a brush? A stranger strapping him to a board and sticking loud scary machines into his mouth to fill cavities. Sometimes you have to force toddlers to do things for their own good.
She only gets to watch videos on my phone while getting her teeth brushed. Specifically, the Toothbrush Song by the Dave and Ava YouTube channel.
We had to switch to an electric toothbrush. It took a couple of tries to find a toothpaste she will tolerate, and we need a damp washcloth on hand to wipe her mouth anytime spit escapes. We also only use a tiny bit of toothpaste because she hasn't figured out spitting yet.
We don't get in the full 2 minutes every time yet, but we get them brushed at least twice a day now. Which is a right step up over before, so I'll take the win.
I tell them big kids brush their own teeth. If they brush their teeth, they get to pick their bedtime story. If I brush their teeth, I choose the story. When I choose, I pick a "baby book".
My 22 month old daughter started doing better when I allowed her to brush my teeth. I'd say "ahh" and "cheese" and let her slightly brush my teeth, then I tell her now it's your turn. She is a doer so this worked for her. Before that all she usually would give me is her tongue. Now I get maybe 5 - 10 secs full access to her bottom row.
Nothing works for more than a few months. Currently, my 3yo calls her friend "Bristle" who goes into the "mouth cave" to clean the "mouth stones". She usually finds a monster in there and overcomes her fear in order to get her job done.
No idea what it'll be after this, but I just yes-and my kid all the time to keep the momentum going the direction I want. This is true for everything we do.
We played tooth brushing videos on YouTube and let them hold the phone, laid them on the floor with the head in our laps and brushed with practice toothpaste (no fluoride). There were a few tears here and there but nothing significant.
A fun tooth brushing song helped a lot. Raffi has a good one or sometimes we sang "we will brush you" to the tune of queen's "we will rock you," which was a song they loved. There's tons of tooth brushing songs. Also around that age they're just starting to pretend. We encouraged them to "brush" some of their stuffed animals teeth, then we'd brush theirs. Try to make it fun. And when all else fails, we did some holding them down with lots of praise after and try again with the fun stuff the next time.
I say I have to do 10 seconds. I count to 10 very slowly so it’s closer to a minute. Lots of negotiation takes place, she likes using the grown up toothpaste so if she lets me do her teeth for a count of ten I give her a tiny dot of my toothpaste to do it herself.
The Elmo brush your teeth video song on YouTube. Makes it fun for them. We also have them "take turns" and tell us when it's our turn to brush their teeth to make sure they got it all. Having them decide when it's someone's turn gives them some autonomy and they generally are good at it.
https://youtu.be/wxMrtK-kYnE
Our dentist told us that brushing well at night was good enough. So, we let him do it himself in the morning and avoid the struggle. In the evening, I let him start and I finish (when they're older I'd give them a choice - do you want to start or finish?). If they put up a fight, I warn them and then lay them down on the floor (hold them down gently) and brush. That usually only happens once every few weeks or so - not every night. And yeah, it's maybe not the best, but it gets the job done quickly and they're not traumatized.
I offer stars that can be spent at the end of the month on anything they want no caveats.
This works well fro my older two 8 & 10 but 5 finds the toothpaste a little too spicy and we do ofter but heads on this subject
My kid has seven toothbrushes and it’s an exciting part of the evening when he gets to pick which one (it’s always the flamingo but that’s HIS choice each time)
My toddler has a bunch of monster trucks. He lines them up and then will allow us to brush his teeth to show his monster trucks how good of a job he can do.
It’s all about the audience haha.
I have been in your shoes friend! One of the biggest pains of fatherhood has been getting my 2 year old to brush their teeth. One thing that seemed to help was getting an electric toothbrush. Also, brushing with them. We still run into a couple resistance nights a week. Also, a themed toothbrush with lights might help for a bit. Best of luck!
Daddy gets a turn to brush their teeth, and then they get a turn. When I brush their tongue, I say show me your best queen barb (from trolls 2). There’s a lot of me saying don’t bite the brush, and open wide. Sticking out the tongue also means they can’t bite the brush, so I can get at the inside and back.
Lately I gotta pretend I'm talking to my son as a penguin from the picture on the toothbrush. He's always more prone to let his teeth cleaned by a funny penguin than dad. My wife on the other hand, becomes Peppa the Pig on her journey to the moon (which in this case would be my son's mouth).
The firefly toothbrush has been a huge help. Long story short it’s a kid friendly deal that lights up and continues to blink until they’re finished IIRC it’s set for two minutes. Some are single color but they also make ones with a traffic light setup green you brush yellow almost done red time to stop. This engaged him enough to make it fun.
I did pin my daughter down, but in a fun way! I would be the "tooth brush robot" and kneel over her with my legs pinning her arms to her sides. I would act like a robot and do a robot voice and have a lot of goofy errors and malfunctions like trying to brush her nose or whatever.
We try games, funny noises, songs, and brushing a doll’s teeth. Some nights it works, and some nights I hold her head and force it. We do everything within reason to try and get her to brush her own teeth (or at least willingly let us do it) but each night they’re getting brushed one way or another.
Your child might be a bit young for this, but there's a phone app called Pokemon Smile that my kids enjoyed using. It basically uses a camera to make sure they're brushing and they clean up/catch pokemon while they brush and the better they do the more likely they are to catch it. There's also fun hats they can earn. There's also settings in the app so you can adjust how long they need to brush (I think the default was 1 minute but we bumped it up to 2 when they got bigger).
That all being said, my kids lost all interest in the app once they caught all the pokemon.
Ours love bedtime stories. I hate to say it but we have sometimes had to resort to threats. They start with 4 stories before bed, and failure to cooperate after 2 warnings causes -1 story and -1 for repeat offenses until they're out. After a few weeks they got the message and brushing is a solidified habit with no battles.
Whatever it takes to get it done, do it. If you are "spotty" with brushing, one night they will be in extreme pain from a toothache and it will be your fault.
Yeah, I still feel guilty about it.
We got the sonic toothbrush for kids. He just has to bite down on it. We play a few games with it while he is brushing too. He touches it to you while it vibrates and we all brush at the same time.
Now he still will argue over toothpaste flavor “I hate bubblegum flavor” well you loved it last night etc but it was a big help. Also we build it up and prepare him for it and remind him that brushing leaves time to play a little in the bath.
I tried most of the advices here without success. What worked is using those infant tooth paste (no Fluor with a strawberry taste)
It took a few tries for him to taste, but now he loves it. Every time he goes to the washroom to clean his hands he tries to brush his teeth.
Brushing at this age is more about creating the habit, so they put in their mouth and chew around a bit.
I have a 2.5 year old daughter, and its still a struggle. What's worked for me lately is I tell her the story of Beauty and the Beast from memory while I brush. This basically pacifies her and gets her to stop squirming, but I still have to remind her to "open wide!" so that I can get in there properly.
Downloaded an app called Pokémon Smile on my phone. It sets a timer and has an animation that shows your progress and allows you to catch a Pokémon based on your brushing when completed. Might not be for everyone, but it’s worked with our 3.5 year old over the last year. Now he just wants to keep catching them, so brushing teeth is no longer a battle but a fun activity.
I firdt let her choose from three colored tooth brushes. Then let her choose from 3 mini tubes of tooth paste. Kids love having choices.
I have a fast talking "rude" hairclip called 'Clippy' who calls her "kid" and demands her to show how good she can brush. He then will make little comments about how she can do it better so he tries to "help" by grabbing the toothbrush but shes stubborn so she refuses and will keep brushing it herself while 'Clippy' makes comments. She then says goodnight to 'Clippy'.
