Hi, I'm looking for some creative ways to help with brushing my 2 1/2 year old's teeth. He loves to bite the toothbrush,chew on it and occassionally brush. My attempts to get him to open up so I can really brush are met with chomps and lots of silliness. We've sung some songs, made silly faces to open up our mouths, used a special brush that lights up etc.... I wouldn't be too concerned except the few glimpses I get of his back teeth indicate more diligence is needed to clean his teeth properly. Ideas???? A story from the trenches???
Thank you ladies! Will check the motorized tooth brushes and implement the other strategies you all suggested. We really appreciate the advice, so nice to have this forum to share and discuss the quirks of parenting!
Try a battery operated toothbrush. My son doesnt do well with the regular brush but he loves to use the motorized one, like mommy!
What started working for our 2 yo was having him stand in front of the mirror. He really likes watching himself!
Try having the dr. talk to him about his teeth. Practice playing dentist let him brush your teeth. Let him brush.
Oh and using an electric or battery operated brush get a whole lot more done in less time.
R.
Hi Heather,
This might sound silly but I would brush out favorite tv characters. Open up let me see if the wiggles are in there. Brush out greg, jeff, etc. Whatever your child likes... i.e "what are those tiny cars doing in there?" This method worked for my oldest. My current two year old loves diego and loves to brush her own teeth so I do it first brushing diego out then leave the brush with her to bite, brush, etc.
One night before bed I told my son if he didn't open wide I was going to turn the light out without stories. He tested me and I did. He then agreed to open wide, so I turned them back on and brushed his teeth and read stories. He opens wide every night now.
I have a five year old son who has been going to the dentist since he was a year old. About a year ago he began to brush his own teeth with me in there. I have learned that it is very helpful if you also brush your teeth with them at the same time so they can watch you. My son loved to watch me and ended up doing it the exact same way i did:) Plus we both went to the store and i let him pick out his own toothbrush. Good luck:)
The two most helpful things I found when I had the same trouble: letting him brush my teeth while I was brushing his. I would do with my mouth what I wanted him to do, and he would mirror me. Also, I would say, let's see how fast Mommy can brush your teeth, then I would say the wider you open, the faster Mommy goes. Singing the music from the William Tell Overture, the song they used to use in all the old cartoons. Now, he opens up great at age 5, but still wants me to sing the song!! Good luck.
Our 2-1/2 year boy was the same way. He loves the cartoon Diego so I bought him a Diego spin brush. He loved it. It worked great for awhile then he went back to his old difficult ways. Two weeks ago I had a dental checkup so I took him along. He got to see mommy getting her teeth cleaned etc. Since then when it is time to brush I remind him of how good I was when the lady cleaned my teeth. It is working...for now.
Use the rubber, thimble-like thingy they put in with the kids' toothpaste. You put it on your index finger and it has ridges on it that allow you to brush their teeth without hurting them. That way you can maneuver around inside the mouth better and pry their mouth open without causing any damage. Believe me, it works.