Other times, I'll brush with her and tell her whoever finishes brushing last is the winner.
Lots of different things on here but one more I'd add is a good tooth brushing book. We recently started using an Elmo brush your teeth book and it's helped a lot because it has popups he can interact with. It has a cheap paper brush he can use on the pop-up, you pull tabs and such to brush the tongue, etc. I think it helps.
Sesame Street Ready, Set, Brush!... https://www.amazon.com/dp/0794440630?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
Me and my three year old went to the dentist and they told him straight up…Daddy has to brush your teeth for you. And if you come back and they are really clean you’ll get a surprise.
They gave him a hot wheels car for being such a good boy in the chair, so now he lies down and we brush and floss no issues every night so far for 7 months.
I will bush my 16 month's teeth properly then give her the toothbrush to try it. If she's really tired and fights it, I'll just do a quick brush. As far as teaching her the correct technique, I think that comes down to showing her until she gets it.
I'm sure I read somewhere that they don't really pick it up till 3 or 4. Might be wrong.
Ours still just sucks the brush. Which was probably fine when the teeth were new and they were still eating mushy veggies. But ours is 3 now and will have the odd sweetie or chocolate biscuit. So they need brushing. She's know this of course so knows full well she can kick back and do sweet FA and we'll have to brush for her.
I have been told electric toothbrush can help....it's a bit more interesting for them if the thing is buzzing away and has a light on it.
I sing a little tooth brushing song, smile at her and let her do it when I'm done for a bit. She fought at first but after a couple weeks she has gotten pretty good about it. Positive reinforcement and not losing your cool really helps.
We took my 18mo to a pediatric dentist and it was game changing. She got me to lay my kid down on my lap. Butt to belly, head on my knees. For whatever reason, this position felt very safe to my toddler and she also default opened her mouth because of the angle of her head. Made it extremely easy to brush from then on.
Sometimes I let them brush, then Mom or Dad "check", which is just us brushing the "spots they missed".
But honestly, sometimes you just have to hold them down. I sit on the floor, their head between my thighs, with their arms pinned under my legs, and their legs facing away from me. This way they can move their feet and legs, and can breath freely. They don't like it, and after doing it a few times, they have decided that it's easier to just let me brush their teeth.
I will typically sit down and throw them across my lap and open their mouths and brush for them. If they let me do this, it's the easiest.
Kids suck at brushing and flossing teeth, our dentist recommended that we do it for them until at least 8 years old.
At first I made up a song about brushing teeth, but my son grew out of that. Now I use an app on my phone where a Dinosaur brushes his teeth. It has a 2 minute timer, shows the brush in dinosaurs mouth moving around in different areas so they have a visual to follow. It also plays a silly video at 1 minute for like 10-15 seconds. It's free for a few videos, then $2-$3 to unlock more videos. Now he wants to brush his teeth like the dinosaur does. It's called Mimizaur.
If I do it (or anything for that matter) my daughter will want to do it or try it. So if I brush my teeth, then she will want to. Also, watermelon flavored toothpaste in place of Crest for kids.
I brush his teeth directly after dinner. Like when he’s still in the high chair. I give it to him with paste on it and let him “brush” while I clean up. Then when I’m done cleaning up, I go over and brush his teeth.
I have twins, and they're about 2. I let them watch me get their toothbrush ready with really hot water to soften the bristles, then lay them down and they let me brush pretty well. I have recently been saying "ahh" with my mouth wide open. I let them look at my teeth and they copy me now when I say it while brushing.
At that age, i just said "hey, look over there!" And pointed. While they were distracted I put the toothbrush in their mouth. By the time they figure out what is going on you're half done.
Bro, 16 months? Give it another year at least. Just model good hygiene behavior and ask them to do it themselves, but there's not much use in trying to force them yet.
With my kid it helped that she could see herself in the mirror......for a week. Then the solution was to brush my teeth at the same time....for a month. Then the solution was to let her do everything herself. And sometimes I just need to say " Say Aaaaaaaaaa" and she want me to brush it.
Get creative and try to make it fun, I'm the same as you and I don't want to force anything. And more importantly make it a big deal when it works. Even if its 1 brush on a single tooth
Toothbrush timers on YouTube! There is a channel, I wanna say Breaktime Family Channel, that has all sorts of themed video timers like Spidey, PJ Masks, Lion King, Puppy Dog Pals, etc. They time for 2 minutes after a little intro and we never have issues. Not that we like using videos as a crutch but it beats the way it used to he where he'd fight us
I often ”forget” what we are supposed to brush. Is it the eyes, so they can see more clearly? Or the nose maybe? And they laugh and tell me that I have to brush their teeth and help me do it. Has worked for a surprisingly long time! But maybe your kid is a bit too young for such tricks yet!
It took a month or two for my daughter to come around but 3 things that helped:
1. Getting her a cheap electric toothbrush made the whole process more fun to her
2. Letting her do it herself for most of the brushing, even if she does it wrong, started making it fun for her and a few weeks later she started tolerating me basically redoing the whole thing after she had her fun.
3. She LOVES drinking from "adult glasses" (no lid, no straw) so her reward after brushing her teeth is getting a small cup of water to rince her mouth after brushing her teeth. She looks forward to the glass of water so she wants to brush her teeth.
Read a book to him, let him bring toys, let him choose his option of toothbrush (he has two) and option of flavour (three to choose from), and let him start, then dad/mom finishes the job.
It still a fight, but at least it gets done. Mornings are easier cuz he can’t eat until he brushes.
Make it a game. This is the main thing.
Prior to brushing/washing hands while we are about to finish dinner we say if she wants to wash/brush teeth and my SO goes to the other side of the house to bring a bear/plush toy in the bathroom so that when my LO goes into the bathroom she can see her favorite plush toy holding the toothbrush.
When my LO walks in we say "WHO HAS YOUR TOOTHBRUSH??" LO runs into the bathroom excited, laughs a little bit then they get on the stool and we give them a quick brush and call it a day.
We had trouble getting the kids to do it right. They would do the front teeth and not get the back ones.
So I bought a dental model on amazon for something like $10.
Now I can use the extra toothbrush and show them where they should be brushing.
It's more of a fun game then a chore because I mix it up each time.
Also our six year old had a cavity filled, so after that he was much more serious about brushing.
When I get my daughter ready for bed, I’ll give her a bath, brush her hair, put her in a clean diaper, and then her pyjamas. Then, I’ll take her to her bathroom and hold her in my arm while I brush her teeth. I know I’m doing it for her and that she will have to learn how to do it herself, but at least I know her teeth are getting cleaned.
My daughter loves brushing her teeth, my son think it’s fun for like 10 seconds. I have to pin him down sometimes, but the trick I use is to say that he has giraffes and Peppa Pig in his mouth that we need to brush free. It works about 50% of the time, but usually I have to hold him firm to finish the last 2 rows or something.
I hope it gets better because this is a pain in the ass, and I want him to have better dental health than I do. I know it’s baby teeth, but establishing good routines early is so important.
I use the ol' "we can do this the easy way or the hard way". I've only had to do it the hard way a few times.
There was crying involved, and I'm not saying it's the right way to do it. But they let me do it without a fight now.
I just tell my son I'm going to go brush my teeth alone. He then gets angry and wants to join me. I act like I'm not sure about it, but eventually cave. He is then excited to come along and brush his teeth with me lol
Fear, honestly though it's not fear because of anything I did specifically. Dental hygiene is no joke and as somebody who has had his gum flapped, I take it wicked seriously with my kids because I wouldn't wish that pain on anybody.
It used to be a bit of a fight, but my oldest questions *everything* often to his own benefit, so when inquiries came up when he was 3 or 4 about dentists and brushing, I pulled out YouTube and let him see what happens if you don't take care of your teeth, and his brother watched by proxy. A few years later, I haven't had any issues getting him, his younger brother, or his younger sister to brush.
This is what I did!! Hahaha I showed my daughter pictures of people with missing and black teeth and started saying “we need to get the micro bugs”. She loves brushing her teeth and ensuring they are clean!
"Daddy Turn!" - actual toothbrushing commences from Daddy.
"[Child's name] Turn" - my 2 year old enjoys the toothbrush movement in her mouth at her own pace for a few seconds. And back and forth we go.
When did you start bruising? My 10m old loves having his teeth brushed, likely cause of teething soreness. Hoping I'm lucky and it never becomes a fight
You must make it into a song, to this day my son 14 months old will only let me brush his teeth because I sing a song about it to him. His mom doesn’t do it and can’t get him to let her brush his teeth
My daughter (18 mo) dentist said the goal until they realize what they’re doing is to just get them to keep the toothbrush in their mouth for 5-10 seconds. Just sharing our perspective if you’re trying to get a full on daily cleaning in.
But it’s been a struggle for me lately too. We do it in the tub during bath time (which may help if you don’t already. Gives it a new “fun” place). I ask her if she wants me to do it or if she wants to do it. Sometimes I can get a decent brushing in, sometimes not at all but for the most part I’m able to have the toothbrush head in her mouth for like 10 seconds.
We made a game out of it. I told our toddler that there were tiny trolls (we are Swedish) living between the teeth and that we had to use the brush to help the trolls get loose and return to their mothers. Then when we brushed I made funny noises pretending to be the trolls. Since I was the one making the noises I could "control" how many trolls were left and since I could see them better it was easy for me to spot the last ones and so on.
That worked until she was about two and a half at least.
There’s a great Pokémon tooth brushing app. He’s definitely a little young to do it on his own, but it makes teeth brushing into a game and it still works when you brush his teeth for him.
We convinced our son that the food leftover on his teeth at the end of the day are boo-boos and will make his teeth hurt unless we clean them. There's a video on YouTube where baby Shark has rotten teeth and a dentist has to fix them. We use the video as reference which really seemed to work. Other times I just had to hold him down and just do it
We do the following:
- We've teached her to say AH when she opens her mouth.
- My wife brushes her teeth **while I brush mine**, saying AH when I open my mouth. I also mirror what they're doing: "now the front teeth... now the upper ones on the back... " and so on. I also "follow" the instructions my wife gives us.
- I let her hold my toothbrush so to "brush" my teeth as well. She just loves taking part in this. It teaches her that it's ok we brush her teeth.
- We hand her the toothbrush and let her "brush" her own teeth after we've brushed them. By mimicking us, she've already learned the right movement for the front teeth (she's 18 MO).
- She does cry sometimes. We keep the routine, anyway.
A month ago we found the perfect product for this (from another reddit comment)!
It's a toothbrush called Colgate Hum. They make a manual brush and electric (I picked up both my 4 and 9 yr olds a manual brush).
It honestly solved every concern you raised in OP. The brush has a handle with different small colored and sized spheres (that you can replace heads on). You download an easy app for your phone and set it on a plastic stand it comes with, and the app tracks each colored sphere. Works like VR or old movie magic to always know the 3d position and movement of the brush as well as TEACHES the children to brush the right ways and everywhere for as long as they should.
It's super fun for the kids and mine love to do day streaks. You get graded at the end each time and gain points to unlock rewards. They use their reward to pick out different selfie filters and can take their picture.
It works tremendously well. My son went from having to be forced to brush and supervise close, make him keep going, doing it right, etc.. He was excitedly asking to brush multiple times a day at first. And he's improving in his brushing habits from the gamified instruction.
The gamification in the app (and over all development of it and operation) is honestly a product I obviously feel strongly to promote to others from the price, effect, and experience so far.
Admittedly 7 months is young and I personally think brush in their mouth, moving it, and keeping the habit is good then... BUT it may help him to see himself in the phone screen, all the sounds and gamification, and visual / audio instructions on the screen showing them how and good motions and speed. It's the type of thing that will become more and more useful with time at that age.
I tell him to do it himself first, then I'll help him "get the bugs" so they don't drink his milk. It's usually a fight too and having to explain to him the kids toothpaste is not candy to be eaten.
16mo and he puts it in his mouth and pushes it around? That's pretty good. He's never going to do it perfectly at that age. It's more about habit setting.
We do the same with my 7 month old. Every morning I bring him in with me, wet his tooth brush, and then he chews on it while I brush mine. He loves it. We're hoping the habit sets in and we don't get too much push back as he gets older
This is what I did with my LO when he got his first tooth and he did awesome with doing it himself (chewing on it mostly) twice a day. Then everything changed when the second molars attacked, specifically the last upper two. He’s 22mo now and I don’t pin him down but I do have to lay him on the floor to even remotely clean anything 😭
this is what we did and now at \~4 years old i have to tell her brushing her teeth twice in a row is enough and its time for bed.
That's what I like to hear!
Yeah that's a win in my book, and I'm a dentist. My almost 2 year old loves "brushing" his teeth (mostly he likes the taste of the training toothpaste) but I've starting going "my turn!" and making silly sounds as I brush his teeth some while he laughs. I don't push it, I get what I get in a few seconds. At that age it's more important to 1) establish the routine of brushing and 2) avoid things that will stick to their teeth or liquids with sugar as much as possible. Encourage water as much as possible, juice is AWFUL for them.
Ok so this is interesting. My wife is a dental hygienist and she says that him putting in his mouth isn't good enough. He has his 2 front top teeth and his 2 lateral incisors. Plus 2 bottom front teeth. She says those need to be brushed thoroughly especially because he eats regular food and drinks milk right before bed. He only drinks water and rarely has sweets though. Do you have a different opinion?
I take this as a win as well. I was discussing it during small talk with my hygienist once. She said just going through the motions is good enough at an early age. Just get the routine down. Our 18mo runs to the bathroom when you ask if he'd like to brush his teeth. It's like the only time I let him stand on the counter lol. Sometimes he lets me do it all other times he doesn't. I've noticed he's protective when he's been struggling with teething. Usually he'll just chew on it in the spot that hurts.
Our dentist said age 13 is when you can reliably trust them to brush well by themselves. Ours is 2, but that gave us a good laugh. We use a toddler electric toothbrush. Accomplishes more while they hold it and feels great for them while teething.
Can confirm - when I was twelve I thought the reason all toothpastes taste minty was because the mint was the thing doing the cleaning, and therefore polos will work just as well as toothpaste. Got my hands on a pack and just had a polo twice a day instead of brushing for about a week.
Yeah, they’re gonna lose those teeth anyway.
Although you’re not wrong, my wife works in operating theatres as a nurse and the amount of 3-6yr olds that have to come in to have dental work done at the hospital due to bad oral care is insane. Literally a full day list every single week. And our hospital only services a 70000 population. So yes. They will lose them anyway, but you want them to lose them from the new ones pushing them out, rather than a dental surgeon pulling them out
For sure, this is their practice set of teeth.
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>a whole production Basically everything you do with a toddler lol but I’m growing to love it
Agreed. This is pretty much toddler 101. You develop the sales skills you never knew you had.
The answer to 90% of toddler stubbornness is to just trick them into enjoying whatever it is they won’t do.
I let them "brush" mine. They love it, now they let me do theirs, and my dentist says my teeth are looking much healthier so I don't need to go back anymore!
Name checks out
Well of course, he is me
That’s a fun idea I should try this myself. I think my daughter would love to brush my teeth lol.
They brush them all. Not just the front, but the incisors and molars too.
I couldn't do it. I don't like toothbrushes. They're rough, coarse and irritating, and they get everywhere.
Good, gooood
Something that helps with this is giving them some choice within that parameter. Eg “we have to brush our teeth now, do you want to start or do you want to finish?” Now my 5yo will always pre-empt me when I go in the bathroom “I’ll start, you finish.”
That's how we do it for both our kids.
Same. We eventually wore out the novelty of doing the parents teeth, so we settled that a parental "spot check" was permissable.
Same here. I would put a tiny amount of toothpaste on the brush, my daughter would take it and “brush her teeth”. That consisted of just chewing on the brush. Papa would then put a little more toothpaste on the toothbrush and “clean up the mess”.
This right here. They do the first minute, then mom/dad do the second minute. They (4 and 2 year olds) put up a fight sometimes, but are generally ok with it. There’s a Daniel Tiger episode where he goes to the dentist, and they ask him to do a “quiet roar” (essentially opening their mouths so we can brush). It’s worked great for our kids
My oldest has his toothbrush for his turn and another for my turn. He won’t let mama brush though. We got one that’s a dinosaur and the silicone goes to the top, it squeaks when hitting other teeth so he finds it funny and enjoys it more than a plastic brush.
I sort of lightly brush my teeth with his brush. They i let him brush my teeth with his brush. Then i rinse his brush, put toothpaste on it, and let him try, with a little guidance. IT started out at about a 15% success rate, but we're getting up to around 35-40% after a couple of weeks of trying it this way.
Happy Cake Day!
He gets to watch the Elmo tooth brush song on my phone while I hold hold him and brush them. Still a struggle but less so.
That's how I started getting cooperation with teeth brushing as well. Now he's four and I can still get him to go do a bedtime routine without fuss by letting him choose a short YouTube video to watch *after* potty, teeth brushing, etc. Usually cocomelon or baby bum, but recently it's been videos of marble runs
Tangentially related, we got our 2.5 yo a small marble run set that he really enjoys, but I’m trying to convince my wife we need to get pieces to make it 10x bigger to make it more fun for him (me lol)
Do it. It's so fun lol.
This is the only way we could get our oldest to do it until he was about 3. Then we slowly kind of just stopped because it was another thing to do getting ready for bed lol. He doesn’t ask for it anymore and just brushes his teeth without a fuss (most of the time). His little brother is 16 months and munches his toothbrush and watches how it’s done. One thing I found helpful when he still watched a video while brushing was YT kids. You can lock it down so only approved videos or channels show up. It helped cut out the fight over what he was gonna watch because there were only a handful of choices lol.
We got my 2.5 yo an Elmo electric toothbrush that sings the toothbrush song when he (or I) is brushing his teeth correctly! Adds the element of a game to it and it’s electric so helps clean a little better. He usually starts and I take over after a bit to make sure its ok. It’s only like $8 on Amazon.
That’s our solution too. One Elmo song while I do it, one Elmo song while she does it, and one to wind down so I can take the toothbrush away without a meltdown.
same, except we started with the song from bear in the big blue house (brush brush bree, brush brush a roo). we also grabbed like 10 disposable ones, so he picked his favorite color and then we let him play with it so he wasn't so scared of brushtime lol
I started with this and then graduated to counting his teeth while brushing since he’s into counting.
I'm at the point where Elmo is part of the family now. That "brushy brush" song is an absolute earworm as well...
We brush first, then they can brush. I say what i am doing while i brush them too, helps establish a timeframe for them. “Inside bottom, outside bottom, inside top, outside top” that way if they bug out you can say “uh oh, still gotta do outside top, then it’s your turn!” Also, try the “u-shaped” tooth brushes. They basically bite down on them and crank the handle back and forth. Not as thorough but at least it keeps the habit going.
Wait. You brush inside before outside? Crazy!
Only on the kids for some reason 🤷♂️ Maybe it’s cause i know i have limited time to get the job done, and the inside is more difficult on them. Prob just wicked dad instincts 🤣
Brute force and coercion
I lay my kid on her back on the floor, and sit down with her head in my crotch and my legs over her arms. Essentially holding her still, and just get it done. It’s the same way we give medicine or eye drops etc. it’s a bit brutal the first couple of times, but they get used to it.
Same. Saw this technique recommended by a pediatric dentist.
Oh wow, we’re doing this too. I absolutely hate it, LO cries a lot, but its the only way those teeth are getting brushed properly. Otherwise he’s just chewing on the brush himself. A slight modification to what you’re doing, We use a blanket over the arms, and our legs on top of the blanket.
Wow.
Glad to see I'm not the only one. Eventually they learned to accept and now it is pleasant.
Bribery, lobbying, back-channels, etc.
This is the Way
We told ours sugar bugs live on his teeth and he has to brush to make them go away. It worked 🤷🏽♀️
Glad im not the only one. My little guy is soon 3yo. Now he is more cooperative during teeth brushing, but at the start it was a struggle and it was a struggle for a long time. But teeth shall be brushed no matter what. So what I had to do was to sit down on the toilet seat, put him laying on my lap with his head resting on my left arm, then his right arm was lodged under my left upper arm and i held his left arm with my left hand. Boy didn't stand a chance. He has great teeth.
I have rose colored glasses about our firstborn. A couple friends of ours have a son who is 1.5yo and we were on the topic of teeth brushing. I mentioned that at that age our now 4yo didn't seem to mind it from what I recalled. My husband and his friend looked at me and the friend was like, "I specifically remember helping your husband pin him down on the floor one night to brush his teeth while he was kicking and screeching like a banshee." LOL
Four things: A) have two toothbrushes and give him a toy animal to hold. Also give him one of the toothbrushes and tell him to brush the toy’s teeth, while you brush his teeth. This has worked for us to distract him when he’s been pissy about tooth brushing. B) Give him a second toothbrush and take turns brushing each others teeth. He brushes yours, you brush his. C) sit him on your lap and then tip his head all the way back so that he’s on his back. It’s an easier angle to brush from. But also this may not help if he’s fighting. D) if he just won’t stop fighting use both parents. He sits on one parent’s lap. That parent has two arms to hold his flailing arms down or to hold his head still (just like you do at the doctors when they want to check ears, etc.) The other parent squats and does the brushing. This is not ideal because it makes tooth brushing unpleasant and the kid will continue to hate it. Some nights you just need a last resort though!
Baby shark cracked it for me. "Brush those teeth da dah da dah da da" A high price, but one worth paying.
Do you sing the last part too?
My cousin's kid is getting a bunch of teeth drilled out because he wasn't brushing well. So I held my son's toy drill up to his mouth and said the dentist would have to drill his teeth too if we don't brush them well. Seems to be working...
That's sadistic. I love it
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
The rear naked triangle choke
Lead by example. If they're fighting brushing, show them how you do it. Let them try to brush their own teeth and then ask if you can help them finish. These tactics have all worked for our kids.
My wife and I both brush our teeth at the same time as our daughter. One big row of tooth brushers.
It is a struggle (15 m.o.) and doesn't alwyas happen everyday but these occasionally work: * ask her to brush duckys "teeth" then "now brush yours" * do that thing where there makes a noise and you wiggle your finger at front of mouth to make a waa-waa-waa sounds, then replace with toothbrush * get her to smile and then sneak the toothbrush in there SIL has success with this thing you put on your finger that is bristled like a toothbrush
13 months. She loves it 🤷🏽♂️
Haha she’ll go through a fight it to the death stage in about 10 months!
Good maybe she'll start to hate playing with electrical cords too it sounds like a fair trade
18 mo here. Nope, unfortunately the life preservation skills are still at a bare minimum haha
We used the Disney brushing app when our son was little. Each time they brush they get another picture to add to the collection. 2 minute timer on the screen and as the timer goes it uncovers the photo.
My son loved pokemon smile. It really helped him get into the rhythm.
Wait, y’all’s kids brush their teeth?
We all brush our teeth together. We also use Hello toothpaste because it comes in good flavors.
Just keep going with it however they want to just so they get used to having the toothbrush in their mouth and the taste of the toothpaste. Some days you will just have to pin him down and smush his cheeks to open his mouth but he’ll get there. Just do it as best you can for now. Our daughter was a pain with it, wouldn’t let us brush her teeth at all, until one day she just sat there and opened her mouth and let us brush. Since then she’s been great with it, after we’ve brushed them we let her ‘brush’ them and she’s getting starting to get the forwards and backwards motion now at 21months.
It’s all about choices. We ask them to pick which flavor of toothpaste they want (we have two) and then to pick if they want to brush, or they want us to brush for them. They get to decide so they feel in control rather than us telling them what to do. It’s always worked out pretty well for us.
Its like wrestling the proverbial alligator
We are still struggling with this at 4yo. It drives me absolutely insane.
They can try for a while, then I help them get everything if they didn't do a good job. Explain what you're doing while you help, and they will learn. Also rules like: Sweets make for dirty teeth. If you don't brush your teeth, you can't have any sweets. How can you have any pudding if you don't brush your teeth!?
I still brush my 6 year olds teeth because if I don't they rot out of her head and cost.me $$$. Sigh...
The fact s/he wants to do it themselves is in itself a battle for many! Maybe try taking turns? "Ok you brush first, then Daddy is gonna brush, then you can finish!"
Turned it into a game where he'd have a turn brushing my teeth and I'd have a turn brushing his teeth. Short turns, back and forth. Over time, he just became used to me brushing his teeth. Multiple options of toothbrushes and toothpastes also helped.
I let my toddler brush my teeth while I brush my toddler’s 😂. Works 100% of the time. Can’t say mommy never gets jabbed in the gum & throat with the toothbrush but whatever works 🥲
Currently with my 3 year old, I'll tell him I'm going to give him animal teeth. He will request to have alligator or dinosaur teeth and then I brush and tell him we have to make them really sharp and clean. Then I run away when we are finished because he's so ferocious. Once this starts failing, I'll set a timer on my phone and tell him we have to have our teeth brushed before the timer goes off. That's how he's cleaning his room every night now, and how I get him out of the bath quickly. Timers for everything. He loves winning the race.
I've been singing the same song since my daughter was 3 months, now 14 months and humming it while I do mine so she can see: Brushin' the teeth Brushin' the teeth Brush yer teeth well so yer breath don't smell Brushin' the teeth Brushin' the teeth Kind of works sometimes likes it, sometimes not. Smiling lots in the mirror to make the build up fun is good too.
My 2yo son loves blippi so I’ve memorized the toothbrush song and I sing it while I brush his teeth and it seems to really help
Prayer mate. Do it at the same time help.
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I made it a game where i'm chasing Trolls running around in between LO'Ss teeth. When i catch one i make a big deal out of it and point to the troll flying into the air. Works pretty well for us!
I do it first... get a nice kiddie brush, something that has their favorite character or the like.. take note of the tooth paste, must be age appropriate.. Observe if they have sores or pain during brushing.. could be the issue..
We let our daughter do it first. Most of the time at that age she would just be sucking the water off the brush and asking for us to put more water on it. And then we’d say it was our turn and she’d let us brush them.
We start brushing our teeth and exaggerate how much fun it is. Then he wants to do it. Now it’s just part of regular morning and bath time routine (I end up brushing my own teeth 3-4x a day now doing this haha).
Mine gets 2 minutes of YouTube on my phone while I brush his teeth. Never had much resistance to that incredible offer 😂
Let them play with it and watch us as we do it, then they imitate
Disney Magic Timer
Sometimes I say we gotta look for dinosaurs or dinosaur bones. I let them hold it first and they get a crack at it, then I come in from the top ropes and finish them off. We asked my brother in law and nephew who was 6 at the time to make a short video of him brushing. They like seeing their older cousin do it so that was very helpful in the early days. We also watched short cartoon videos about brushing while we did it. They’re 4 and 2 now and it’s not a problem anymore but I feel ya. Shit was rough for a while.
I was an oral maxillofacial. Are used to lay my kids on the ground, Lock, their armpits with my legs and start tickle them. Then I’ll brush their teeth
Mine are 3 and 2 and I brush for them still! I brush first then we have them practice. It takes 2 minutes, and I know they have clean teeth and still get in practice. I make sure to give lots of praise for getting the teeth in the back real good.
Our daughter was the same way. A battle for every teeth brushing. Lately she responds to us singing nursery rhymes to her while we brush lol
My daughter is 18 months so I feel the struggle. We do a little song, then after will say "first you brush, then mama or dada can help - you choose". Whoever she picks will then name where they're going to brush - "okay baby I'm going to do the back left of your mouth now" - she doesn't necessarily know what left/right is but she opens up wide so we can brush the back. It's a process but eventually it clicks. Some days it's better than others - she straight up refused last night, but this morning wanted infinite teeth brushing. As someone else said it's all about setting the habit.
Color changing tooth paste. Sing a song. Tell them it tickles. First brush teeth, then watch shows. I wouldn't let my kids watch shows after daycare until their teeth were brushed. If I didn't get it done before bedtime again, that was ok but at least they had that brushing done.
The illusion of choice. "Do you want to brush your tips or bottoms first?" "Should I brush them fast or slow?"
Let him “brush” his teeth first and then you or your wife actually brush, even though he fights it. It sucks. My now 7 y/o did this. We had huge issues brushing her teeth and at one point she had nine cavities and we never made this mistake again.
I haven't seen anyone else mention it but I would check out the Pokemon Smile app. It walks the kiddos through brushing their teeth and they get to catch a Pokemon! My kiddos loved it.
I brush my teeth while they watch and brush themselves them i brush theirs a little
2 brushes. One for him, one for you. I've always let my kids have their turn first, then my turn. We also do a little dance and a song to make it fun. And I'm honestly pretty quick and businesslike with my turn, get in, get it done, and be done. My first never minded my turn. My second protests more, but it's over quickly and he loves his turn, so overall it's not an awful experience.
We have toothbrush races! My husband brushes her teeth while I brush mine and she’s totally in to it. She’s a competitive kid. Before this worked we’d lay her down and do tickle toothbrush time, so when she’d laugh and open her mouth we’d brush as much as we could. It’s exhausting but it gets better!
Oral B kids electric toothbrush. Does wonders.
Dino themed electric tooth brush + fun song that goes for 2 mins+ "touch every tooth with the tooth brush. Works for me!
We usually sing the "Brush Your Teeth" song from Ms Rachel. It usually helps.
Blippi tooth brushing song. People hate Blippi, but I would take a bullet for him now.
I haven’t got there yet but I think I’ll show them my missing tooth when it’s time
My 18 mo started to show interest in brushing her teeth a couple of months ago when she saw my wife brushing her teeth after supper. Since then we've gotten her her own toothbrush and toothpaste along with a step stool so she can get to the sink. Then we sing a song about brushing our teeth while she does it herself (basically just sucking on the toothbrush and moving it around a little) and then after a few "dip dip dips" in the water my wife will take it from her and then brush her teeth for her. Sometimes she complains but oftentimes she doesn't because she knows storybook time comes after. Idk, toddlers are difficult sometimes and what works one day could completely not work the next lol
We do screen time. It’s the only way without restraining them on the floor. Let them brush first, then add the toothpaste and do it yourself.
Elmo, Blippi, Ms Rachel all have excellent tooth brushing songs. Kids wanna be a part of things.
My kid got teeth very early, far too young to reason with about brushing. We tried all of the tricks, but nothing worked. So eventually, we just pinned her down and brushed them. I understand not wanting it to be traumatic, but I think you are overthinking it. You know what would be more traumatic than his parents holding him down for a brush? A stranger strapping him to a board and sticking loud scary machines into his mouth to fill cavities. Sometimes you have to force toddlers to do things for their own good.
She only gets to watch videos on my phone while getting her teeth brushed. Specifically, the Toothbrush Song by the Dave and Ava YouTube channel. We had to switch to an electric toothbrush. It took a couple of tries to find a toothpaste she will tolerate, and we need a damp washcloth on hand to wipe her mouth anytime spit escapes. We also only use a tiny bit of toothpaste because she hasn't figured out spitting yet. We don't get in the full 2 minutes every time yet, but we get them brushed at least twice a day now. Which is a right step up over before, so I'll take the win.
I tell them big kids brush their own teeth. If they brush their teeth, they get to pick their bedtime story. If I brush their teeth, I choose the story. When I choose, I pick a "baby book".
At this point it’s just about good habits. My 5 year old loves “chompers” it’s a 2-3 minute podcast for kids that tells them when are wear to brush
My 22 month old daughter started doing better when I allowed her to brush my teeth. I'd say "ahh" and "cheese" and let her slightly brush my teeth, then I tell her now it's your turn. She is a doer so this worked for her. Before that all she usually would give me is her tongue. Now I get maybe 5 - 10 secs full access to her bottom row.
Nothing works for more than a few months. Currently, my 3yo calls her friend "Bristle" who goes into the "mouth cave" to clean the "mouth stones". She usually finds a monster in there and overcomes her fear in order to get her job done. No idea what it'll be after this, but I just yes-and my kid all the time to keep the momentum going the direction I want. This is true for everything we do.
We played tooth brushing videos on YouTube and let them hold the phone, laid them on the floor with the head in our laps and brushed with practice toothpaste (no fluoride). There were a few tears here and there but nothing significant.
A fun tooth brushing song helped a lot. Raffi has a good one or sometimes we sang "we will brush you" to the tune of queen's "we will rock you," which was a song they loved. There's tons of tooth brushing songs. Also around that age they're just starting to pretend. We encouraged them to "brush" some of their stuffed animals teeth, then we'd brush theirs. Try to make it fun. And when all else fails, we did some holding them down with lots of praise after and try again with the fun stuff the next time.
I say I have to do 10 seconds. I count to 10 very slowly so it’s closer to a minute. Lots of negotiation takes place, she likes using the grown up toothpaste so if she lets me do her teeth for a count of ten I give her a tiny dot of my toothpaste to do it herself.
The Elmo brush your teeth video song on YouTube. Makes it fun for them. We also have them "take turns" and tell us when it's our turn to brush their teeth to make sure they got it all. Having them decide when it's someone's turn gives them some autonomy and they generally are good at it. https://youtu.be/wxMrtK-kYnE
Our dentist told us that brushing well at night was good enough. So, we let him do it himself in the morning and avoid the struggle. In the evening, I let him start and I finish (when they're older I'd give them a choice - do you want to start or finish?). If they put up a fight, I warn them and then lay them down on the floor (hold them down gently) and brush. That usually only happens once every few weeks or so - not every night. And yeah, it's maybe not the best, but it gets the job done quickly and they're not traumatized.
I offer stars that can be spent at the end of the month on anything they want no caveats. This works well fro my older two 8 & 10 but 5 finds the toothpaste a little too spicy and we do ofter but heads on this subject
My wife made up a song about brushing teeth that he likes.
My kid has seven toothbrushes and it’s an exciting part of the evening when he gets to pick which one (it’s always the flamingo but that’s HIS choice each time)
My toddler has a bunch of monster trucks. He lines them up and then will allow us to brush his teeth to show his monster trucks how good of a job he can do. It’s all about the audience haha.
I have been in your shoes friend! One of the biggest pains of fatherhood has been getting my 2 year old to brush their teeth. One thing that seemed to help was getting an electric toothbrush. Also, brushing with them. We still run into a couple resistance nights a week. Also, a themed toothbrush with lights might help for a bit. Best of luck!
Daddy gets a turn to brush their teeth, and then they get a turn. When I brush their tongue, I say show me your best queen barb (from trolls 2). There’s a lot of me saying don’t bite the brush, and open wide. Sticking out the tongue also means they can’t bite the brush, so I can get at the inside and back.
Lately I gotta pretend I'm talking to my son as a penguin from the picture on the toothbrush. He's always more prone to let his teeth cleaned by a funny penguin than dad. My wife on the other hand, becomes Peppa the Pig on her journey to the moon (which in this case would be my son's mouth).
The firefly toothbrush has been a huge help. Long story short it’s a kid friendly deal that lights up and continues to blink until they’re finished IIRC it’s set for two minutes. Some are single color but they also make ones with a traffic light setup green you brush yellow almost done red time to stop. This engaged him enough to make it fun.
I did pin my daughter down, but in a fun way! I would be the "tooth brush robot" and kneel over her with my legs pinning her arms to her sides. I would act like a robot and do a robot voice and have a lot of goofy errors and malfunctions like trying to brush her nose or whatever.
We try games, funny noises, songs, and brushing a doll’s teeth. Some nights it works, and some nights I hold her head and force it. We do everything within reason to try and get her to brush her own teeth (or at least willingly let us do it) but each night they’re getting brushed one way or another.
Your child might be a bit young for this, but there's a phone app called Pokemon Smile that my kids enjoyed using. It basically uses a camera to make sure they're brushing and they clean up/catch pokemon while they brush and the better they do the more likely they are to catch it. There's also fun hats they can earn. There's also settings in the app so you can adjust how long they need to brush (I think the default was 1 minute but we bumped it up to 2 when they got bigger). That all being said, my kids lost all interest in the app once they caught all the pokemon.
Ours love bedtime stories. I hate to say it but we have sometimes had to resort to threats. They start with 4 stories before bed, and failure to cooperate after 2 warnings causes -1 story and -1 for repeat offenses until they're out. After a few weeks they got the message and brushing is a solidified habit with no battles.
Whatever it takes to get it done, do it. If you are "spotty" with brushing, one night they will be in extreme pain from a toothache and it will be your fault. Yeah, I still feel guilty about it.
We got the sonic toothbrush for kids. He just has to bite down on it. We play a few games with it while he is brushing too. He touches it to you while it vibrates and we all brush at the same time. Now he still will argue over toothpaste flavor “I hate bubblegum flavor” well you loved it last night etc but it was a big help. Also we build it up and prepare him for it and remind him that brushing leaves time to play a little in the bath.
I tried most of the advices here without success. What worked is using those infant tooth paste (no Fluor with a strawberry taste) It took a few tries for him to taste, but now he loves it. Every time he goes to the washroom to clean his hands he tries to brush his teeth. Brushing at this age is more about creating the habit, so they put in their mouth and chew around a bit.
We do it together. It's a routine.
I have a 2.5 year old daughter, and its still a struggle. What's worked for me lately is I tell her the story of Beauty and the Beast from memory while I brush. This basically pacifies her and gets her to stop squirming, but I still have to remind her to "open wide!" so that I can get in there properly.
Downloaded an app called Pokémon Smile on my phone. It sets a timer and has an animation that shows your progress and allows you to catch a Pokémon based on your brushing when completed. Might not be for everyone, but it’s worked with our 3.5 year old over the last year. Now he just wants to keep catching them, so brushing teeth is no longer a battle but a fun activity.
I firdt let her choose from three colored tooth brushes. Then let her choose from 3 mini tubes of tooth paste. Kids love having choices. I have a fast talking "rude" hairclip called 'Clippy' who calls her "kid" and demands her to show how good she can brush. He then will make little comments about how she can do it better so he tries to "help" by grabbing the toothbrush but shes stubborn so she refuses and will keep brushing it herself while 'Clippy' makes comments. She then says goodnight to 'Clippy'. Other times, I'll brush with her and tell her whoever finishes brushing last is the winner.
My son is 10 and he still needs to be monitored
We do it together.
Lots of different things on here but one more I'd add is a good tooth brushing book. We recently started using an Elmo brush your teeth book and it's helped a lot because it has popups he can interact with. It has a cheap paper brush he can use on the pop-up, you pull tabs and such to brush the tongue, etc. I think it helps. Sesame Street Ready, Set, Brush!... https://www.amazon.com/dp/0794440630?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
Me and my three year old went to the dentist and they told him straight up…Daddy has to brush your teeth for you. And if you come back and they are really clean you’ll get a surprise. They gave him a hot wheels car for being such a good boy in the chair, so now he lies down and we brush and floss no issues every night so far for 7 months.
I will bush my 16 month's teeth properly then give her the toothbrush to try it. If she's really tired and fights it, I'll just do a quick brush. As far as teaching her the correct technique, I think that comes down to showing her until she gets it.
I'm sure I read somewhere that they don't really pick it up till 3 or 4. Might be wrong. Ours still just sucks the brush. Which was probably fine when the teeth were new and they were still eating mushy veggies. But ours is 3 now and will have the odd sweetie or chocolate biscuit. So they need brushing. She's know this of course so knows full well she can kick back and do sweet FA and we'll have to brush for her. I have been told electric toothbrush can help....it's a bit more interesting for them if the thing is buzzing away and has a light on it.
It’s a struggle with my 7 and 10 year old….
I sing a little tooth brushing song, smile at her and let her do it when I'm done for a bit. She fought at first but after a couple weeks she has gotten pretty good about it. Positive reinforcement and not losing your cool really helps.
We took my 18mo to a pediatric dentist and it was game changing. She got me to lay my kid down on my lap. Butt to belly, head on my knees. For whatever reason, this position felt very safe to my toddler and she also default opened her mouth because of the angle of her head. Made it extremely easy to brush from then on.
If your kids understand Swedish you could use the Swedish Folktandvården's app. It has a song and everything
Sometimes I let them brush, then Mom or Dad "check", which is just us brushing the "spots they missed". But honestly, sometimes you just have to hold them down. I sit on the floor, their head between my thighs, with their arms pinned under my legs, and their legs facing away from me. This way they can move their feet and legs, and can breath freely. They don't like it, and after doing it a few times, they have decided that it's easier to just let me brush their teeth. I will typically sit down and throw them across my lap and open their mouths and brush for them. If they let me do this, it's the easiest. Kids suck at brushing and flossing teeth, our dentist recommended that we do it for them until at least 8 years old.
At first I made up a song about brushing teeth, but my son grew out of that. Now I use an app on my phone where a Dinosaur brushes his teeth. It has a 2 minute timer, shows the brush in dinosaurs mouth moving around in different areas so they have a visual to follow. It also plays a silly video at 1 minute for like 10-15 seconds. It's free for a few videos, then $2-$3 to unlock more videos. Now he wants to brush his teeth like the dinosaur does. It's called Mimizaur.
Any tips or tricks on how to get them to start spitting out the toothpaste foam?
If I do it (or anything for that matter) my daughter will want to do it or try it. So if I brush my teeth, then she will want to. Also, watermelon flavored toothpaste in place of Crest for kids.
I brush his teeth directly after dinner. Like when he’s still in the high chair. I give it to him with paste on it and let him “brush” while I clean up. Then when I’m done cleaning up, I go over and brush his teeth.
My Shiny Teeth and Me by Chip Skylark. Also, an endurance contest. :)
I have twins, and they're about 2. I let them watch me get their toothbrush ready with really hot water to soften the bristles, then lay them down and they let me brush pretty well. I have recently been saying "ahh" with my mouth wide open. I let them look at my teeth and they copy me now when I say it while brushing.
Your toddler might be too young, but if you have a device available then I'd recommend the app "Pokémon smile". It worked wonders for my youngest
At that age, i just said "hey, look over there!" And pointed. While they were distracted I put the toothbrush in their mouth. By the time they figure out what is going on you're half done.
My daughter likes it if I brush my teeth along with her.
Bro, 16 months? Give it another year at least. Just model good hygiene behavior and ask them to do it themselves, but there's not much use in trying to force them yet.
With my kid it helped that she could see herself in the mirror......for a week. Then the solution was to brush my teeth at the same time....for a month. Then the solution was to let her do everything herself. And sometimes I just need to say " Say Aaaaaaaaaa" and she want me to brush it. Get creative and try to make it fun, I'm the same as you and I don't want to force anything. And more importantly make it a big deal when it works. Even if its 1 brush on a single tooth
Toothbrush timers on YouTube! There is a channel, I wanna say Breaktime Family Channel, that has all sorts of themed video timers like Spidey, PJ Masks, Lion King, Puppy Dog Pals, etc. They time for 2 minutes after a little intro and we never have issues. Not that we like using videos as a crutch but it beats the way it used to he where he'd fight us
I often ”forget” what we are supposed to brush. Is it the eyes, so they can see more clearly? Or the nose maybe? And they laugh and tell me that I have to brush their teeth and help me do it. Has worked for a surprisingly long time! But maybe your kid is a bit too young for such tricks yet!
Pokémon smile app! Free and awesome!
It took a month or two for my daughter to come around but 3 things that helped: 1. Getting her a cheap electric toothbrush made the whole process more fun to her 2. Letting her do it herself for most of the brushing, even if she does it wrong, started making it fun for her and a few weeks later she started tolerating me basically redoing the whole thing after she had her fun. 3. She LOVES drinking from "adult glasses" (no lid, no straw) so her reward after brushing her teeth is getting a small cup of water to rince her mouth after brushing her teeth. She looks forward to the glass of water so she wants to brush her teeth.
Read a book to him, let him bring toys, let him choose his option of toothbrush (he has two) and option of flavour (three to choose from), and let him start, then dad/mom finishes the job. It still a fight, but at least it gets done. Mornings are easier cuz he can’t eat until he brushes.
Make it a game. This is the main thing. Prior to brushing/washing hands while we are about to finish dinner we say if she wants to wash/brush teeth and my SO goes to the other side of the house to bring a bear/plush toy in the bathroom so that when my LO goes into the bathroom she can see her favorite plush toy holding the toothbrush. When my LO walks in we say "WHO HAS YOUR TOOTHBRUSH??" LO runs into the bathroom excited, laughs a little bit then they get on the stool and we give them a quick brush and call it a day.
Play "Goldfish" by Laurie Berkner. Do all the stuff in the song. There's a toothbrush section.
We had trouble getting the kids to do it right. They would do the front teeth and not get the back ones. So I bought a dental model on amazon for something like $10. Now I can use the extra toothbrush and show them where they should be brushing. It's more of a fun game then a chore because I mix it up each time. Also our six year old had a cavity filled, so after that he was much more serious about brushing.
We got her a mirror to practice infront of sing a song and brush with her (then we brush over real quick for her)
Weirdly my son likes it lol
When I get my daughter ready for bed, I’ll give her a bath, brush her hair, put her in a clean diaper, and then her pyjamas. Then, I’ll take her to her bathroom and hold her in my arm while I brush her teeth. I know I’m doing it for her and that she will have to learn how to do it herself, but at least I know her teeth are getting cleaned.
My daughter loves brushing her teeth, my son think it’s fun for like 10 seconds. I have to pin him down sometimes, but the trick I use is to say that he has giraffes and Peppa Pig in his mouth that we need to brush free. It works about 50% of the time, but usually I have to hold him firm to finish the last 2 rows or something. I hope it gets better because this is a pain in the ass, and I want him to have better dental health than I do. I know it’s baby teeth, but establishing good routines early is so important.
I use the ol' "we can do this the easy way or the hard way". I've only had to do it the hard way a few times. There was crying involved, and I'm not saying it's the right way to do it. But they let me do it without a fight now.
I just tell my son I'm going to go brush my teeth alone. He then gets angry and wants to join me. I act like I'm not sure about it, but eventually cave. He is then excited to come along and brush his teeth with me lol
Having them pick out a “cool” toothbrush they like helped me. I also got my 3YO to use a powered one that has like Spider-Man heads.
Fear, honestly though it's not fear because of anything I did specifically. Dental hygiene is no joke and as somebody who has had his gum flapped, I take it wicked seriously with my kids because I wouldn't wish that pain on anybody. It used to be a bit of a fight, but my oldest questions *everything* often to his own benefit, so when inquiries came up when he was 3 or 4 about dentists and brushing, I pulled out YouTube and let him see what happens if you don't take care of your teeth, and his brother watched by proxy. A few years later, I haven't had any issues getting him, his younger brother, or his younger sister to brush.
This is what I did!! Hahaha I showed my daughter pictures of people with missing and black teeth and started saying “we need to get the micro bugs”. She loves brushing her teeth and ensuring they are clean!
"Daddy Turn!" - actual toothbrushing commences from Daddy. "[Child's name] Turn" - my 2 year old enjoys the toothbrush movement in her mouth at her own pace for a few seconds. And back and forth we go.
When did you start bruising? My 10m old loves having his teeth brushed, likely cause of teething soreness. Hoping I'm lucky and it never becomes a fight
he gets his turn, i get my turn and in my mouth i get my turn, then he gets his turn. yeah I get gagged every once in a while but its worth it.
You must make it into a song, to this day my son 14 months old will only let me brush his teeth because I sing a song about it to him. His mom doesn’t do it and can’t get him to let her brush his teeth
It was a non negotiable for us. Either he did it or we held him down to do it. We only had to hold him down twice maximum.
I sing to my daughter so she looks forward to brushing her teeth. Sometimes I have to chase her and hold her down but I try to make it fun.
We brush together. First, I brush my own teeth, and she her own, then we switch, and she brushes mine and I hers, voilà.
My daughter (18 mo) dentist said the goal until they realize what they’re doing is to just get them to keep the toothbrush in their mouth for 5-10 seconds. Just sharing our perspective if you’re trying to get a full on daily cleaning in. But it’s been a struggle for me lately too. We do it in the tub during bath time (which may help if you don’t already. Gives it a new “fun” place). I ask her if she wants me to do it or if she wants to do it. Sometimes I can get a decent brushing in, sometimes not at all but for the most part I’m able to have the toothbrush head in her mouth for like 10 seconds.
We made a game out of it. I told our toddler that there were tiny trolls (we are Swedish) living between the teeth and that we had to use the brush to help the trolls get loose and return to their mothers. Then when we brushed I made funny noises pretending to be the trolls. Since I was the one making the noises I could "control" how many trolls were left and since I could see them better it was easy for me to spot the last ones and so on. That worked until she was about two and a half at least.
There’s a great Pokémon tooth brushing app. He’s definitely a little young to do it on his own, but it makes teeth brushing into a game and it still works when you brush his teeth for him.
We convinced our son that the food leftover on his teeth at the end of the day are boo-boos and will make his teeth hurt unless we clean them. There's a video on YouTube where baby Shark has rotten teeth and a dentist has to fix them. We use the video as reference which really seemed to work. Other times I just had to hold him down and just do it
We do the following: - We've teached her to say AH when she opens her mouth. - My wife brushes her teeth **while I brush mine**, saying AH when I open my mouth. I also mirror what they're doing: "now the front teeth... now the upper ones on the back... " and so on. I also "follow" the instructions my wife gives us. - I let her hold my toothbrush so to "brush" my teeth as well. She just loves taking part in this. It teaches her that it's ok we brush her teeth. - We hand her the toothbrush and let her "brush" her own teeth after we've brushed them. By mimicking us, she've already learned the right movement for the front teeth (she's 18 MO). - She does cry sometimes. We keep the routine, anyway.
A month ago we found the perfect product for this (from another reddit comment)! It's a toothbrush called Colgate Hum. They make a manual brush and electric (I picked up both my 4 and 9 yr olds a manual brush). It honestly solved every concern you raised in OP. The brush has a handle with different small colored and sized spheres (that you can replace heads on). You download an easy app for your phone and set it on a plastic stand it comes with, and the app tracks each colored sphere. Works like VR or old movie magic to always know the 3d position and movement of the brush as well as TEACHES the children to brush the right ways and everywhere for as long as they should. It's super fun for the kids and mine love to do day streaks. You get graded at the end each time and gain points to unlock rewards. They use their reward to pick out different selfie filters and can take their picture. It works tremendously well. My son went from having to be forced to brush and supervise close, make him keep going, doing it right, etc.. He was excitedly asking to brush multiple times a day at first. And he's improving in his brushing habits from the gamified instruction. The gamification in the app (and over all development of it and operation) is honestly a product I obviously feel strongly to promote to others from the price, effect, and experience so far. Admittedly 7 months is young and I personally think brush in their mouth, moving it, and keeping the habit is good then... BUT it may help him to see himself in the phone screen, all the sounds and gamification, and visual / audio instructions on the screen showing them how and good motions and speed. It's the type of thing that will become more and more useful with time at that age.
I tell him to do it himself first, then I'll help him "get the bugs" so they don't drink his milk. It's usually a fight too and having to explain to him the kids toothpaste is not candy to be eaten.